Almost every weekend, we rent six or seven movies for the week (1200 colones, about $2.50, per movie for 7 days) and watch all of ’em. Occasionally there is a dog, but we are mostly deliciously entertained, especially by the indies. Like Once. Once you get your ear trained to the brogue, you hang on every word. And the music – we downloaded the soundtrack. Here’s a taste:

Loved Juno which I was prepared to hate because of all the hype, but fell in love with her anyway. And Across the Universe. If you’ve ever listened to a Beatles song staring at the album cover, see this. The story is ok, but the music, the style, the choreography, the colors, the guest artists alone make it a treat. Couldn’t live without this soundtrack either… So inspiring, the geezer band is adding a Beatles set. I got dibs on this:

In last week’s batch was Into the Wild. I didn’t really want to see it but I thought I should see it. Being a movie buff, a die-hard Sean Penn fan, and mother to teen boys ‘n all. I knew the basic story and the ending… why go out of your way to be sad? But the boys had a friend over, it was the last movie left, the visiting boy’s mother had requested a limit on computer time. So we watched it.

And loved it. Everything about it was right on the money: the acting, the script, the directing. Sean Penn did an amazing job telling such a complex story, telling it fairly and beautifully. I loved the acting; how could you go wrong? Hal Holbrook, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Catherine Keener. Even enjoyed Vince Vaughn, who has never interested me. Okay, he was funny in Wedding Crashers… but you forget he’s VV in this one. Emile Hirsch, who I’ve never seen before, as Chris McCandless… they all blew me away. Even the bear was great.

Who blow me away most are Chris’ parents, Mr. and Mrs. McCandless, who were courageous enough to tell the whole story. The message is powerful. I’m so glad we didn’t skip this one and especially glad the boys watched it, too.

This week’s movies include Gone with the Wind – the boys have never seen it. How did they get so old never having seen GWTW??? Here’s how: Hal has been in charge of the schooling up to now. They spent all their time doing math. Life is not all math. So I’m making them watch it as part of school. Hey, they made me watch Wedding Crashers. Besides, GWTW is covered in the SATs, right? This is an epic movie about the Civil War, told from a slightly different point of view. That is NOT a lie.

Despite whining terribly, they got into it, laughing at Scarlett and Mammy and Prissy and Aunt Pittypat. They have certainly never seen a hero like Rhett Butler before. When Clark Gable is on the screen, there is no one else on the planet. Part II this afternoon. The boys are actually looking forward to that. It has nothing to do with getting to watch a movie instead of having to write a 250 word essay…

The rest of the week’s movies include: The Savages, Untraceable, The Brave One, Epic Movie (I did not pick this), The Flock and Dogville. What can I say, I had a serious chick flick attack at the video store. Happily, all promise gratuitous guns, car chases and intrigue. Something for everyone.

Here’s today’s 3M (Memorable Movie Moment). Provided by Rhett, of course: "With enough courage, you can do without a reputation." Of course, a woman really said that…