How I Spent my Winter Vacation

I took the entire week between Christmas and January 1 off from work. I had the time, and my husband was off, too, so I figured, what the heck? My initial intention during this time off was to plow through the revisions on my WIP, Twisted Fate. While that sort of happened, (I got through and sent out two chapters for feedback, and am just about through the next two.) I really just ended up watching a ton of movies and TV shows. There were some board games in there, too.

Here's a recap of all the movies/TV I watched:

The Duchess starring Kiera Knightley and Ralph Fiennes
If you liked Marie Antoinette you'll probably like this movie. Also a true story, it was almost painful to watch how horribly the Duke of Devonshire treated her. If you're not into movies, this was based off the biography written by Amanda Foreman.
Verdict: Not bad, but there are more cheerful movies to watch out there. Would be a great one to pick up for history buffs.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation starring Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo
Summary: A Christmas classic, so I'll skip the summary.
Verdict: No matter how many times I see this movie, it cracks me up every time.

Easy A starring Emma Stone and Stanley Tucci
Tagline: A comedy about a good girl, a small favor and a BIG rumor.
The Verdict:A very funny movie, reminiscent of the style of Ten Things I Hate About You. I'm sorry I didn't see this one earlier.

Exit Through the Gift Shop (documentary)
Summary:The story of how an eccentric French shop keeper and amateur film maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, one of the most successful graffiti artists, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner.
The Verdict: I watched this taking it for what it is - a documentary. Apparently, there is some speculation as to whether the whole movie is a manufactured prank by Banksy. There were a few moments where I didn't really understand why these guys would let the main character film them, but all in all it was an entertaining film.

Black Swan starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis
Summary: ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan, but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like the evil twin sister of the White Swan, the Black Swan.
The Verdict: This film messes with your mind. There were a few cringeworthy partys, but overall one of the best movies I saw out of the bunch. Mila Kunis was pretty amazing in a non-comedic role.

The Princess and the Frog by Disney
Summary: A fairy tale set in Jazz Age-era New Orleans and centered on a young girl named Tiana and her fateful kiss with a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again.
The Verdict: Disney never disappoints. I liked the setting of the story as well as the twist.

Toy Story 3 - voices by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen
Summary: The toys are mistakenly delivered to a day-care center instead of the attic right before Andy leaves for college, and it's up to Woody to convince the other toys that they weren't abandoned and to return home.
The Verdict: Another excellent Disney/Pixar collab. A great way to end the series, although I'm not sure it was aimed at kids. There are some plot points that made me uncomfortable even as an adult.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett
Summary: Tells the story of Benjamin Button, a man who starts aging backwards with bizarre consequences.
The Verdict: Ugh. This was possibly the worst movie I've seen all year. It was SO SLOW. After a hour, my husband and I agreed to just turn it off. You'd probably be better off with F. Scott Fitzgerald's version.

Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jeff Bridges
Summary: When wealthy industrialist Tony Stark is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident, he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil.
The Verdict: This movie was LONG, but good. I'm usually not one for action movies, but this one kept me interested from start to finish.

The first 12 episodes of Friday Night Lights: Season 1
Verdict: I'm not summarizing because I'm afraid I'll find a spoiler, but if you like teen dramas and football, you'll love this show. The scenes with Coach Taylor, his wife and high school daughter Julie are THE BEST!

The last half of Party Down: Season 2
Summary: A group of actors move to LA to make it big, but end up working as caterers.
Verdict: This show is great. Another one that's been cancelled before it's time.

Phew! That's a lot of TV!

Watched anything good recently?