A day of movies

I had a bit of head cold or allergy issue last week/weekend. Nothing serious, but a runny nose, sore throat, watery eyes, and general lack of energy. It started Thursday and when I got off work Friday morning, I drove home, parked the car in the garage, and plopped into my recliner at 9:30 am and basically did nothing until Saturday afternoon when the grand kids arrived. Nothing, that is, except watch a bunch of movies!

All told, I watched at least four movies (that I can remember), and some other random TV. Here are the four movies I recall...

• 7500 - This is a 2019 action-thriller starring Joseph Gordon Levitt about a terrorist plane hijacking. I believe the entire movie was set in the cockpit of an airplane. I'm not sure how good of a movie it is, but it was sufficient for a sick day. I even fell asleep at one point and backed up to see what I had missed. I liked it.

• The Florida Project - This is a 2017 film which wiki says is an "American slice-of-life drama." It stars Willem Dafoe and a host of unknowns and first-time actors. It centers on the life of a six-year-old living with her delinquent single mother in a motel near Disney World. The gut-wrenchingly sad contrast between the trouble and hardships of people who live so close to the wonderful world of Disney and those who visit the theme-park is what makes this so powerful. I thought Dafoe was fantastic. As much as I dislike what the movie is about, I thought it very well done.

• The Disaster Artist - Another film from 2017, this one stars brothers James and Dave Franco. It is reportedly a biographical comedy-drama based on Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell's book of the same title. It is about the friendship between budding actors Tommy Wiseau and Sestero that resulted in Wiseau's 2003 film 'The Room,' which is widely considered one of the worst films ever made. This is no great masterpiece, and, ironically, by the end of it I realized I'd already seen it. Still, it was a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon of doing nothing.

• The Machinist - This is the 2004 psychological thriller starring Christian Bale and Jennifer Jason Leigh. It's the role where Bale consumed nothing but water, a daily apple and cup of coffee, and occasional whiskey, in order to drop 62 pounds in 4 months. Talk about changing your appearance! Anyway, he played a machine operator whose insomnia and psychological problems lead him to an even deeper downward spiral of guilt, paranoia and delusion. It was a bit gross and creepy at times, but it kept my interest into the wee hours. If you like such things, I'd guess it is a pretty good movie.

I don't normally veg in front of the TV for this length of time, and I suppose it was partly because Jane was gone (visiting my mom and her brothers). I'd say it did me good to get the rest though. Nothing to see here but... some movies!

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters." - Psalm 23:1-2