I’ve always loved awards season. The movies, the red carpet, the fashion… it’s so exciting. I get a thrill from someone winning an award for a performance in which they put their whole heart and soul. Our entire family loves movies. We enjoy watching them, talking about them and analyzing them. My son is studying film in college, and I absolutely love hearing about his professors and his assignments. Both my father and father-in-law also have a fascination with movies. I guess they passed that down to us, and we in turn passed it down to our kids. I’m grateful for that because I am a firm believer that one single movie can have a big impact on your day, and maybe even change your life.

One of the best qualities of a movie is that it transports us to a different time and place. It can make us forget where we are in our own lives, and make us feel something. When my kids are going through a rough patch, I always suggest that they put on their favorite movie. Usually they pick a comedy, because nothing can melt away stress like Dumb and Dumber, The Other Guys, Stepbrothers or Wedding Crashers. Speaking of weddings, my daughter and I have relied on Father of the Bride (parts one and two) to get us through the darkest of days. One look at Steve Martin in that tuxedo emptying confetti out of his shoe warms my heart. 

Watching movies isn’t what it used to be. Remember when you had to wait for a movie to be released to the theaters, and then you had to make a plan to go see it? Our world has changed so much, and while I do like the convenience of having movies ready to watch at the click of a button in our own homes, nothing can take the place of sitting in a cozy movie chair with popcorn and candy, enveloped by surround sound, seeing the previews of what’s to come. 

The positive thing about movies at home is that you can pause, rewind and watch over a period of days. There have been many a night when my husband and I sit down to watch a movie and one or both of us is asleep in a matter of minutes. That’s just where we are in life right now. However, lately we have watched a few new movies that have kept us awake and have really made us think. All four of these movies were Oscar award nominees and they did not disappoint. 

We started with The Holdovers, a movie about a kid in boarding school who has to stay put over winter break while his fellow students jet off to tropical vacations and fancy ski resorts. He’s forced to spend time with a crusty, mean professor and a sad, depressed cook. It’s extraordinary. Next we watched Anatomy of a Fall. This is a foreign film about a husband that falls, and the investigation that follows. The dialogue in this movie will stick with you, as will the acting. The main character is played by Sandra Hüller who may or may not have pushed her husband out of a second story window. She is unforgettable. She also starred in and delivered a haunting performance in Zone of Interest. This movie is about a Nazi commander and his family who live next to Auschwitz in Poland during World War II. I cannot say enough great things about this movie- the sound, the cinematography, the acting, the dialogue- all of it is incredible. It’s the kind of movie that sticks with you. The last film we watched was Society of the Snow, which depicts the 72 days a rugby team survived in the Andes Mountains following a plane crash. This movie made my heart pound, and at times it took my breath away. You feel like you are on the mountain with the survivors, fighting to live another day.

There’s one more movie that is on my mind, but it’s not a new release. Almost Famous came out in the year 2000 and I recently discovered it again. It might be my favorite movie, at least for right now. It’s a coming of age story about a teenage boy who gets a chance to write for Rolling Stone magazine while following a rock band that is trying to make it out on tour. For some reason this movie has grabbed me and won’t let go. I think because it holds all the possibility we have when we are young… the hopes, the dreams, and the promise that life will be what we want. And it teaches us that when we finally find our purpose, when we finally become our true selves, it should feel like home.