Yesterday's Double Feature: "2016" and "The Words"

My husband and I have spent more time in movie theaters since we've become empty-nesters than we ever did when our boys were living at home.  One reason we rarely went out to see movies was simply that we didn't have the time--we had an awful lot of football and lacrosse games to attend, you understand.  Another reason was that we simply couldn't justify spending the money--we had food to put on the table, after all.  Lots and lots of food.  Like the responsible adults that we were, we usually waited for movies to come out on VHS/DVD and watched them at home, and we saved trips to the theater for special date nights (our anniversary, for instance).  But we have lots of free time these days.  And we don't spend as much money on groceries as we used to.  I mean, the two of us eat like a couple of birds.  (Get it?)  So yesterday, my husband and I did something extremely decadent: we went to not one, but TWO movies.  At the theater.  On the same day.  What a madcap thing to do, huh?

It is a bit crazy, and definitely fiscally irresponsible, to go to the movies these days--especially two in one day--because it costs about as much as a mortgage payment...that is, if you add in popcorn and a soda (which we did).  And if you have a brand new 70-inch T.V. with surround-sound and a DVD player at home, it's really crazy.  But we did it, folks.

The first movie we saw was a late-afternoon matinee showing of a horror movie called "Obama's America 2016."  My husband and I abhor horror movies and don't usually have any interest in being frightened out of our wits, but we felt compelled to see this one.  And we believe that before voters go to the polls this November, in order to make an informed decision they really ought to see it, as unpleasant as it is to watch.  Here is my critique of this film: Oh.  My.  GOSH!  Yikes, I'm going to have trouble sleeping at night now.  That's all I'm going to say about "2016," because I made a promise to keep this blog a happy place, free of happiness-killing subjects such as politics.


We left the first movie a bit stunned and depressed, and we went to grab a quick dinner before going to an early-evening showing of a movie I'd been dying to watch ever since I first saw a trailer for it on T.V.: "The Words."  I was intrigued by this movie, because it revolves around one man losing a manuscript for a book he wrote and another man finding it many years later and having it published as his own work.  During the four and a half years that I worked on Finding Grace, losing all of the words I'd written was my worst nightmare.  I not only had everything saved on my computer; I also kept hard copies (even of the rough drafts), as well as two flash drives--one of which I took with me when I traveled, and one that was stored in our fire safe at home.  I realize that sounds a bit extreme; but I knew that if I ever lost the work I'd done, I'd never be able to duplicate it and I would give up completely.  So the premise of this film really spoke to me.

Most critics have panned "The Words," and the moviegoers who've left comments about it on the "Rotten Tomatoes" web site have had lots of negative things to say.  But I really enjoyed it--and my husband did, too.  We both found the story compelling, and the movie was filled with terrific actors.  It made you think, too, about how even one bad choice can change your whole life.  It also reminded you that the price of fame is sometimes way too costly.  My critique of this film: Two thumb's up!  (One from me, one from my hubby.)   It's a thoughtful, well-acted film.  It's a tad depressing; but not nearly as depressing as "2016."

The bottom line is that, in my opinion, each of these movies is worth the price of the ticket.