Movie and such.

Since television is crap these days and I survive mostly on The Office and 30 Rock reruns, let's talk about movies.

Do you enjoy adventure and excitement? Have you ever thought of taking a crazy trip across the country or continent or world and just hitting the road? Did you enjoy the fictional movie Motorcycle Diaries by a sensational director Walter Salles who (is also responsible for personal favorites Central Station, City of God, and Lower City)? Seriously, this man is a directing/producing genius.

But back to the topic at hand. Then I highly recommend the tv mini-series Long Way Round starring Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman as themselves. It is really a documentary about these two best friends who both happen to be actors (Ewan more famous than Charley) and their love for motorcycles adventures. They decide to that they want to challenge themselves, and they plan to ride their bikes around the world. It is over 20,000 miles and 12 weeks and takes them through some of the most remote places in the world: Siberia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Alaska. They ride across a region of the old Soviet union on the "Road of Bones", where nothing but gigantic trucks with 10 foot tires can travel. They see the most amazing places, and for once, it is not Hollywood version of these countries. Once this 8 hour special is started, you can't stop watching it. You will fall in love with Ewan and Charley as the coolest celebrities to ever live. This mini series received almost a 9.5 out of 10 on IMDB, which is a site that is notoriously hard to get good ratings on. Anyway, just rent the movie from Blockbuster or Netflix and you won't be sorry. Unless you think Pirates of the Caribbean is a good movie... then you should probably skip it and check out Glitter instead.

Since I watch a lot of documentaries/independent/foreign films, I see my far share of good and really bad. Another must rent is The Devil's Miner. It is the real tear jerker version of Blood Diamond that follows the life of a 10-year-old who works in a silver mine in Bulgaria. I dare you to rent this and not feel like crap about your own easy life that you were born into. Also good: Born into Brothels (kids born in Calcutta's red light district), Once Were Warriors (movie about violence in the New Zealand Maori culture), Bandit Queen (based on legendary female warrior Phoolan Devi from India), Y Tu Mama Tambien, Tsosti (six days in the violent life of a young Johannesburg gang leader), The Terrorist (story of a female suicide bomber from Sri Lanka trained to kill the Indian prime minister) just to name a few. I find that foreign films tend to push the envelope and are more explosive and real which is why I gravitate to them. But I can still get a little humor and enjoyment out of some Hollywood blockbusters, such as Superbad, Juno, and Office Space.

Have a happy weekend! I will be ride ride riding this weekend as it is the last hard training weekend before the big race. Knee is doing much better with less swellage, and I might be receiving into my own hands my new bizike. Aiiiieeee! Hopefully my poor hubby starts to feel better before the big game on Sunday. Go commercials! I don't really want to cheer for either team so I am cheering for good commercials.