Nighted

I felt the need to keep my daily movie streak intact so I snuck out from work a little early to catch a  late matinee of a movie I couldn’t drag my wife to kicking and screaming. I don’t think she fully appreciates the “subtle” humor of a Seth Rogen stoner comedy. The Night Before is a Christmas buddy movie where three friends gather each year on the night before Christmas. This year will be the last one as each ages away from the tradition. Rogen, along with Anthony Mackie and Joseph Gordon-Leavitt demonstrate some real chemistry as the three friends.

As with most of these type films not all the jokes land but enough of them do for the movie to be genuinely funny. There are the usual celebrity cameos including Rogen customary obsession with penis pictures and James Franco; so not the kind of holiday film you want to take the kids to. I think my wife actually may be on to something here. Gross out comedy but after a string of clear misses this one was a lot of fun; if for no other reason than to see the uber-Jew Rogen attending a midnight Christmas catholic mass.

The wife took time way from her busy pre-Christmas requirements to hang out with me last night. We watched another movie together, The Woman in Gold; yet another movie that establishes Helen Mirren as one of the great talents of this century. We were almost finished when my wife received the predictable phone call from one of her friends. With the movie paused I grew increasingly antsy as the conversation showed no sign of abating. After the call completed she was a little angry with me and said we would have paused if the call had been for me. I looked her straight in the eye and said “How long do you think I would be on the phone?”. That stopped her right in her tracks because she has no rival when it comes to telephonic verbosity. I think I may have actually won my first argument with her! It only took 33 years!

Proud Mom

Yesterday I was entirely remiss in not providing samples of the bevy of photos we received from California demonstrating the ongoing perfection that is my granddaughter.  I rectify that omission by providing two days’ worth of same today. Words are incapable of capturing the true essence and since each of the following is allegedly worth a thousand of those – I’ll let them do the talking.

High Five Dad! Great Sweater!