2019: The Year In Movies

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The return of my annual long December vacation, with very little to do otherwise, saw a big increase in movie watching for me, with my highest total since 2011.  I managed to watch 89 movies last year, my eighth consecutive year under 100.  Again, many things contributed to this, chiefly the insane amount of TV I’ve been watching, the greater effort made towards going out for walks, and the awful amount of time I spend either at work or getting to and from work.

Here’s a look back at the first 50 movies I did manage to watch last year and what recollection, if any, I have of them. The films are listed in the order I saw them.

Life Of The Party (2018)
Melissa McCarthy joins her daughter at college after her husband leaves her.

The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Eddie Murphy tackles a movie based on the Disneyland ride.

Downsizing (2017)
Matt Damon shrinks himself to 5 inches tall, gaining wealth but losing a wife.

Knight And Day (2010)
A young woman gets mixed up with a disgraced spy who is trying to clear his name.

Keep Watching (2017)
A gang of intruders takes a family hostage and forces them to play a game.

The Space Between Us (2017)
The first human born on Mars heads to Earth to find his long-distance crush, even if it will kill him.

Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018)
A choose-your-own-adventure film about a young kid trying to make it in the video game industry.

Bird Box (2018)
A woman tries to save her two children in a world where seeing things leads to death.

Hereditary (2018)
A grieving family is haunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Aliens take over the human race. Continue reading →

Book 14 (of 52) – Murder On The Orient Express

Murder On The Orient Express – Agatha Christie

When renowned detective Hercule Poirot is called back to London, he takes an unexpected ride on the Orient Express.  A murder on board the train, stuck in Yugoslavia due to snow, puts Poitot into action, as he, along with the trains doctor and an executive of the train company, must determine who is behind the gruesome act.  What he finds is a well-planned conspiracy, getting revenge for another crime a continent away.

First published in 1934, Agatha Christie’s classic tale of intrigue plays out slowly, building to a crescendo.  While this wasn’t my first exposure to Christie’s work, it was my first with her classic character Poirot.  I’m not sure if I would go out of my way to find more of her work, but, should I come across it, I would probably give it a read.