watch it

I'm no movie buff, but my ass went all Ebert last weekend when I finally got the courage to use the $1/night rental kiosk at Publix. I spent all of Saturday night watching movies on my laptop screen.

(My only other movie-viewing machine is a VCR. Sorry.)

One of the movies I watched was Sarah Polley's "Away From Her," a really good story about a woman who goes into a care facility after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. There, she forgets who her husband is, but falls in love with another man.

The film is all about her husband's reaction, and it raises all these interesting questions about memory and love and family and all that stuff.

I can't imagine what it would be like to live with a spouse who has Alzheimer's. As tragic as their situation is, I see those couples also a reflection of probably the strongest form of love. You can go on romantic vacations, give expensive gifts and share all the right compliments...but devoting your life to a partner who doesn't even recognize you? Maybe there's no stronger bond than that.

Wow. Tangent alert. Sorry.

Anyway, "Away From Her" is No. 4 on this list of the 50 best films of 2007. I know Brad might be mad that "Knocked Up" ranked higher than "The Darjeeling Limited."