I'm SO behind the times, but I know what I like!

Ok, so everyone is aware I'm an insanely busy mom, with two kids in scouts (leader for one), a full time job I'm blessed to do mostly from home, and a husband who works nights and isn't around for the vast majority of kidlet fun--by which I mean homework, mealtime, bathing, the stuff that's hard--and all this is a SERIOUS drain on my social life.  Me and my dvr?  Best buds.  Netflix?  Close second.  I watch tons of stuff while sewing on badges, grading on my laptop, etc.  Problem is, while I watch stuff, I'm not necessarily CURRENT on my viewing choices.  But I recently saw a movie that wasn't really paid much attention that I simply must share, because I thought it was great.

I like all kinds of films, but a good ghost story gets me every time.  I like horror, but I need a good story to go with it.  A simple hacker slasher won't do, unless the back story keeps me hooked.  I recently saw a movie from 2010 called Let Me In that was simply genius.  Part of it was the casting.  Chloe Moretz of Watchmen fame played a glorious child vampire--since this is a 2010 movie, I don't think I'm giving any grand secret away--and I tell you, people need to watch for her in the future.  She is a fabulous actress with quite a range.  Kodi Smit-McPhee, the main character, was equally fabulous in the title role of a bullied outsider.  There's violence, to be sure, and there's no shortage of fake blood used in this flick, but this is not a movie without a serious emotional payoff.

The far and away gem of the film is the life Kodi Smit-McPhee's character leads.  His recently shattered family life is mired in an absent dad, a religious zealot of a mom, and a general feeling of lost-in-the-middle malaise that's only exacerbated by his school experiences as the punching bag of choice for some nasty middle schoolers.  His inner landscape is echoed in the bleak mid-winter setting where most of the action takes place.  His daily interactions with a vampire child become the brightest spots in his life, and she echoes that sense of enjoyment.

This movie is so much more than a vampire horror movie.  It's about finding a kindred spirit and simply keeping one's head above water emotionally and the choices we make--good or bad--when we make personal connections.  I highly recommend it!