My degree from Central Michigan University states that I have majored in Broadcast and Cinematic Arts.  To the majority of the audience I have announced that to in the past, the degree is a cause for a good old laugh as all assume it was selected solely for the purpose of easy classes; in some cases, I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the day to pick your classes and got to chose “History of Westerns”.  The reality though is I always hoped to be a Director and make movies.  I aimed towards a different career, however, when I realized being a Director meant moving to New York or LA.  Enough with the background, lets get to the point of this blog: I initiated “Movie Night” with me and Renee. 

Definition of “Movie Night”:  each week, we look ahead at our schedules and pick which day will be “Movie Night” and take turns picking a flick to view while knocking back a bottle of wine, popcorn, or some other snack.   

Why initiate this “night”?  Well, with our toddler we are pretty much locked to our house in the evenings, and over the past year or so, we’ve been married to our DVR system and way too many TV shows.  Movies, for us at least, have been last minute decisions and have led to horrible picks consistently thanks to On Demand’s junk box and recent garbage offered at your local Star or Loews Theater.  We never plan ahead with movies, they just simply happen when there isn’t a TV show or we get someone to offer to baby sit.  Moving forward, however, we get to look ahead to each week in angst waiting to discover what each other has selected for this week’s Movie Night pick.

I’ve spent 40 minutes combining a long list of 1) Oscar Best Pictures 1939 to 2006, 2) select group of Best Picture Nominees from 1939 to 2006, 3) Time Inc.’s top 100 films, and 4) AFI’s Top 100 Films of all time.  We now have a library list of films to choose from and also will consistently add movies that either of us think of as the day’s pass (I’ve already added “Hurricane” starring Denzel Washington and “Strangers on a Train” by Hitchcock). 

What’s next?  Each week, I’ll blog with my editorial review of that week’s “Movie Night” pick and offer some thoughts on if any of you might enjoy it.  Stay tuned…