watch these: lincoln and lars and the real girl

i've been watching a lot of good movies lately, both old movies that i've been meaning to see forever and new movies that i knew i would love. these two each fit one of those categories.

last weekend, emily asked me if i wanted to see lincoln, and my answer was a resounding YES. i am a sucker for historical drama, and i'm especially fascinated by abraham lincoln, since i have realized that i really don't know much about him as a person. the movie was awesome, and now i'm obsessed with daniel day-lewis (if you want to know more about him and his process (which you do), read this great article from TIME.) his portayal of lincoln was thought-provoking and eye-opening. being the President in a time of peace would be hard enough; how impossible would it be during wartime, not to mention civil-wartime? all of the acting was great, with bonus joseph gordon-levitt, and lee pace of pushing daisies fame! obviously, les mis is amazing and groundbreaking in terms of movie musicals, but i'm all about lincoln and daniel day-lewis come oscar time.

we are still without a dvd player, so our home-movie-watching capabilities are limited to netflix these days. last night we decided to watch lars and the real girl. the premise is pretty wacky--lars (ryan gosling) is very socially awkward and lonely, so he buys a "real doll" who becomes his girlfriend. the reactions from his family and the town are hilarious, but even more endearing was how lars treated "bianca," a wheelchair-bound brazilian missionary. who makes up a girlfriend in a wheelchair? ryan gosling is great; he's adorable and lovable and you just want him to be able to make something happen with someone real.

so, those are my two new recommendations. see them as you will!