Anyway, here's what we watched:

The Road (rated R) - based on the book by Cormac McCarthy

You all know how much I love me some dystopian. And I do, I really do. But this was one of the bleakest movies I've ever seen. Sure, it's ultimately hopeful and it does star the very good-looking Viggo Mortenson (whom I've loved since seeing him in Lord of the Rings) - still, it's incredibly depressing. The movie's well done, the story's frighteningly believable, and the whole thing is atmospheric and haunting. Overall, though, it's so stark that I had trouble "liking" it. I seriously watched a lot of it with my hands pressed over my eyes, shrieking, "No! No! I can't watch!" My reaction totally confused my husband, who kept asking, "Don't you read this stuff all the time? What's the difference between seeing it in your head and seeing it on the big screen?" I'm not sure what the answer to that is. What do you think?

Like I said, I haven't read The Road, so I don't know how the movie compares to the book. All I know is I probably won't be reading it.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (rated PG) - based on the book by Rick Riordan

I actually took my 11-year-old son to see Percy Jackson when it first came out. He loved it and wanted to watch it again on DVD. So, we rented it for the kids, all of whom loved the movie. The hubs wasn't too impressed. I agree that it could have been a lot better, but I still enjoyed it. It's been a few years since I read the book, so I'm not sure how well the movie follows the original story. I do think it's a fun, exciting action/adventure flick that will appeal to pre-teen boys, especially.

Logan Lerman makes a convincing Percy. And we all loved the very funny Brandon T. Jackson, whose depiction of Grover provides a lot of comic relief. Speaking of funny, though, the best scene of the whole movie comes at the very end, while the credits are scrolling. Don't miss it.

Julie & Julia (rated PG-13) - based on the book by Julie Powell

I've had Julie Powell's book sitting on my bookshelf for several years, but I've yet to take a peek at it. I enjoyed the movie anyway, although it's one of those films that requires some patience. The storyline moves very slowly, switching back and forth between the lives of New York blogger Julie Powell and chef extraordinaire Julia Child. Still, it's a heartwarming story. Meryl Streep makes a delightful Child. Amy Adams' character, on the other hand, comes off as whiny and self-centered. You have to admire the girl's pluck, though. Overall, I enjoyed the film, especially all the commentary on blogging. Again, I don't know how well the movie follows the book and again, I don't know if I'm going to read the book or not, but the movie is definitely worth seeing.

Have you seen any of these films? What did you think?