All Quiet on the Western Front and other stuff

We had our final family get-together of the holiday season, rescheduled from the disastrous Christmas Eve. I do like seeing my parents, but I'm relieved that the holiday season is over. Yet, at the same time, I'm bracing myself for the next few months of cold, gray, depressing winter. (I'm sure this isn't the first time I have expressed this sentiment in this blog).

Last night, older son had two of his friends over to watch the latest version (released in 2022) of All Quiet on the Western Front. They were nice enough to let the "old people" watch it with them. There is little in the world quite as amusing as three 21-year-olds watching a movie together. The banter was pretty damned funny. However, when it became clear that this movie was not going to be a joyride, they got serious and somber. All Quiet on the Western Front is an unsparing, visceral, and violent movie that wastes no time in demonstrating that war is hell. As a viewer, you can't help but feet cold, damp, and scared throughout the viewing and in constant anxiety over the fates of the young German soldiers. This will likely end up in my top ten movies of 2022.

As for my personal top ten movie list, I am not yet prepared to compile it because there are still movies I have yet to see and want to see before I make any list. I still haven't seen The Banshees of Inisherin, which is receiving tremendous accolades. That is one movie that I really feel the need to see before deciding on a top ten of 2022.