Here's the best videos we've watched lately. What are your favorites?

Grey Gardens...This 2009 made-for-TV drama tells the true story of two high-society women (mother and daughter who were cousins of Jackie Kennedy Onassis) who opted out of the New York scene, retreated to their mansion, and were discovered decades later living there in squalor and seclusion. The women are spectacularly demented and their portrayal excellent. The film is not rated, but deserves perhaps a PG rating.

Away We Go...This 2009 film follows a young couple who decide (now that she is pregnant) that it's time to settle down. So, they set off across America looking for a place to nest. Along the way they meet a menagerie of oddballs. This Indie comedy is well-written and surprising. Even though the film is rated R, it is actually mild and upbeat.

West Wing...OK, this is not a film. West Wing is a television series that began in 1999 and set a new standard for directing and acting. Being television-less, we never saw this when it came out. Now watching several episodes per night (with no commercials) is a great way to savor the quality of the series. A great set of well-developed characters fill the senior staff of the President, and the fun comes in watching them face one political crisis after another — as well grow and interact.

These are all available at Howard Hughes Video in downtown Moscow.
 
Bill London edits this newsletter and begins the new year with hope and contentment.