Crazy, Stupid, Running: My two favorite movies of the year — what were yours?

http://www.lawrence.com/users/shenning/photos/2011/dec/16/226786/

Because I’m a boring mom and have no life, I hardly got to see any movies this year. I mean, it’s just a hard thing to shell out $40 to a baby sitter for a night out. Add in dinner and a movie and a night out can run between $80 and $100.

That’s pretty steep, but that’s the way it goes.

So, I hardly got to see any movies in actual sit-down theaters this year. Sure, there were many I wanted to see, but the only movie I can recall shelling out babysitter funds for was “Bridesmaids.” Which, was, perhaps, my favorite movie of the year … until iTunes gave us a chance to watch “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” I absolutely loved that movie. And not just because of shirtless Ryan Gosling (above). It was funny, heartfelt and cringe-inducing. Even my husband, who will only watch “romantic comedies” if I swear our next movie is something where they blow up cars, loved it. That’s seriously saying something.

Another movie I loved? One I saw just this week. If you follow me on Twitter (@shhenning), you may know that I’m an ultramarathoner. I love running even more than I love Ryan Gosling’s abs (have you LOOKED at that picture?)

And, believe it or not, there are different levels of crazy when it comes to ultrarunning. The longest distance I’ve run is 50 miles, though I have several friends who are 100-milers. Of those, I have four friends who have completed what amounts to the Boston Marathon of ultrarunning: The Western States 100.

It’s a race done in the mountains of California and it’s incredibly elite. You have to qualify, and then the qualifiers must enter a lottery to get in. It’s a huge deal in our weird little sport to make it in, and the people who complete the WS 100 are amazing athletes.

And now those athletes have their own movie: “Unbreakable: The Western States 100.” It’s a documentary covering the 2010 race, which is considered to be the most competitive one ever. The movie isn’t in theaters (our running group had a special screening), but I highly recommend you check out the trailer, below. I’m sure it’ll be up on Netflix or iTunes soon, if you like what you see.

Honestly, I think “Unbreakable” might be my favorite “indy” movie of the year, though I am aware it’s a pretty strange choice.

What was your favorite movie this year?