Kerasotes Theaters is offering a five dollar club, with a discount card that you can use to see movies for five dollars any time for movies that have been playing at least two weeks.
That’s a pretty nice deal for movies when the regular matinee price is $6.25. And the theater at Glendale is one of my favorites (stadium seating, comfy flip-up arms on the chairs).
I caught the 2003 movie Saved! this weekend. There was a lot of controversy when it came out because it a comedy that depicts a Christian school in a less-than-flattering way. After watching it, though, it’s clear that the comedic critique in the movie is of hypocrisy, not of Christianity, and of people who pay lip-service to religious beliefs without investing themselves in the spirit of them. And the movie is just hilarious.
It’s the story of Mary, who’s on track to have a have a perfect senior year at her Christian school, what with her membership in a perky Christian pop group, her hot-popular clique of friends, and her handsome, devout Christian figure-skater boyfriend Dean. Until Dean comes out to her, of course. Then she hears what she thinks is a vision from Jesus telling her to save Dean, which she interprets as a command to change his homosexuality by sleeping with him. Silly girl. Of course she does, and of course, he doesn’t. But she gets pregnant as Dean is hauled off to a brainwashing camp for a cure. And suddenly Mary loses not just her boyfriend, but her friends, her pop-group and (temporarily) her faith as well, as she struggles through her senior year with the help of the school’s other outcasts: the lone Jewish girl and her boyfriend the paraplegic.
Beginning February 1st, Turner Classic Movies will air 360 “Oscar winner and nominee” movies, 3 per evening, until the Academy Awards (which airs March 5th). All of them are uncut and commercial free.
Of course, the criteria to qualify as an “Oscar winner or nominee” is pretty open; they’re not talking all “best picture” noms here, but including any movie that was nominated in any category. Which means that Benji and The Karate Kid are among of the selections. (I will be DVR’ing Benji, because I haven’t seen that in years.)
But there’s more than enough great films to jam up your DVR; see TCM’s list here. It’s a bit frustrating that they don’t have a single page with the complete listings to link to. Entertainment Weekly magazine has a great pull-out page with all the movies, times and air dates.
There are quite a few movies on my “to watch” lists, which is really bad considering it’s also sweeps month and the Olympics will be on, too. Good thing I have this new TV, since I’ll be parked in front of it for all of February.
Stephanie and I finally got a chance to watch Super Size Me tonight. We had DVR’ed it last year, but never got around to watching it, and it deleted itself after awhile.
I knew the basics about the film, and we have already seen most of the first season of 30 Days. But actually seeing it was pretty eye-opening, especially some of the facts and figures. I’m going to record it to tape and keep it to watch again, because I want to go over some of the data in the film.
I’m going to bite the bullet and keep a food journal. I’ve tried that off and on over the years, but I’ve never quite made it stick, because I’d eventually get busy and forget to write stuff down, even when I was on weight watchers. I think that was the part of the WW program that was hardest for me, and what made me eventually give up on it; trying to keep track of what I ate all the time was too tough to manage. We’ll see how far I get this time.
I happened to see this movie trailer for the teen comedy “She’s The Man” posted on Apple’s movie trailer site, and I realized quickly after reading the names of the characters that this is a modern re-telling of my very favorite Shakespeare play ever — Twelfth Night. I read the play in high school English class, after I knew I was gay but before I was comfortable telling other people that, and I was fascinated by the cross-dressing aspect of the play. Hey, there wasn’t exactly any healthy gay teen literature around at the time, so I took what I could get.
So… is this movie going to piss me off by screwing up my favorite play? Is the movie going to piss me off by portraying tomboys in an unfavorable light? It has Amanda Bynes in it, who is a great young comedic actress, so that’s a point in it’s favor. But she plays the cross-dressing Viola, and she’s not exactly convincing. A large part of that is the hair; she needed a way-better hair cut. But I’ll see it anyway. It looks silly-fun.
Here’s the actual trailer.
According to the Associated Press, Brokeback Moutain is doing well at the box office in limited release, and may appeal to audiences in wide release as well. The movie is playing here at Keystone Art Cinemas at the Keystone at the Crossing mall.
We’re planning on seeing it this evening…
Movies that I’ve never seen, or need to see again because it’s been a long time.
I happened to catch the 1960 screenplay of Inherit The Wind on Showtime this afternoon, and was blown away. I wish I had recorded it, because it’s extraordinarily timely. I’m guessing that a lot of other people haven’t seen it either. [grin]
Mame Dennis: Well, now, uh, read me all the words you don’t understand.
Patrick Dennis: Libido, inferiority complex, stinko, blotto, free love, bathtub gin, monkey glands, Karl Marx… is he one of the Marx Brothers?
Patrick Dennis: …Neurotic, heterosexual…
Mame Dennis: Oh, my my my my, what an eager little mind.
[takes the list]
Mame Dennis: You won’t need some of these words for months and months.
—
Patrick Dennis: Is the English lady sick, Auntie Mame?
Auntie Mame: She’s not English, darling… she’s from Pittsburgh.
Patrick Dennis: She sounded English.
Auntie Mame: Well, when you’re from Pittsburgh, you have to do something.
—
Mame Dennis: That’s a B. It’s the first letter of a seven-letter word that means your father.
—
Auntie Mame: Please dear, your Auntie Mame is hung.
—
MAME: You know, I was always fascinated by aviation. I never knew they did it all with rubber bands.
—
Vera Charles: If you kept your hair natural like I do…
Auntie Mame: If I kept my hair natural like yours, I’d be bald.
—
MAME: Mr. Babbit–
MR. BABCOCK: BabCOCK.
MAME: Yes.
—
Auntie Mame: Oh, Agnes! Here you’ve been taking my dictations for weeks and you haven’t gotten the message of my book: live!
Agnes Gooch: Live?
Auntie Mame: Yes! Live! Life’s a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!
—
Gloria: Don’t you just think books are so decorative?
My friend Amy gave me Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled by Melissa Etheridge a few weeks ago. I’ve been listening to it, but didn’t get around to paying attention to some of the new tunes on it until this week. There’s a very beautiful song called “This Is Not Goodbye” about going into surgery and having a loved one sitting in the waiting room for you. Thank God we didn’t hear that frickin’ song earlier in the year. I can’t even listen to it now. It’s a great song, but still.
Also, check out this awesome Library of Congress photo gallery of color pictures taken between 1939 and 1943. There are some fantastic photos there, like this one. You can see even more of the photos taken by the Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Collection at this link, though, and although it’s not as easy to navigate, you can find the high-resolution images.
A really cool video on how to perfectly fold a shirt. I’m so going home to practice this one.
Cool new board games for 2005. There are some on here I really want. I looked at “Around the World in 80 Days” and “Ingenious” at Game Preserve the other day, and they made my want list. I’m adding “Shadows Over Camelot” to the list, too.
AirTran/Wendy’s Free Flight offer: for 32 flight coupons, get a 1 way ticket, 64 coupons get a round-trip ticket. You get a coupon on every Wendy’s drink cup. Pretty awesome.
PaperbackSwap is a way to exchange paperbacks with other folks. You send paperbacks to others, and get credit to have them send some to you.
The straight dude’s guide to ‘Brokeback Mountain.’
From Uncommon Goods:
gorilla pillows – $40.00
sock monkey slippers – $15.00
monkeys on the bed – $26.00
write no evil pen holder – $75.00
FREUDIAN SLIPPERS – $24.00
