Put On Your Fat Jeans and Watch a Movie!

Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving!

This is the first Thanksgiving in YEARS that I haven't had to work! No way in hell I'm stepping in a theatre on blessed Turkey Day unless it's to be one of the masses attempting to escape my family!

This year I plan to spend Black Friday not at the mall, but rather, on my best friend's couch, eating leftovers and watching the worst of the worst girl movies and holiday films. The line-up includes: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Baby Mama, Made of Honor and maybe the Family Stone to get us into the Christmas spirit. If motivated, we may head out to see Role Models, but hell, we've been saying that for weeks now!

Now, just because I can, I'm gonna list my top 5 Thanksgivings in no particular order.
1. Thanksgiving 2003, Spokane, WA. 4 pies, 4 people. Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Paul McCartney's Back in the USA.
2. Thanksgiving 2004, Brockton, MA. After feeding the homeless, singing BOYZ II MEN on the top of the car, during a windstorm at Old Silver Beach on Cape Cod.
3. Thanksgiving, 2000, Spokane, WA. An introduction to hockey. Lifetime movies with candied yams reheated with extra marshmallows.
4. Thanksgiving 2007, New York, NY. After staying up all night, going to the Macy's Day Parade still drunk.
5. Thanksgiving 2002, London, England. Singing in the American Choir at St. Patrick's Cathedral, eating some version of the American meal at a British restaurant, while skipping school!

Getting Giggly at Twilight

Ok, let's get this out of the way. I'm 30 years old and married. Basically, that means I'm old and out of touch. And yet I totally got all addicted to those damn "Twilight" books (well, at least the first 3 - the fourth and final one has been sitting on my nightstand for three months and I'm only 3 chapters in .... somehow it lost all its fire once I realized they were making a movie out of it. Angie and Madeline also had something to do with that once they started picking apart every paragraph in every book. I swear girls, logic doesn't belong in a vampire romance, okay, but bad writing does. Get over it, already.) and we finally saw the movie last night. What can I say? It was pretty good. In a somewhat campy, romantic way. The acting was awesome, but the writing ... well, maybe those girls were right to pick apart the book because the writing was pretty terrible. And it was straight outta the book. "I know what you are." "Say it. Say it out loud" "You're a vampire" "Are you scared." "No, I just met you, but I trust you." "Your blood is like my own personal heroin." "You're so beautiful" "I'll do anything to protect you." blah, blah, blah.

But let's be honest, I could barely contain the squealing teenage girl inside as we anxiously awaited the start of the movie surrounded by pre-teens, their moms and a few sad, sorry souls - men, dragged in, kicking and screaming, by their significant others. Ha ha, suckers. (Pardon the pun) Got me some serious bonus points by leaving the hubby at home. I got to swoon over vampires without him constantly telling me how pointless it is for teenage vampires to go to high school and he had the whole night to himself to play "Call of Duty 4" (ok, so hubby set me straight, it was actually "Call of Duty World at War," not "Call of Duty 4." my bad. so sorry. don't really care.)

So all those pre-teens. Yeah, they're a bunch of gigglers. All of them. And that was pretty great because there was so much to giggle at! Bella locking eyes with Edward across the cafeteria. Giggle, giggle. Edward holding his nose when Bella sits down next to him. Giggle, giggle. Edward running through the forest super fast, oooh, he's blurry now. Giggle, giggle. Oh, look, now he's exposing himself to the sun and whoa, what's that, he's kinda out of focus but I think he's supposed to be sparkling. What a stud!!! Giggle, giggle. Now look, they're up in a tree, way, way up, getting to know each other in yet another gooey relationship montage. (cue guy sitting behind us, obviously unable to sustain disbelief any longer, "no FUCKING way!") Flat-out laughter meets squeals and giggling. "Are you scared?" Heavy breathing and quivering lips. "I'm never scared of you." Quivering back. "Oh, you shouldn't have said that." Heavy breathing, quivering lips and sinister smile. "Better hold on little spider monkey" Cue running through trees in super-fast blur motion. Giggle, giggle (and yeah, that is a direct quote. honest, you can't make this crap up - well, ok, obviously you can, if you're a bored mormon housewife.)

But ... with all that said, it was pretty entertaining and they did manage to cut a 500-plus page book into two hours and it didn't feel like anything was missing (what does that say about the book? or my taste in books? I suppose I'd prefer not to think about that right now) And as both Ang and Mad said as we left the theater, at least it had a decent prom scene. No choreographed group dance-offs. No 30-year-old extras dressed like 15-year-old hussies. No pumping house music and flashing lights. Just Iron & Wine playing in the background and strands of white twinkling lights. Sure beat the hell out of my prom which took place in ... da da dum ... the food court of the Yuba-Sutter mall! Maybe being a teenage vampire isn't so bad after all.

Update!

For those of you who wanted to see Synecdoche New York ... it's not playing at Tower any more, but it is playing at the Crest! Why have a lot of movies been starting at Tower and then moving to the Crest? Does that always happen?

You know what's sad? When I look for movie times on my computer and it automatically gives me NYC times. Boo on that!

Twilight Night!

Tonight is the night! We're seeing Twilight! Whooooo! Word from the middle schools (well, Heckamax's classes) is that the movie ain't that good. But don't worry Robert Ebert liked it!

Last night to say farewell to Steinhoff (who left the Crest and Sac for sunny LA today) we let him choose a movie to play on the big screen. Steinhoff chose the Goonies. It was pretty great to see it in the theatre and it was actually the first movie that I've seen in the main theatre of the Crest (with the exception of student shorts).

The Goonies is awesome. First of all, that movie is sooo dirty! The Pirate's name is One-Eyed Willy! My favorite scene was always when they find that they're at the bottom of the wishing well. They want to take all the money, but then Martha Plimpton says that those are people's wishes and Corey Feldman says he's taking his wish back. It still gets me.

Everyone was talking about how the Goonies was one of the first indie films! Look at the cast! Josh Brolin, Martha Plimpton, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green.

Well, We're Not A Society ....

Well, it looks like we didn't make it through the month going completely under the radar... we have been spotted by the E Street Film Society. This is what Cody's shameless promotion of Orange Peel Mouth gets you. Seeing that we're mostly about the theatre-going experience (and only sometimes, the movies we see!) rather then straight-up films, I'm restraining myself from feeling threatened by a possible blog rivalry. Though, I believe Cody is prepared for it, should it occur.

The E Street Film Society's current selection is Wages of Fear. I've actually seen this movie. I won't comment on it here, because that's what the Society is for. But I do recommend watching it with someone who is willing to yell out "INTENSE!" with you every time there is an intense scene.

DB of ESFS was also the mastermind behind Movie City USA. I was a fan, even though I didn't get all those Madame Tutley Putley jokes because the required reading the whole post. However, this is my favorite bit from Movie City USA, reposted without permission.

top 5 "cavemen-building-the-pyramids-with-woolly-mammoth movies":
5) 10,000 B.C.
4) Stargate (pretty sure there were some cavemen and mammoths in there somewhere)
3) Barton Fink
2) Meet Me in St. Louis
and at 1) Citizen Kane, still the Citizen Kane of cavemen-building-the-pyramids-with-woolly-mammoth movies.

Still makes me laugh.

Movie Mayhem!

Tonight is the last night of Synecdoche, New York at the Tower. This also means it is your last opportunity to make the Synec-douche joke at Tower. They'll appreciate it, trust me. Also ask the staff why there is no "e" at the end of the word on their auditorium mylars.

Who has Twilight fever?! I'll admit that I have read all the Twilight books (I was unemployed this summer, if I need a defense). Who doesn't love young adult fiction, though? I'm pretty pumped to see the movie with my friends, though we're not going to make it to the midnight showing (I don't think we're superfans by any means). I'm pretty excited to see Bella on the big screen, however, considering I pretty much hate her character.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Last night's MNMN selection was Happy-Go-Lucky. The idea of the movie is that this woman is so optimistic it is unnerving. Or something like that. The film itself has no real plot. It's like looking at a random couple of weeks of her life or a few clips of things that happen to her. The idea is that nothing ever gets her down. Her bike gets stolen and she laughs. Her family is a downer and she laughs. Etc, Etc. At first she's just an internal optimist and one could dare say, a bit annoying. But then a few serious things happen and she's not just laughing, but examining life from an absolute positive perspective.

I have to say, I'm not too sure about this film in terms of plot (since it lacked one) or story or any of those things by which you judge movies. I left the theatre thinking "that was kind of weird and British". And now I realize that I have been thinking about that movie since it ended. In a time where "positive thinking" and "the law of attraction" are seen on Oprah and the Secret, it makes you wonder... how positive am I? Is my glass half-full? Is the point of the movie a reflection on what it means to be happy? Does optimism equal happiness? You have to wonder if she is just positive or if she is actually happy.

There were two key points in the movie, for me. The first was her interaction with a homeless man. I'm unsure of the point of this vignette, except to show her character's tendency for compassion and willingness to bring happiness to other people's lives (this is also demonstrated with her interactions with a student and with her driving instructor, showing the effects a person can have on other's lives). The most interesting part of this particular interaction was the portrayl of the homeless man, who was clearly unstable. I have worked with the homeless for a number of years and the portrayl really struck me. He went from being clearly incognitant to being completely aware of what was happening and his surroundings and then back again. I have definitely had the same experience with similar people. They are barking at an empty corner one minute and having a clear, controlled conversation with you the next.

The second point is a bit more light-hearted. That is, her love-interest is totally cute! I actually would have preferred the movie to have spent more time on the love-interest aspect, but maybe that would have deterred from it. The actor is Samuel Roukin and he's totally my type (well, one of my types, I suppose).

We almost saw the movie Role Models, but didn't feel like going to Natomas. Mike C says Role Models was surprisingly good! Although, Mike C says that Beverly Hills Chihuahua is his favorite movie of 2008, thus far. So, grain of salt.

Orange Peel Mouth

Because Cody doesn't have enough to do or enough to blog about, he started a LOST blog. Look forward to that once LOST starts... January 21, 2009, 9/8c.

MNMN tonight. It's either Role Models or Happy-Go-Lucky. It's a toss up. I do love Paul Rudd, but we may need to go to the Tower, due to new changes at the Tower that will be in effect in the next couple of weeks.

After eating a lot of it this week, I can assure you that stale popcorn is chewier, but still tastes great.

Spoiler Alert: the Final Destination movies aren't very good.

I'm not sure why I agreed to watch all three Final Destination movies in one day. It might have been my love of horror movies. It could've been the allure of spending a huge chunk of my weekend watching movies and eating pizza with some good friends. It might have been a subconscious desire to punish myself for the sins I've committed in my lifetime, as well as those committed my by forefathers. Whatever the reason behind my masochistic decision was, I must say it wasn't as terrible as I thought it would have been. Don't get me wrong, these movies are terrible. But the death scenes make it all worthwhile. Luckily for the viewer, each movie is written with enough expendable characters, that you rarely have to wait longer than 15 minutes for a blood and guts payoff. But why even subject yourself to that? Here's a video round up of pretty much everything worth seeing (other than Devon Sawa's awesome haircut.)

(Warning: If you have any interest in seeing these movies in whole, this will totally spoil what little enjoyment you might get. Also, if you don't like seeing blood and guts, you probably won't be too into this.)

Final Destination
Stiffler
Final Destiantion 2
elevator
2 in 1
pidgeon
Final Destination 3
weights
nailed

Docs

The lack of posts have been due to my recent trip for work. Apologies to my two readers/fellow contributors.

I did however see a short 23 minute documentary about a homeless youth while I was in L.A. You can check it out here. It's pretty interesting.

I have a relatively low tolerance for docs, but an otherwise high tolerance for indie films. I don't know if it's that I am not into the subject of most of them or what. I mean, if you think about it, what are you really interested in? Probably not that much that you want to watch something about it for nearly 2 hours.

Also, docs are usually best for a one-time viewing. And I think people generally don't want to spend time watching movies about sad subjects, especially if they are real. Usually when you sit down to watch a film, you want to forget about reality. But maybe I'm wrong. I barely read the newspaper.

Zach and Miri Make An OK Movie

We saw Zach and Miri Make A Porno last night for MNMN. It was about time we had some laughs after seeing such downers as The Secret Life of Bees and Rachel Getting Married. It also gave us a chance to go to Natomas, which in my head I pronounce as Nat-a-mas. For the first time in a long time, it was a Natomas trip without a stop at In 'N Out.

Zach and Miri was ok. It started out strong, but once they got into the whole "make a porno" and "falling in love with each other" part, it started to lag and the jokes weren't as funny.

Once again, I questioned my abilities to stay focused during a movie. This one entertained me for a lot longer the last few though.

Confessions of a holiday movie lover.

November and December typically bring out moviegoers in droves. The combination of dreary weather, Oscar-buzziness and holiday-themed fare create a sort of perfect movie-watching environment that I wait for all year.

Maybe it's something about all those happy families filling a void in my own personal history? Or years of waiting for the romantic possibilities that always seem to arise in movies that take place during the most wonderful time of the year? I can't quite fully explain it.

You'll see in the list of potential MNMN selections several Christmasy options -- a couple of smart, indie comedies, a couple of less-smart but still loveable mainstream comedies and one potential bomb featuring jokes about Hispanics.

When it comes to modern holiday movies, I'll be the first to admit they rank among my guiltiest of guilty pleasures. I mean, I recognize the difference between watching "Christmas Vacation" annually and paying full ticket price to see "This Christmas" (hello, holiday season 2007) or tuning into "The Family Stone" every time it's on HBO. Year-round.

I can't even really try to claim be exceptionally well-versed in beloved holiday fare like "White Christmas" or the original "Miracle on 34th Street." Yes, I've seen them, but I still would choose the 1994 version of the latter with Elizabeth Perkins and Dylan McDermott. Although "It's a Wonderful Life" does always make me teary.

Another confession: The only movie I've ever seen in the theater alone is "Deck the Halls," circa 2006. And I know better than to be particularly proud of that one.

As cynical as I am, it takes a lot to admit these things. But I do feel much better now.

P.S. Even as a big Christmas-cheer-in-film-enthusiast, there is no excuse for "Thomas Kinkade's Home for Christmas." I have to draw the line somewhere.

I'll Have Once Twice Please

I had more thoughts on popcorn this saturday as I was making a TON of it at work. That is my least favorite thing to do because it makes me smell like popcorn and I get hot. At the Sunshine it wasn't as bad because the popper was in the stand and not in a back room. Anyway, I think that popcorn straight from the popper is the best, but probably because it's really hot. Also, I think butter on popcorn is gross. And it makes your hands all greasy.

There's a few choices for MNMN. I think it's going to be either Role Models or Zach and Miri Make A Porno. We need some situation comedy in our lives.

I know this is straight up lazy, but here's an IM convo, that I didn't feel like just stealing the jokes from.

me: haor how everyone somehow came to see ONCE
Cody: hahah.
me: but they all said "I'll have ONCE twice"and you were like "yeah, I read that joke in the New York Times too dude""thanks for being the 50th person to say it to me this half hour"
Cody: heh.i love the repetitive jokes.well, i actually hate them.
me: a love-hate relationship, possibly?
Cody: yup."two young at hearts for young at heart"
me: ugh!I haven't worked the box office at the crest, so I'm rusty
Cody: ah.
me: you should've heard the way people screwed over "Volver"
Cody: haha, oh i did.vullver.
me: what was another one... we had another foreign film at the same time. Cache?
Cody: it's also funny to hear white folks overpornounce other language.
Cody: two for KEEN-see-a-nyer-A
Cody: it was also real good when we had "where in the world is osama bin ladin"
me: oh yes
Cody: cause everyone just said Obama.
me: how many obama's did you get
Cody: tons.

From When I Was Famous

I was once featured in Overheard New York.

I was "woman behind the counter".

Things Cody Will Regret Saying

I haven't seen any movies this week since Monday, but that doesn't mean I haven't been to a theatre!

I stopped by the Crest last night for some popcorn. What I don't get is when people talk about popcorn being "fresh". I mean, I can definitely understand the allure of hot popcorn straight out of the kettle. And I totally get it when people don't want popcorn that comes from a bag at the theatre. Theatres should have poppers and pop their corn on the premises.

However, I don't notice a difference in TASTE between popcorn that was made today and popcorn that was made last night. Most of the time, theatres seem to go through popcorn pretty quickly and it doesn't last a long time. It's not like it's several DAYS old. I don't think that picky customers realize either.

Cody's new blog is all about regrets. Matthew's old blog is all about not posting regularly. Something Cody might regret: trying to pit two members of the same family against each other. Something Matthew might regret: telling me that I should call my blog "Monday Night Snore Fest". At least I blog, dude. (your turn to paint now, dude -- that one's for HeckaMax) I think he harshed my mellow.

Are You Showing Becoming Jane? Is that the Sequel to Transamerica?

One of the best parts about working in a theatre is when you get to prank call other theatres. Namely, the one your brother works at.

Another great thing about old/local/independent theatres is all the people who love them so much. And Cinematreasures. http://www.cinematreasures.org/

I LOVE cinema treasures.

I was going to go into a whole thing about a prank that may or may not have involved cinema treasures, but I think I would just implicate myself. and others.

is Ben something wicked?

Half the reason I wanted to start this blog was to post about the movie Something Wicked This Way Comes.

It's a Disney movie, based on the Ray Bradbury novel. Perfect to watch a week before Halloween, while yelling "creeeepy" until Vince tells you to shut up.

Here's the imdb page (has it become apparent how obsessed I am with IMDB???)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086336/

Now what I ask you, gentle reader, is: does Mr. Dark look like someone named Ben that we all know and love?

The Secret Life of Tower Employees

Last night we went to the Secret Life of Bees at the Tower for MNMN. The reasons for this choice was:

1. Two of the three participants had read the book, most likely stolen off my mom's bookshelf.


2. It was at Tower, thus allowing us to visit Tower employees, making the experience whole.


3. I had to bring a particular Tower manager/younger brother his dinner.
   

I was pretty much expecting this movie to be like the book. I can barely remember the book and I hope for the same from the movie. It was a run-of-the-mill feel-good type stuff. My initial thoughts are:

• with all those singers "acting" why didn't they ever get to sing a song?


• how freakin' old IS Dakota Fanning? (she's 14 according to wikipedia)


• didn't the mom look like Elizabeth Shue?
  

I'd like to do a photo comparison, but will just give the links to their imdb pages. The actress who played the mom is Hilarie Burton.

Hilarie: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3401946880/nm1122026

Elizabeth: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1249155840/nm0000223

Obvs, I don't know how to blog yet.

There were a few other notes about MNMN. One being that I got to go into that space behind Tower's office, below the actual tower, on those rickety stairs to the projection booth of the main theatre. Man that room/loft/space is so creepy! I love it!

Also, I started questioning my attention span. I was bored with that movie within the first 30 minutes or so. I don't know if it was because I had read the book and knew the story (kind of), it was just a bad movie, or I can't pay attention to anything due to constant stimulation (the internet is to blame). I was so looking forward to MNMN and yet during the actual movie, I was kind of waiting for it to be over. This isn't the first time...

Needless to say, my favorite part of Monday night was watching How I Met Your Mother and eating brownies with my friends.

To the Present

A Non-Comprehensive List of Movies seen on MNMN:

• Rachel Getting Married
• Religilous
• Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
• Ghost Town
• Pineapple Express
• Sex And the City: the Movie
• Burn After Reading
• Mama Mia
• American Teen