Movies! (and a Movie Star!)

I've seen four different movies in the past week and a half, in three different theaters. I am amazed at how different each experience can be, setting aside the film I'm actually viewing, and often times I forget how much fun a good movie can be.

Angela and I saw Seven Pounds the week she was off, in the middle of a Thursday afternoon, at the Grove (a big outdoor mall in the middle of L.A.). I am a huge fan of seeing movies in relatively empty theaters and this was no exception. The movie's been out for weeks and it was a Thursday. And it wasn't a kid or teen movie. The movie itself was interesting. I am a big Will Smith fan (this dates back to watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on Monday nights, not on Nick at Night) and try to see whatever he's in. But this wasn't a feel-good movie. It was complex, sad, thoughtful, and very well acted. However, I had to work really hard at keeping up and figuring out what was going on, what actors went with what stories, etc. And I feel like if I pay my $9.50 to be entertained, I shouldn't have to work that hard for it. So not a thumbs-up from me. Not a thumbs-down necessarily (although Ang would give it that) but not a great movie.

Then last Sunday I was invited to a screening on the Paramount Studios lot. I was excited for several reasons. One, I didn't have to pay to see this movie. Two, it would be the first time I'd be on a movie studio lot! And three, I'd be seeing Revolutionary Road which I really wanted to see. So I gave my driver's licence to the guy at the gate and was printed out a cool ticket with my name on it saying that I was a guest of Elise Aliberti (no idea who this is) and was on my way to meet Brian, a friend from class who is interning at Paramount. Apparently the screenings are only for those who work on the lot (who have an ID badge) and are free every weekend. I couldn't think of a better perk. The theater was massive, state-of-the-art, and the most comfortable I've ever been in. The seats were big enough for me and half another person, with gigantic arm rests. No previews. No one talked. The picture was crystal clear. And the movie - well, it also wasn't happy go lucky. It was well done, beautifully acted, an interesting plot and ending but, well, sad. But good, definitely thumbs-up. And I think Kate Winslet is amazing and deserved her award.

I usually judge a movie by how well I get lost in the world. With both Seven Pounds and Revolutionary Road I didn't get that lost. More so with SP than RR. In RR I found myself thinking about making dinner and my to-do list, not a good sign for me. Not the whole way through but during some slower moments. But for me, the theater experience made up for it.

Thursday I saw Slumdog Millionaire, at the Arclight in Hollywood, again with my friend Brian (our other two friends were late and the Arclight has this policy of not letting anyone in five minutes after the show starts - we all thought this sucked until Saturday when, sitting at the theater at the Grove, about 20 people filed in ten to twenty minutes into the movie. And half of them filed through my row. Ugh.) I had reservations about seeing this movie, it didn't sound that interesting and I'm not a big foreign film person (Slumdog is set in India). But it was homework - I have to write a paper on it for my lecture class. So I settled into the theater and watched. By the way, the Arclight is a very nice theater - but the people next to me (yes, at a Thursday matinee with an almost empty theater, five people chose to sit next to me, ugh) were eating hot dogs with sauerkraut. And you all know how much I love sauerkraut. Anyway, I immediately got lost in the world of these kids in India. If you have the chance, go see it. It was funny and sweet and sad and smart and interestingly enough - set up much like Seven Pounds, in that we start near the end and go back to the beginning but this time, they got it right. Very right. I thought I was watching a movie that could very conceivably win Best Oscar.

That was until I went to the movies Saturday afternoon.

When Ang and I saw Milk in November we saw a trailer for a movie I hadn't heard anything about, Gran Tarino, starring Clint Eastwood. Immediately she said we should see it. Ang doesn't like a lot of movies so I said of course! So that's what we went to see Saturday. Again, a much different viewing experience, one I didn't enjoy that much but only because of the theater, not the film. The theater was over half full, leaning toward three-quarters, and as I mentioned earlier, people came in all during the first twenty minutes. And walked in front of us. And people got up to pee or do whatever several times, right in front of us. And some woman was on her blackberry for half the movie, then her voicemail, and they guy next to us, his cell rang. Not the best movie-going experience ever. But it didn't matter. I was lost in Detroit.

I was lost in a world I immediately recognized, and more importantly, enjoyed being in. From the garage filled with tools and a vintage car to the cooler filled with cans of beer. From the crotchety old man to the obnoxious grand kids and gang-bangers. Yes, it was crude and racist and yes, it was funny and touching. Yes, it was stereotypical and coarse but it was great. It was entertaining. And as the credits rolled and Clint sang his song "Gran Tarino" (how much does it rock that Clint-freaking-Eastwood produces, directs, stars in, and writes and sings the theme song for his own movie?!?!? And he's good at it ALL!), I thought again, this movie could win Best Picture. That good.

Oh - AND - as Ang and I pulled into the Grove parking lot on Saturday we stopped for traffic and waited for our turn. And guess who drove right by us, stopping for a moment in traffic, long enough for us to see him and hear him talking to his passenger but Laurence Fishburne!!! (Yes, of The Matrix movies, Akeelah and the Bee, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, and most recently CSI!) It was pretty cool, after we came home last night we watched Thursday's CSI and thought about how we had just seen this guy, on the street. It's a small small, crazy world!