the other theater

I've visited the movie theater four times in the last two weeks, a lifetime first, I believe. I was able to see all $4 or less a pop, well below the $11 or so that the new-release theaters charge.

Seeing movies in a theater is fun; a rather different experience from a DVD at home. It's also cool when, as with one of these, I go as part of a social and meet someone I like.

____________________________

50/50 was so awesome I gave it its own post: highly recommend. (SEE TRAILER)

Inspired by a true story: Adam Lerner has a pretty great life -- with a talented, sexy artist girlfriend and a cool job with NPR, the 27-year old seems to have it all. But when Adam discovers he has a rare and possibly fatal form of cancer, his entire life turns to chaos.

As his world starts to unravel in every way, Adam finds himself dealing with the wellmeaning but totally outrageous attempts by his friends and family to make it all better. His best friend, Kyle, uses Adam's condition to lure girls into sympathy sex, his overbearing mother loses sight of him in her own fears, his otherwise-occupied girlfriend, Rachael tries to distract herself an increasingly frantic social life, and Katherine, the inexperienced therapist assigned to his case, struggles to keep up with the needs of her third client ever.

___________________________

I was quite taken, especially in the beginning, with the silence in Drive. The main character is often quiet, and there are often long, music-less scenes where near-silence best describes the ambiance. I liked the premise, the car chase scene (there's really only one, because the other one is more about outwitting than chasing) is bedazzling, and the ending is really... realistic smart. I can't go without mentioning, however, the few moments of over-the-top gore made worse by a loud, in-theater sound system. Ugh. (SEE TRAILER)

Driver is a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can't help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene, a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard. After a heist intended to pay off Standard's protection money spins unpredictably out of control, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals. But when he realizes that the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash in his trunk - that they're coming straight for Irene and her son - Driver is forced to shift gears and go on offense.

_______________________________

In Time I liked very much, and while it was simple, I'd happily see it again. There were numerous (obvious, but not stupidly hard hitting) analogies about power, money, and 1st vs. 3rd world countries... but, as a social liberal, it wasn't painful because I agree with some of their implied points.

It also had a LOT of running (pretty girl had to do it in a cute dress and heels), sorta like Hanna & Run Lola Run, except that In Time didn't "feel" like either of them... even though it did have other similarities, too. (SEE TRAILER)

In a future where time is literally money and aging stops at 25, the only way to stay alive is to earn, steal, or inherit more time. Will Salas lives minute-to-minute, until a windfall of time gives him access to the world of the wealthy, where he teams up with a beautiful young heiress to destroy the corrupt system.

___________________________________

Tower Heist was funnier than I was expecting. Alan Alda is good as a bad man and while I wouldn't call it a credible unfolding of story, I believe that most American would enjoy the ride into that form of make-believe: little guys enact justice on wicked, heartless, money grubbing rich man. I did, and I recommend it, too, as a not-deep, fun movie.

I also, afterwords, found myself thinking that Americans have a similar type of obsessive love-hate relationship with money that they do with women's bodies. We love to hate the greedy rich (when's the last time you saw a movie where the good guy was a landlord, stockbroker, oil magnate, international corporation or real estate developer?) but hope to get rich ourselves some day; We hate women for being fat or thin, being sexual or not... I'm not making a good analogy here, but I'm thinking those are the American culture's 2 greatest obsessions. (SEE TRAILER)

After the workers at a luxury Central Park condominium discover the penthouse billionaire has stolen their retirement, they plot the ultimate revenge: a heist to reclaim what he took from them. Alan Alda, Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick, & Gabourey Sidibe (from Precious).