Internet Cat Video Festival

Movie: Internet Cat Video Festival

When: 5:30 p.m. July 20, 2016
Who With: JL, JP, VP, a coworker run-in, and adoptable kittens!
Movie Count: 43
Snacks: Popcorn, Cold Smoke for me, IPA for JL

Reaction: So much fun! This was our first time going to the local showing of the Internet Cat Video Festival. It was a blast with a sold out crowd. A ton of kids were laughing their heads off. The kind of laughter where you became addicted to the feeling of laughing and you start laughing even when things aren't funny (I'm looking at you claymationy balloon cat and purrkour cat) just to try to keep the euphoria pulsing through your brain.

One of the co-founders of Reddit had a nice video about adopting a cat and expressed an idea I hadn't really considered before. Cat videos are so The Internet because dog people bond outside and share the experience in parks and at sidewalk cafes (although not so much in Missoula anymore thanks to the City's enforcement of the health code, my sincere thanks). Cats are such an at-home experience, it's only natural to share that life online.

One cat killed a balloon version of itself, another lazily pushed a dog in a pool, one even scared off a bear through a glass door, and another almost won a slap fight against the air from a hair dryer. Loved it! Tons of fun. Highly recommend it. I also highly recommend getting yourself a cat. We went with more adulty black cats, Isby and Ivy, and they are our favorites.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: Star Trek Beyond (I actually first typed Star Wars Beyond, my insincere apologies)

Midnight Special

Movie: Midnight Special
When: Friday May 20th-ish
Who With: JL with an AW & AD run-in!
Movie Count: 33
Snacks: Beers at Flippers with AW & AD after

Reaction: You never totally know what's going on in this movie and that's part of the fun. This was definitely an "it's the journey not the destination" kind of story and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The tagline is He's Not Like Us and the glimpses into the world he is like seem pretty awesome.

Our after the movie conversation began naming all the movies that focus on super kids which the government would like to take from their families without just compensation (that's a takings "joke" for you land use nerds and/or constitutionalists). Seemed like there would be a lot but we didn't get too far: ET and The Hunger Games. Got any additions to our pre-empted discussion?

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: The Meddler

The Room

Movie: The Room
When: 9 pm, Saturday, May 14th
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 30!
Snacks: Beers

Reaction: I first saw this movie when friends trucked it over from Seattle circa 2010. The four of us watched it in the privacy of our Equinox apartment and I was blown away by how bad this movie really was. Maybe you've heard that it doesn't have a plot or dialogue that makes any sense or that it reveals so much about film making by making the invisible things boldly visible. I was excited to go through the experience again with a theater full of people laughing and quoting along. But, in a twist that would have confounded Tommy Wiseau, graduation weekend took any potential viewers and it was just me and JL in the theater. We should have recruited people!

Somehow, with the benefit of time, this movie got hilariously worse. I can't have anything to say that hasn't already been said. And if you haven't seen it you just can't know. Although, visiting the movie's website may give you a hint at what's in store. I really wish the website address was "TheRoomTheMovie" but "TheRoomMovie" will have to do. If you have seen The Room, I would recommend listening to Julie Klausner's 2014 interview with Juliette Danielle ["You're tearing me apart, Lisa!"] or episode 23 of How Did This Get Made?.

There is something stupidly fitting that now you have to differentiate between when you're talking about "Room" or "The Room." Here's hoping the person you're talking to has seen both!

Recommendation: Let’s [ALL] Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: Blue Velvet

Everybody Wants Some!!

Movie: Everybody Wants Some!!
When: 7:45 pm, Friday, May 6, 2016
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 29
Snacks: Popcorn

Reaction: We're back! This was the first movie we'd seen in a while. Well, looking back, there were only 12 days in between hitting up the Roxy. Not too shabby any other year but worthy of a welfare check nowadays.

The tone of Everybody Wants Some!! was the perfect remedy for working hella hard cleaning and moving out of our condo and into the new house (!). This movie follows a 1980s college baseball team and the few days leading up to the first practice. Honestly, it's pretty dumb but fun and just what we needed. It takes you back to a day when dudes were bro-ier, ladies were barely human, and movies knew no other way of being movies. There is a thin layer of struggling with identity but mostly its beer, boobs, and baseball. Maybe surprisingly shallow from Linkletter but he seems to capture the era well and brings something that was probably true for him to it. If you're up for relaxing your standards, or you're mid-move, or you yourself are a white guy feeling slightly threatened in these times, it may be the perfect movie.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: The Room

April in Review

MOVIES
Favorite: Songs My Brother Taught Me
Least Favorite: Requiem for the American Dream
Funniest: Hello, My Name is Doris
Important Stuff: The Maltese Falcon
Missed Connections: Silence of the Lambs, Eraserhead, Racing Extinction, Kramer vs. Kramer, Footloose Sing-Along, He Named Me Malala, Galaxy Quest.

STATS
April Movies: Only 4 outside the IWFF
Would-a-Cost: $156 with the  IWFF All Screenings Pass
Total Movies YTD: 28 [not counting the million wildlife films]
Would-a-Cost YTD: $596
Cosmic Dual Membership: $450 - We did it ya'll! We broke even on the membership we didn't even pay for. It was hard work and I'm proud of our commitment. It's funny to get here in April which was not our best performing month due to the house selling/buying project. Now the pressure's off and with summer coming on strong and a house we love being at, we'll see how our movie pace holds up.

OUTSIDE THE ROXY
Trapped at the WIlma on April 25th - Want to get mad? See this documentary about access to reproductive care.
Animal Reunions, Nature PBS
Broad City, Comedy Central on Hulu Start here if you haven't been yet.
The Path, Hulu - If episodes weren't doled out once a week we would already be finished with this show.
The Turner House by Angela Flournoy - Got it from the library only to have a holder rip it out of my hands before I was done. Don't you know I need to read a novel set in an upcoming travel destination?
New York Mag - free with expiring United miles

AYATM: The Maltese Falcon

Movie: The Maltese Falcon
When: 7 p.m., Sunday, April 10
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 26
Snacks: popcorn and beer? The Masala spice isn't around anymore. Might have to make another seasoning donation.

Reaction: What the what is with this movie poster? Is that top guy supposed to be Bogie? Fine. Another classic in The Roxy's Essential Cinema series. This one beats The Big Sleep and has some kooky violence that made my day, including a lady kicking a guy in the head when they're both standing, jacket stunts your older brother might pull, and plenty of gun-taking misdirection.

Gotta get that falcon! JL introduced me to the term "MacGuffin," used to describe the quest or object that a movie centers around but isn't flushed out for the audience. Familiar concept but I love the word!

Honestly, there's a lot going on in this movie, comings and goings, alliances and deceits, but never more reciprocated administrative assistant appreciation. A two-way street full of "darling" this, "precious" that, "sweetheart" the other. Bogie knows how to manage his staff of one.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass | It's a classic, so you have to
Next Up: Requiem for the American Dream

Hello, My Name is Doris

Movie: Hello, My Name is Doris
When: 7:15 pm, Friday, April 9
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 25
Snacks: I'm guessing we split a bowl of popcorn

Reaction: This is a joyful movie that gets into some of the harder stuff of life when it should but doesn't leave you there. Sally Field is pretty magical as Doris - an awkward older lady who is somewhat emotionally stunted, naive, and relatable.

Director and co-writer Michael Showalter does almost too good of a job looking at young people through a Baby Boomer/Gen X resentment-filled lens. He picks fun at their crafting, tech, music, and lingo while also relying on these ideas to move the story along. The bit that made my brain talk to itself was when rather than establish a dummy social network, the movie oddly relied on THE social network, Facebook, but makes up an alternative interface for it. Why?

Stephen Root is one of those people who makes me laugh by just appearing on screen. Even in this more serious role, his humor seeps out. Part of me wants to think this is a bizarro side story within the Office Space universe, in which Milton's issues have been addressed and now it's time to deal with sister Doris's. All in all, it's a fun sweet movie that I'm glad I hadn't seen the trailer to prior. Semi-spoilers all the way through! Whoa, I just learned that this movie is rated R. That is ridiculous - it's pretty tame.

If you're wondering, "Why the long break between posts, Christine?" well, it's because I had a conference in Phoenix. I was able to sneak into "Chongqing Hot Pot," which I don't think I liked - too violent but the food looked great. I'll let this Variety article explain. It was in a great theatre though, the Valley Art, It's part of the Harkins chain and a 2001 renovation kept the charm and still feels recent 15 years later. They have a great gimmick: if you buy and wear their $25 t-shirt, you get free popcorn for the year. Since returning to Missoula on April 6th and the Roxy on April 9th, I've seen four membership movies and will be getting around to posting-o-plenty.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: The Maltese Falcon

Boy & the World

Movie: Boy & the World
When: 5:30 PM, Monday, March 29
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 24
Snacks: Popcorn with Nutritional Yeast, Masala, Garlic and Curry seasoning. Good, but a bit much.

Reaction: What a sweet and scary movie. Very beautifully animated with mixed media and a textures of brushstroke that make you feel likes it's being created right in front of you. We see the boy in this world miss his dad, explore an adventure in search of him, and navigate farm labor and revolution. Part of the story is reminiscent of Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry murals at the Detroit Institute of Art (one of many great reasons to visit Detroit!). There was another part when he uses a kaleidoscope and reminded me of little EN with virtual reality at the holidays.

We shared the audience with a three year old boy and his dad which was really fun. The boy did such a good job identifying trains and owls and seemed transfixed by it all. The other group in the audience was made up of three grown ups who made too many trips to the concession stand during an hour and a half long movie, talked.the.whole.time.andmademeveryupset! I was almost hoping they were the same people from Mavis! but, unfortunately, this type of person exists in multitudes, dudes. It got to the point where I almost asked, like, what do you get from this experience? But instead, I sent over some glares and only complained to JL and you. There is no way they were following the plot and there wasn't much dialogue and sound was a huge part of it, so please! Shut your pie hole (Shout out to NS and the subversive cross stitch kit).

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you so you can control the experience  | Let it pass
Next Up: We've got Requiem for the American Dream and Hello, My Name is Doris coming soon. And I'll put together a March in Review post soon.

Anomalisa

Movie: Anomalisa
When: 7:15 PM, Saturday, March 26
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 23
Snacks: Popcorn with our go-to spice blend: Masala, Garlic, Nutritional Yeast

Reaction: This is a heavy movie. I feel like I can't say too much or I'll ruin it. It took us a few minutes to understand the main character's world, which I'd like to think was intentional. David's phone call home from the hotel was the trippiest but gets you on board. He's not the stablest person, but that seems like a lot to ask from anyone who often travels for work. There's a lot going on here and his speech at the end may hold all the secrets to the universe but I'll have to give it another listen to be sure.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: Boy and the World

The Lady in the Van

Movie: The Lady in the Van
When: 7:30 PM, Tuesday, March 22
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 22
Snacks: Dino Cafe Apparently their last FB post was in 2012.  I got the gumbolaya for the first time and JL got the brisket po boy. Both were great and followed our traditional orders - me getting something stew-ish and JL going for the sammy.

Reaction: Maggie Smith maggiesmiths her way through this movie with all the defensiveness layered on top of sass, on top of snark, on top of vulnerability that you come to expect from her but also surprises you with her depth. I think I first met Maggie Smith in Hook. She stays with you through it all, doesn't she?

This story speaks to the shared humanity and individual dichotomies with which we all get through life. There's an interesting character device in the non-caring carer that expands the movie beyond what you may expect from the trailer. I read that there are plenty of Brit cameos throughout; the only one I spotted from across the pond being James Cordon.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: Anomolisa

Embrace of the Serpent

Movie: Embrace of the Serpent
When: 7:45 PM, Saturday, March 19 (post Irish Days)
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 21
Snacks: We ate and drank so much at JP and VP's Irish Days bash that we walked right passed the concessions.

Reaction: Holy Smokes! This movie is a force. It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and comes to us from Columbia. We get to time travel to the 1900s and 1940s and travel travel to a black and white Amazon to see the story of how indigenous cultures were affected by white explorers. (It's not good.)

This story shares many similarities with co-nominees, Theeb and Son of Saul, including a river escape and unabashed tellings of the disgusting effect of inhumane power imbalances.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: The Lady in the Van

Hail, Caesar!

Movie: Hail, Caesar!
When: 7:45 PM, Saturday, March 12, 2016
Who With: JL, ST, CT and we ran into AW, AD, and LY
Movie Count: 20
Snacks: Pre-gamed it at the Bridge with JL, ST, and CT. Slices and TWO salads 'cause we healthy...and each couple split a popcorn. Also, that chipotle garlic salt we handed over to the Roxy is almost all gone and done making people cough. So, you're welcome and we're sorry.

Reaction: The fun old-timey splashy productions and studio movies within the movie are really fun. Not a ton of story to analyze, I don't think. Just fun, inconsequential communism.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: Embrace of the Serpent

Where to Invade Next and Repo Man

Movie: Where to Invade Next/Repo Man
When: 5PM/9 PM, Saturday, March 5th
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 18/19
Snacks: The Bridge in between movies, delicious red lentil dal!

Reaction: I'm sure there is an obvious theme brilliantly tying these movies together that I'm missing but I haven't thought about them at the same time until I sat down to write this. I almost forgot we saw them in the same night.

Where to Invade Next is wonderfully frustrating. Fellow Michigander Michael Moore, sporting a camo Tigers cap, goes to war exporting foreign ideas that put humans and society as a whole first. Ideas like sufficient vacation time (including two extra weeks for a honeymoon, thanks Italy!), offering school lunch as a class on nutrition and manners (h/t France!), prisons that treat people the way any human person should be treated (shout out to Norway!). These ideas work so well to create a society that functions statistically better for the individual and the whole. People are taken care of by these ideas, rather than worked to the bone, increasing debts, and struggling more than we should have to. That was my big take away. We struggle too much.

I am a very fortunate person, grew up in Detroit suburbs with middle-class parents and white/hetero privilege. I have been able to avoid student debt, love the best person, and have a great community to call home. Whether it's luck, privilege, work or some blend of it all, "success" for the most part, comes down to working full time. Even when life runs smoothly, it all feels just a bit harder than it should. And this is from someone who's got the guilt (thanks Catholicism!) knowing it would be so much tougher if any one of those factors weren't there. Moore's movie shows us it doesn't have to be this tough; we don't have to be this tough. Jon Schwartz offers a nice write up on this and the WTF interview is good too. See it; you'll be all fired up afterwards.

Repo Man is a strange, funny movie and, surprisingly, the first we've seen from the Roxy's Movie Cult series. I've never seen the slightest touch of science fiction that we have in Repo Man in any other movie. Well, except for those Felicity time travel episodes. Also this post requires a nap disclosure, I may only think the sci-fi was light if it all happened during a brief nap toward the end; apologies if that's the case. Anyway, we ride-along with Emilio Estevez as he learns the ropes of the repo bizz, bonds with his co-workers, and then a car chase or something else climactic happened. Glad I saw it.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: Hail, Caesar!

Son of Saul

Movie: Son of Saul
When: 5:30pm on March 3
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 17
Snacks: Who remembers? Popcorn and Cold Smoke is my guess.

Reaction: Intense. I had never considered the operation of gas chambers during the Holocaust beyond knowing the concept and knowing it is horrible. Son of Saul follows Saul through his duties of rushing people through undressing and into "showers," and the clean up of clothes, blood, and bodies afterward. It is not an easy movie, heightened by the visual focus on Saul with everything beyond him blurry.

If you have the chance, see it. But make plans to hang out with a baby or puppies afterwards. It will help.

Recommendation: Let’s Go(! the exclamation point seems gauche here) | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: Where to Invade Next - Michael Moore's latest

February in Review

Favorite: Pride
Least Favorite: The Big Short
Saddest: Bear Story
Funniest: World of Tomorrow
Most Surprising: The Big Short in how much I didn't like it
It's Art, Dad: World of Tomorrow
Missed Connections: Timber the Treasure Dog, Chasing Buddha, West Side Story Sing-Along, and Cinema Paradiso

STATS
Total Movies: Six movies this month; 16 year-to-date. This number doesn't include the Big Sky Docs although we saw the fewest in our nine years in Missoula. Just three: Mavis!, The Witness, and Shorts Block 7
Would a Cost: $96

Recommended Viewing and Reading Outside the Roxy
The Staircase, Sundance Doc Channel
Mavis!, HBO
Spy, HBO
Side Note: This was our first month without Netflix and it wasn't so bad. We'll get it back for Gilmore Girls, don't you worry.

Gold Citrus Fame by Claire Vaye Watkins, and her short stories: Battleborn

The Big Sleep

…Snooooooze…

When: Sunday, January 17, 2016
Movie: The Big Sleep
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 7
Snacks: Popcorn bowl and Double Haul IPA

Reaction: Talk about a big sleep. It’s a terrible line, too easy, and I’m not proud of it, but if I hadn’t napped during this movie I wouldn’t have use it. Promise.

Anyway, it’s always fun to see a classic on the big screen. Lauren Bacall has never been younger and Humphrey Bogart now reminds me of my at-work lawyer. This kind of movie, it’s a hard one for me to maintain the story line. My mind is all “What’s happening now?” “Who this guy?” “Oh, those are two different people.” “Why are we mad at her?” You throw a nap in there, you may as well throw the whole plot out the window. But it’s a fun flick that’s not hurting anyone, if you can ignore some ridiculous sexism in a bookstore (Humphrey: “You don’t really need those, now do you?” Lady Bookstore Clerk: let’s down her hair and takes off her glasses [awesome glasses that appear to just rest on her nose without the earpiece stick things—they’re called pince-nez, you guys!]).

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: Possibly Miller’s Crossing tonight; definitely The Baby on Saturday (with live heckling
comedians, whaaa!)

Carol

Saw this movie about 1950 lesbians
with a bunch of 2016 lesbians.

Movie: Carol
When: Saturday, January 16, 2016
Who With: JL, MF, KP, JC, AC
YTD Movie Count: 6
Snacks: We met up at the Bridge before the show. I’ve had a goal to go off-pizza here for a while. They have a pretty robust menu but those slices greet you so welcomingly I’ve struggled to succeed. Not this night! The chilly weather made Thai Chicken soup the perfect substitute and the speediness between order and eating is sure to pave the way toward other non-pizza options. The soup went nicely with bites of JL’s cheese slice and the
Ubuntu Robust Porter on tap from Imagine Nation Brewery.
Then we went to town on using the perks included with our movie membership. We got everybody in for free using guest passes. JL and I shared a requisite popcorn bowl with nutritional yeast and masala spice (very tasty) and these fools kept getting us Cold Smokes. Everybody wins in the friend department.

Reaction: I liked it! There was a weighted intensity to the story that some (JL) might interpret as sloooow. And there’s probably a scene or two that could have been cut, but I enjoyed a feeling of watching the story unfold on the outside. I’ve always said my favorite part of any movie is before anything really happens. To a certain extent, that’s this whole movie. So, I’m not sure that’s a super convincing argument to go see this but it is in the running for WhiteOscars and Rooney Mara is Audrey Hepburn, so that’s a fun facet added in.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you  | Let it pass
Next Up: The Big Sleep (Also anxiously waiting to learning whether all my Roxy links will break when we move on to the February movies…)

Orion

Perfect Orion seats at the Roxy!

Date: January 6, 2016
Who With: JL
Movie Count: 2
Snacks: 2 popcorn bowls with nutritional yeast (included) and 2 Cold Smokes ($10.00)
Movie: Orion: The Man Who Would Be King

Reaction: A pretty fun documentary through a story I knew nothing about. Jimmy Ellis is Elvis’s voice twin and becomes Orion. Success in the music business only found him after Elvis died and Jimmy connected with a novelist, song writer, and Sun Records. He donned a Lone Ranger type mask, recorded and toured for fans, perpetuating the fantasy that maybe Elvis was still alive. A little long and slow at times, this doc is worth seeing for the quirkiness of squeezing an Elvis character into the 1980s. A personal highlight was during an attempt to shake the Elvis connection, one of the personas Jimmy used was Steven Silver, which is my brother-in-law’s name. Gotta find that record! He also has an amazing website.

Recommendation: Let’s Go! | Let it come to you | Let it pass

Next Up: James White