Domestic Psychology

Half-Blood Prince

// July 15th, 2009 // 6 Comments » // movies, people

In random bullet form, because:

• Midnight movies are fun, but I fall two days behind every time I do an all-nighter anything.
• HBP doesn’t suffer from the “trying too hard” to be dark, funny or normal that previous installments had.
• This movie has an inevitable destiny feel that makes each of the characters more interesting and more forgivable.
• Calvinists will like this movie.
• HBP is not too scary for the older children and tweens. I didn’t even hear a sniffle from the crowd when a character died. This is not a bad thing. It is appropriate given the intended audience of the original books.
• I can’t watch Luna without seeing Asperger’s.
• Romance and companionship are more prominent than action and suspense in this movie. It’s like catching your breath before the free-fall on the roller coaster.
• I’m too old to find ANY of the young adult actors eye candy. Instead, I found myself mesmerized by Maggie Smith. I find her more beautiful and fascinating than any of the plastic people who usually play adult women in movies. I want to have that kind of confidence in who I am when I am 75. It’s just the getting there that’s difficult.
• Infants and babies are flexible enough to sleep and nurse their way through a movie at any time of day or night. Small children are not. None of the preschoolers at the movies at 2 in the morning enjoyed the outing and their parents won’t enjoy how over-tired and cranky those children are today.
• I know it’s been a long time since I was a teenager working at a (now gone) movie theater, but we had fun. Midnight movie crowds are playful and easily engaged. The teens working last night were overwhelmed by the crowds. They were visibly nervous and looked more interested in blending into the walls than in having fun with their coworkers.
• There are not enough trivia slides before the annoying tv commercials that are followed by the excellent movie previews. Did that sentence make any sense?
• The best crowd reaction was for Sherlock Holmes and the very worst was for 2012. As the lady behind me said, “Aww, h*ll no.”
• Hurry up and finish the last two movies already!

The Redbox Loophole

// July 7th, 2009 // 5 Comments » // Doug, marriage, me, movies

Everything about Scientology bothers me, but nothing is quite as irritating as Tom Cruise. He and his cult are so annoying that I refuse to spend money to see any of his movies. Doug considers any movie involving helicopters, submarines or airplanes, a must-see movie. Helicopters, submarines or airplanes are featured prominently in most Tom Cruise movies. Because of my aversion to funding Mr. Cruise, Doug ends up waiting for the movies to make it to television. Yesterday, Doug found a loophole in my “no money for Scientology” rule. “If I use the free Redbox rental code for Valkyrie, I won’t be spending any money on a Tom Cruise movie.” I couldn’t argue with his logic. Now, Doug’s in the basement watching Valkyrie while I get all the children jammied and in bed. I think I figured out the problem with Doug’s plan. By stubbornly refusing to watch the movie, I have deprived myself of two hours of good snuggling with Doug. I may have to re-think my whole boycotting plan.

Ministry of Silly need not apply

// June 25th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // movies, people

I get a newsletter from Blue Moon drive-ins every week. This morning, the e-mail looks something like this:
The Midtown Drive-In
This Drive-In is for Sale
Serious Persons Inquire’s Only

It’s a good thing I didn’t call to ask any questions about the sale. I am entirely lacking in seriousness. It does seem that having a healthy respect for silliness would be a good skill in a drive-in owner. Perhaps we have found the reason for the property sale. They lost their sense of humor after one too many customers filled a parking space with an inflatable couch for a half a dozen children wearing jammies.

drive-in for sale

// June 19th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // movies

Our favorite drive-in movie theater is for sale. Immediately upon reading about this news, Doug and I played our favorite “what if” game. As in, what if we found an investor so that we could buy it? We could hire Tommy and all of his extremely bright Aspie friends to work at the theater. We would begin the season earlier in the spring and stay open until later in the fall. We would have special events for area high schools. We would have free events for scouts as a reward for community service projects. We would have one night a year when the price was per car instead of per person. We would rent the theater out for private parties and corporate picnics. We would have one night with free admission in exchange for canned foods or coats or only worn once prom dresses. We would encourage recycling. We would make the smokers stay in the very back of the property. We would subcontract the real food sales to local restaurants. We would landscape the property borders with plants that discourage mosquitoes and encourage fireflies. We would burn the bathrooms down to the ground and completely rebuild them. We would repair the screen. We would have a new, but 50′s era sign at the entrance and better signage leading to the drive-in.

What will really happen though, is some developer will buy the land. They will destroy the endangered species that is the drive-in. They will then build something completely lacking everything that makes a night at the drive-in so wonderful.

Doug says:

// June 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // movies, music

Doug: “What are you watching?”
Me: “Fame.”
Doug: “I guess this was our generation’s High School Musical.”
Me: “Are you seriously comparing Sir Alan Parker‘s work to a sugar cube dipped in fake chocolate?”

Let’s compare. Is this the same style, maturity or quality as this?

Go see Up

// June 11th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // movies

Remember last year, when we started seeing trailers for Up and it looked like a cute children’s cartoon? Those trailers were right and they were wrong. Unlike other Pixar cartoons that are made for children with a nod to the adults who accompany them, Up is a film for adults that is safe for children. Actually, sensitive children might finds parts of the movie too sad or scary. Sensitive adults will definitely want to bring tissues. The beginning of the movie rips your heart out and gives it a firm squeeze. The rest of the movie puts your heart back, gives it a shock to get it going again and condenses a year of psychotherapy into 60 minutes of cartoon. My parents are currently cleaning, organizing and getting rid of all their mementos so that they can die. Convincing them to see Up just moved to the top of my list of chores. If you haven’t seen Up yet, add it to your list.

unfair movie review

// June 3rd, 2009 // 1 Comment » // movies

Based only on the trailers for Land of the Lost, I have decided this movie is not worth seeing at the theater. No, it needs to skip the theater and go directly to DVD. Actually, I think it should skip DVD and just be released on VHS. Or Beta.

Overheard at the movies

// May 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // movies, people

“I wanna see UP.”
“Are we gonna see Transformers?”
“Can I go see THAT movie?”
“Why would they bother making THAT in 3-D?” – Okay, that was me.
“Where’s his guard uniform?”
“Can I have a flashlight like that?”
“Stop kicking that seat.” – Oops, that was me too.
“Who’s HE supposed to be?”
“I spilled my popcorn.”
“Look! It’s Oscar!”
“Have I been there?”
“I remember the airplanes and astronauts museum.”
“Look, it’s an Egyptian ATM.” – That was me again. I talk too much in movies.
“What’s second base?”
“Is that the same lady?”
“Did you hear what she said? It’s her. I think.”
“Squeeee! I KNEW it was the Jonas Brothers!”

“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” is not a movie I would choose if I was on a date with my husband, but if you have children along, you’ll enjoy the extra helping of sillies.

good movie marketing

// May 14th, 2009 // No Comments » // kid quotes, movies

Q – What is cuter than a tiny 6-y-o saying and pantomiming “Boom. Boom. Fire power?”
A – Her 3-y-o brother with a lisp saying it.

Star Trek

// May 7th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // movies

My babysitters don’t clean, so I can’t give the movie a lengthy review right now. I think Mr. Abrams’ version is a beautiful starting point for a series of Star Trek movies. It is respectful of history and knows exactly how far to push the audience’s memory buttons. The characters are easily recognizable, but created in such a way that they instantly have a 3-dimensional quality that the original characters developed slowly. Any worries that some of the actors’ trademark roles might be a distraction were unfounded. If anything, the new Star Trek is TOO much of an homage. I don’t know if new audiences will enjoy it the way I and everyone else in tonight’s audience enjoyed it. I don’t think they’ll get shivers the first time the camera pans the Enterprise or feel a lump in their throat when a very familiar voice begins to say, “Space… the final frontier.” I hope they do though.