Okay...this may come across as pompous, and perhaps by the end of this day's entry you will have even a lower opinion of me, but as I see commercials and trailers for different films coming out I rate them either theater worthy...or not worth the money. There is nothing like a beautiful film experienced on a silver screen. The cinematography, the sound quality, the stories told are entirely more breathtaking in a theater, even despite the advent of these home entertainment systems that hedge the viewing experience ever closer to the big screen. Those I deem unworthy of spending money at a theater I either dismiss completely or I figure I'll watch them later on in 5-10 minute snippets on television as I fall asleep on the couch.
Now I know this blog is about being cheap and you fair reader may think that spending money on a frivilous activity like a film is a waste. Better to read a book, checked out from the local library too. I know some people who are so cheap they never go to the movies, but they won't even waste the gas money to drive to the library. Movies to me are a great art form and it's like a mini vacation. Yes, I'm cheap, but I am willing to spend the money to see a good film. Perhaps I am a want-to-be cineaste, perhaps I am, as the late author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. said, of the first generation influenced not by books, but by movies.
Well I've read my share of books and sometimes the film version pales in comparison, but still it is worth the trip to the bijou.
Thankfully VFH's team leader, Janet, likes films too. Together we dutifully scour the listings and read reviews for the best available. It is an arduous process. "Movies" are off the list for sure. We'd never pay to see "Freddy Got Fingered". We like our stupid humor, but we ain't going to pay for it. We struggle with choices. Sci Fi for her is a bust, while I geek out with some of that genre. Thank goodness she likes war films. I hate slasher films. We both like foreign films. Sutbittiles don't scare us. We also like film discussion. Last year we attended a viewing of the 1930 film "All Quiet On The Western Front" after the novel by Erich Maria Remarque at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. Afterwards there was a discussion about World War I. By the way, this particular film was shot twice, with side by side cameras. One was for the American market with sound and a silent version for the international market. Tomorrow, Sunday, we are returning to the Film Institute for a viewing and film discussion for the recent Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film, 'A Separation."
A lifetime ago I used to go to the Public Theater in New York to see documentary films on Saturday afternoons. I was already a cheap so and so and I would go regardless of the topic because they were free. I saw films about serial killers and the Khmer Rouge among others. It was free and for awhile it was just a 30 Cent fare on the Path to get into Manhattan.
Free is good. Give me a ticket and I'll go see it...well perhaps not "Freddy Got Fingered"?
I used to go to the New York Film Festival on a regular basis. This too was way before Vacations From Home. It never mattered what film was actually showing
Because of my union affiliation for work I get to see a lot of free films... They are either offered through the union where I get to see the flick with other technicians and afterwards particulars about the craft of making the film are discussed, or, they are offered by the film companies themselves, hoping to garner enthusiasm for the film in a run for Oscar contention. This year I got to see Meryl Streep's Oscar worthy performance in "The Iron Lady" and later was able to take Janet to a free viewing of this year's Best Picture, etc., "The Artist." Both were courtesy of the Weinstein Company. We made it a great weekend by getting a hotel and eating dinner in a very nice French Bistro, Chez Napoleon. http://cheznapoleon.com/ and vodka at the Russian Vodka Room. http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/ ... Yes, Team VFH is cheap, but we know how to have a good time.
Now I know this blog is about being cheap and you fair reader may think that spending money on a frivilous activity like a film is a waste. Better to read a book, checked out from the local library too. I know some people who are so cheap they never go to the movies, but they won't even waste the gas money to drive to the library. Movies to me are a great art form and it's like a mini vacation. Yes, I'm cheap, but I am willing to spend the money to see a good film. Perhaps I am a want-to-be cineaste, perhaps I am, as the late author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. said, of the first generation influenced not by books, but by movies.
Well I've read my share of books and sometimes the film version pales in comparison, but still it is worth the trip to the bijou.
Thankfully VFH's team leader, Janet, likes films too. Together we dutifully scour the listings and read reviews for the best available. It is an arduous process. "Movies" are off the list for sure. We'd never pay to see "Freddy Got Fingered". We like our stupid humor, but we ain't going to pay for it. We struggle with choices. Sci Fi for her is a bust, while I geek out with some of that genre. Thank goodness she likes war films. I hate slasher films. We both like foreign films. Sutbittiles don't scare us. We also like film discussion. Last year we attended a viewing of the 1930 film "All Quiet On The Western Front" after the novel by Erich Maria Remarque at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. Afterwards there was a discussion about World War I. By the way, this particular film was shot twice, with side by side cameras. One was for the American market with sound and a silent version for the international market. Tomorrow, Sunday, we are returning to the Film Institute for a viewing and film discussion for the recent Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film, 'A Separation."
A lifetime ago I used to go to the Public Theater in New York to see documentary films on Saturday afternoons. I was already a cheap so and so and I would go regardless of the topic because they were free. I saw films about serial killers and the Khmer Rouge among others. It was free and for awhile it was just a 30 Cent fare on the Path to get into Manhattan.
Free is good. Give me a ticket and I'll go see it...well perhaps not "Freddy Got Fingered"?
I used to go to the New York Film Festival on a regular basis. This too was way before Vacations From Home. It never mattered what film was actually showing
Because of my union affiliation for work I get to see a lot of free films... They are either offered through the union where I get to see the flick with other technicians and afterwards particulars about the craft of making the film are discussed, or, they are offered by the film companies themselves, hoping to garner enthusiasm for the film in a run for Oscar contention. This year I got to see Meryl Streep's Oscar worthy performance in "The Iron Lady" and later was able to take Janet to a free viewing of this year's Best Picture, etc., "The Artist." Both were courtesy of the Weinstein Company. We made it a great weekend by getting a hotel and eating dinner in a very nice French Bistro, Chez Napoleon. http://cheznapoleon.com/ and vodka at the Russian Vodka Room. http://www.russianvodkaroom.com/ ... Yes, Team VFH is cheap, but we know how to have a good time.
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| Film or Movie |
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| Film or Movie |
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