Food, Movies

The End of September and a Mini-vacation: Movies, Movies, Movies

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This year, Clif’s birthday fell on a Friday, and our daughter Dee, who lives with us, decided to take it off so that we could have a three-day weekend. A mini-vacation, of sorts.

Longtime readers, knowing that we are all movie buffs, can probably guess what we did on those three days—go to the movies, of course. We each have a Regal Pass ($22  per month) that allows us to see any movie we want at no extra charge. Two movies a month pays for the pass, and we usually see at least four.

Friday, Clif’s birthday, was as fine a September day as anyone could ask for—sunny but not hot. Our movie that day was The Wild Robot, a lovely animated movie about a sentient robot named Roz who is shipwrecked on an island with no people. However, the island is home to many animals, whom Roz eventually learns to communicate with.  Equipped with an emergency beacon, Roz’s first impulse is to return home, but then she comes across an orphaned gosling. Reluctantly, Roz decides to stay on the island  until the gosling becomes a goose who can migrate south with the other geese. 

This heartfelt movie never veers too far into sentimentality. Even so,  I cried more than once. If you have young children in your life, take them to see The Wild Robot. If you don’t have young children in your life, go see it yourself. The Wild Robot, beautifully animated, will no doubt be nominated for an Academy Award. And it just might win.

After the movie, it was off the Red Barn for a big order of fried food. There was a misunderstanding at the Red Barn about the order, and we ended up with an extra helping of onion rings, free of charge. While we are enthusiastic eaters, there is a limit, and we brought home enough for another meal.

On Saturday, we picked up our friend Joel and headed to Maine Film Center in Waterville to see Megalopolis, written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Alas, I wish I could praise this movie as highly as I have The Wild Robot. Unfortunately, I cannot. On Rotten Tomatoes, Megalopolis is described as “A Roman Epic set in an imagined Modern America.” Accordingly, the theme of the film is of empires crumbling—with the comparison being between the U.S. and ancient Rome—and what might be done to stop the crumbling to make a good society for everyone.

So far, so good. But Coppola did not tell the story in a compelling way. Instead, he has characters declaim and pontificate. There is far too much telling and not nearly enough showing. The characters are flat and one dimensional, and by the end of this long movie, my only feeling was relief. There was no crying.

Still, as someone who  loves movie, I am not sorry I saw it. Francis Ford Coppola is one of the major film directors of our times. But for readers who don’t like movies as much as we do, I would advise a pass on this one.

After the movie, we went to Buen Apetito for Mexican Food and lively movie talk. We were all in agreement about Megalopolis.

Sunday brought us back to Regal Cinema for the animated movie Transformers One, a Transformer origin story. Even though it was loaded with action scenes, Transformers One was moving in its own way as two Transformers struggle with a corrupt society, a leader who lies to them, and the unraveling of their friendship. Surprisingly deep for a Transformers movie.

We capped the evening with drinks in our screen house on the patio. As the darkness came, we listened to crickets sing and barred owls call to each other. The solar lights blinked on, and we all reflected on what a good time we had had.

 

 

 

 

47 thoughts on “The End of September and a Mini-vacation: Movies, Movies, Movies”

  2. As you know, I’m not a movie buff, but those onion rings? My, they look good. An extra order of onion rings might get me laying right down next to the plate and scarfing them up, just like a certain coot!

    1. Young at heart. 😉 We are huge fans of animated films,. As Transformers got good reviews, we decided to take a chance on it. Our pass lets us do this without any fuss.

  10. Congratulations to you both (sorry, I’m getting behind again).. Looks like a great celebration. Extra onion rings is a good way to remember a birthday. 🙂

  14. what a lovely way to celebrate! Happy birthday to Clif. The good thing about seeing a few movies at one time is there is bound to be one or two that are enjoyable!

  15. That sounds a lovely way to celebrate Cliff’s Birthday and enjoy time together doing the things you enjoy. Happy Birthday Cliff!

  16. That’s a really good deal on the movies. I can’t remember the last time we went … possibly over 20 years ago. The onion rings look amazing. Nice and crispy. Most I’ve tried are soggy and the onlions like elsatic bands. LoL

  19. What a wonderful vacation!!! I’ve added The Wild Robot to my list and will be watching once it’s available to stream. Loved the dining options and what a perfect ending to the vacation and birthday celebration to sit on your beautifully lit patio and listen to owls!!🙂

  20. Sounds like a great family weekend.

    I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch ‘The Wild Robot’ – I still haven’t got over ‘The Iron Giant’ 😥

  21. I’m glad you had a lovely celebration for Clif’s birthday, even if Megalopolis was a flop. I’d already crossed it off my notional watchlist before seeing your verdict, but you’ve confirmed it. (As an aside, there are some (intentionally) hilarious hot-takes on social media indicating the wild swings in quality across the film – e.g occasional moments of beauty/profundity amongst the unfathomable/portentous chaff!)

  22. Thanks for reminding me of the Regal Pass. I love going to the movies too; pre-purchasing the tickets (in a sense) will ensure that I go. The Wild Robot is definitely on my list — along with onion rings!

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