Better late than never

THREE MONTHS!!! It has literally been over 90 days since Spider-man: Homecoming was released and I just saw it for the first time yesterday. I made a promise to my boyfriend that I would only see it with him and we finally had time and opportunity yesterday to go see it.

We had the whole afternoon free so we went out and ventured to a new theater. It was the ArcLight out in Bethesda. A coworker of the BF had recommended we go there and so we did. When you first walk in, there is a wall of movie posters that was very cool to look at. I very quickly declared which ones I wanted to see. After gawking at that, we went to go buy the tickets. They cost $30 FUCKING DOLLARS. It was a Friday afternoon! There were no matinee prices to speak of. You know how much I love a cheap movie ticket. But we forged ahead. I wasn't turning back now that we were actually going to see Spider-man. I had waited long enough.

We had center seats and the theater to ourselves. I would have been completely surprised if someone else showed up to watch it. This theater doesn't play ads so it went straight to the previews and then the movie started. It was amazing. I had never laughed so hard at a Marvel movie. I see now why everyone thinks Tom Holland is the best Peter Parker. He looked the age and acted just like a teenager would. I believed every second of his performance. As a part of the MCU, I felt like it jelled together rather well. I loved Tony Stark as the father figure/mentor to Peter. If Robert Downey Jr ever leaves the franchise, I hope he pops up every now and then. He's the perfect grumpy snark to tell everyone how much they're screwing up and then immediately leave after.

So after the looooooong wait, I'd say it was worth it. I'm glad I saw it in the theaters and with the boyfriend. Watching it on my TV would not have done the experience justice.

Atomic Dud

I really wanted to like this movie. The trailers were epic, it was based on a graphic novel, and it was starring Charlize Theron whom I enjoy. But I felt that the pacing was to slow and the action sequences placed too far apart. They were amazing, I was blown away by the fight choreography. It just didn't do much to capture and hold my attention.

I went with Maria and Kelly on an evening movie date. I was there first so I grabbed a beer and sipped while watching the previews. We had good seats, towards the middle. It was a packed theater. It was opening weekend and I feel like the crowd was eager to see something new.

From the very beginning, I wasn't that into it. I just felt bored. All the action scenes were in the trailer so I knew what was going to happen before the movie wanted me to. The only exception was the staircase fight scene towards the end of the film. That had me beyond excited. But that elation quickly faded and I was pissed that I had paid full price for my ticket.

Overall, this movie can be viewed in your home and you wouldn't be missing out on anything.

p.s.- The soundtrack was everything and I was rocking out to 80s music the rest of the night.

Third time's the charm

Baby Driver; a ridiculous title for an awesome movie. I have seen it THREE FUCKING TIMES. The cursing is not because I'm mad about that fact. It just that I've never seen any film that many times while it was still in theaters. It held up with each viewing though. Once you know everything that's going to happen, it becomes easier to notice the small details and inside jokes that were well hidden the first time.

#1
I was spending a whole day out and about by myself when I impulsively decided to see a movie. My local historic theater was playing it so I caught the bus and bought my ticket for the first afternoon show of the day. Since Wonder Woman was still showing, I thought Baby Driver would be in one of the smaller theaters. But since it was opening weekend, I was able to see it in the main theater. I was dead center with only a handful of  other people in there with me. I curled up with my popcorn and loved every second of it. I haven't been the biggest fan of Ansel Elgort but he's amazing as Baby. He totally made me fall in love with him.

#2
Kelly and I were long overdue for a movie matinee date so we went out on 4th of July. It was crazy packed in the theater but I was able to snag two seats while Kelly went out to get something to eat. The movie was even better the second time. The crowd really made watching it much more enjoyable. We all laughed and gasped and cheered all at the same time. It was epic. This time, I was more interested in the soundtrack. It really is its own character.

#3
Despite the fact that I really want to see Spider-man: Homecoming, there was no way in hell I was seeing it opening night on a Friday. So the boyfriend and I decide to see Baby Driver. It had finally been moved to the smaller theater on the side. It had a larger crowd than I expected but again, it added to the experience in a positive way. My boyfriend could hardly contain his joy at all the car chasing scenes. He loved it and I loved watching his excitement and joy.

I definitely think that this is one of Edgar Wright's best films. It's right behind Scott Pilgrim vs the World for me. When it becomes available to own, I am going to buy my own copy. But until then, I don't even wanna think about watching this movie again.

FINALLY

I have been waiting for this movie forever. WONDER WOMAN IS HERE. Did I read the comics? No. Have I seen the classic tv show? Also no. Nor have I consumed any DC comics animated movies or shows. But I like Gal Gadot and the DCEU franchise. This movie came guns blazing and did not leave me disappointed.

The boyfriend and I made an impromptu outing for this movie. I thought we'd have to wait weeks until we saw it together but the stars aligned and we were able to go opening weekend. It was an afternoon showing at our local historic theater. I got there first and dashed for two seats in the middle towards the back. There were already people there, a nice little crowd of adults. Once the boyfriend go there (just as the lights went out and the previews came on) my excitement skyrocketed. I had been looking forward to this film for months. The trailers had done an excellent job of getting my attention and keeping it.I was ready to see Wonder Woman kick some ass.

And that she did. The action in this movie was unbelievable, exceeding my expectations. Gadot was a natural on screen, holding her own just like she did in BvS. Chris Pine was a great love interest, never once feeling like he was just added on to look pretty (even though the film definitely poked fun at the role reversal of damsel in distress). This film deserves all the love and praise it's getting. For me, BvS is still the best outing for the franchise. This is a very close second though.

Gut and Heart Punch

I have been two for two with seeing good films my last couple of outings. One was an indie and the other a teen flick. These movies are on complete opposite ends of my interests but I loved them both. I felt they accomplished what they were trying to portray and engaged the audience throughout the whole showing.  

First up is Colossal. I invited Kelly out for a late night showing at our local historic theater. We were both tired from work and could barely keep our eyes open as we looked to find seats (to the right and towards the top). It was just us and another couple in there that seemed lost. The film opened with a short film that showed the less appealing aspects of technology. It was hilarious. I wish I could remember what it was called and I'm too lazy to look it up. 

After that, the film started and it completely blew me away. I was expecting a funny slapstick monster movie comedy. Instead, I got a heartfelt, slightly uncomfortable view of an abusive relationship. I won't say how or why but it was handled in such a unique way. Anne Hathaway is such a great actress and she owned that role. I wanted to go back and see it again but it had already left the theater before I had the chance to.  

The latest movie I've seen was Everything Everything. Again, Kelly and I made our way to the cinema. We went on discount Tuesday and smuggled in food from Brown Rice. To make up for our deception, I also bought popcorn and hot dogs for myself. We found seats right in the center and laid back in the recliner seats. There was a good crowd for the early evening showing. As an audience, we were pretty talkative but it improved my movie going experience. The film was so darn cute. I loved the two lead actors. They had amazing chemistry. I really liked the movie but the soundtrack was the real star. I was damn near dancing in my seat while the film was trying to make me feel things. I'm happy I didn't wait for the DVD like I had originally planned to do. This is the feel good movie of the year so far.

Epic Space Superhero Action Comedy Vol 2

Those are the exact words I used to describe Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 to someone who avoids superhero films. I agree with the observation that there are so many of them and it's difficult to tell them apart. But I absolutely loved the first film and it's still holding up as my favorite Marvel movie so far. I was hoping the second out of the Guardians would take the torch but I failed to really connect with this movie.

My boyfriend and I went to a local theater that's under some construction. They had just put in new recliner seats, which are becoming a great bonus of seeing movies. It was discount Tuesday (thank God for discount Tuesday) and we went to a late night showing. By late night, I mean after nine when I am usually in pajamas and zoning out on YouTube videos. It was mostly empty which I was surprised at. I think I was hoping for a more audience driven experience. In retrospect, it would have helped me get more excited and lost in the film. Because it was just my boyfriend and I, we were left to pick apart the film and roll our eyes at allllll theeeeee speechesssssss.

It was too sentimental and sappy for me. I sighed out loud and said, "Really?" under my breath too many times to count. I get it, they are no a family. Just don't beat me over the head with it. I did love all the post credit scenes. There are five total, so unless you don't care don't leave the film until the very end. They don't really play into how the Guardians will fold into the Avengers story line in an obvious way. They seemed like little funny clips to amuse, not intrigue.

The next film up is Thor: Ragnarok and that one has me a little hype. I just hope it doesn't disappoint me like this one did.

New theater

I used to live on the opposite side of town where there was this little movie theater and no one seemed to want to go to. They knew it was there but it seemed abandoned and run down. And it was, just a little. But it was always empty and the prices were decent. If you were looking for a secluded movie experience, this was the one to go to.

I hadn't been out there in 2 years and since then, they've completely renovated it. It's awesome inside. They have a small lounge area near the concession stand. The theaters vary in size but none are teeny tiny. And the seats...they recline. I love this new feature theaters have been putting in. It's so damn relaxing. It almost makes me forget I'm there to see a film and take a nap.

But I didn't this past Tuesday. I got my boyfriend out on a date. Another bonus: Tuesdays have discount prices all day. So I only paid $12 for the both of us. We were a little early but still decided to check out our seats instead of sitting in the lounge. We sat in the middle towards the left of the screen. After the repetitive commercials and the less than exciting previews, the movie began.

By the way, we went to go see Sleight. The actual cinematic outing overshadowed the film. I still really liked it though. It's about a street magician who sells drugs to support himself and his little sister. When she's kidnapped, he does everything it takes to get her back. The actors were believable and lifelike. I just wish they were either more or less backstory for the main characters. It just fell a little flat and didn't fully capture my attention. The ambiguous ending left me confused on the point of it. I didn't stay through the end credits to see if it was explored further either. I enjoyed the movie but it's not something I'd recommend for a theater experience. You can appreciate it just as much on your home T.V.