Tell me a story

Normally, seeing five movies in a month would be satisfying, but this October was so chock-full of movies I wanted to see that even as I walked into one theater, full of excitement for the story I was about to enter, I couldn’t help but think about all the other movies I still needed to see. (Yes, “needed to see,” or so it felt at the time.) That feeling of missing out wasn’t helped by my frequent listening to movie review and discussion podcasts (“The /Filmcast”, “Brad ‘n’ Laremy on Movies”, “Filmspotting: Streaming Video Unit”). They would get me so amped up for movies that I’d practically be frothing at the mouth while looking at spreadsheets at work.

Unfortunately there just isn’t enough time to see all the movies I want to see and then write about them. That got to be very frustrating at times, especially when it seemed like I couldn’t participate in the discussion (inasmuch as listening to a podcast is discussing) because I hadn’t seen something. Yet, in reflection it seems rather pointless and even unappreciative to think about all that I’m not seeing. I get do something that I love, with my only restrictions being time itself. That’s nothing to be upset about, no matter how you look at it. And hey, out of the five movies I saw, not one of them was a stinker! That’s kind of awesome. So what were these movies, you ask? And how much money did I save by seeing them with MoviePass? I’ll tell you.

First up is Gravity.  Wowsers. What a visual accomplishment! And it’s actually a compelling story about a woman who has to face her own impending death in order to realize she wants to live. It’s exciting, it’s thrilling, it’s frightening, it’s beautiful, it exemplifies the grand spectacle of cinema. I caught this one at the AMC Tysons Corner 16 in McLean, VA. It was my first time there. I really wanted to see Gravity in IMAX 3D, but when we went to buy tickets we saw that it was reserved seating style, and all the good seats were taken. So we saw it in regular 3D, and to my surprise the screen the was actually larger than most regular screens in DC. Not quite LieMax, but close enough for my needs.

A week later, Steph and I caught The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete at the good old Silver Spring Majestic 20 (the first movie theater I ever visited in the Washington, DC area; it feels like going home every time I go back). This was a touching story about a young black boy, Mister, and his even younger Asian neighbor, Pete, who are forced to spend the summer fending for themselves after Mister’s heroin-addicted mother is arrested for prostitution. Not a cheerful premise by any means, but there is a buddy comedy aspect about it, and the movie gives you just as must hope as it does heartache. This wouldn’t have been my typical choice for a movie—heck, I hadn’t even heard about it until Steph suggested it the day of—but I’m glad I saw it.  A special shot-out to Skylan Brooks and Ethan Dizon, the child actors who played Mister and Pete. They killed it.

Next was Captain Phillips at the Regal Gallery Place Stadium 14. I already gave the long and short of it here. Damn good movie. Damn good acting. Okay theater. There’s nothing overly special about the Regal Gallery Place, but it’s well-kept, with good sized screens at a super convenient location.

Then there was Thanks for Sharing at the AMC Loews Shirlington 7. I wasn’t expecting this movie to be very good. I’d mentioned in my review for Don Jon, here, that the word on Thanks for Sharing was that its downfall was its playing porn-addiction for laughs while proclaiming it as a serious problem. I don’t know if I’d agree with that after seeing it. There are some laughs at the expense of the addicts, namely Josh Gad’s character, but even if you laugh at him getting punched after rubbing against woman on a train, you’re always aware of how tragic his character really is. Still the movie had a Hollywood feel about it. You could see many of the beats coming, and even when the movie went dark, it never got really get dark. Compare it to Steve McQueen’s Shame, and this actually comes off looking pretty light-hearted. And that’s kind of what it aims to be: a light delving into the life of a sex-addict. Maybe that’s not what I want it to be, but so be it. I’d really like to do a proper write up for Thanks for Sharing if I ever get the time.

Last in October was Ender’s Game in IMAX at the Silver Spring Majestic again. This movie could have been great but ended up being okay. That fact that I have read and still love the book did it no favors. I’m currently working on a review for it and will post it soon. You’re not going to want to miss that!

And now let’s talk money. Cheddar, if you will. Lettuce. Greenbacks. Dead presidents. Dollar dollar bills y’all. I saw Gravity in 3D so unfortunately no MoviePass there, and Ender’s Game was an advance screening, thus I only saw three movies with MoviePass.

(Click the above to see trailers)

If you’ve been following along, you’ll see that I didn’t really save much this month. After the $30 MoviePass fee, I only saved $4.25. That’s the least I’ve saved in the five months I’ve been using the service. I’m not complaining. I just hope I can get even more value this November (and every month thereafter, of course).

October 2013 MoviePass Savings:

Total MoviePass Savings:

My Month with MoviePass in Pictures:

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