Anyone see 'The Shape of Water' yet?

@RiotDemon I’m planning on hitting the movies almost every day over the holidays. Today I bought tickets in advance- they’re showing Gremlins at the theater, I doubt that would have counted anyway.

@sammydog01 did you get the recent survey? It asked about concession purchases and how many 3d movies I’ve watched, and if I’d be interested in upgrading if it was available.

This made me feel good about the pass not disappearing soon.

@RiotDemon Nope but hopefully that’s a good sign. Turns out I could have gone to see Gremlins on the pass. Next time.

@sammydog01 How great was Gremlins on the big screen?! So great! I hadn’t seen it since it came out and it BLEW MY MIND a little how well it held up.

@mossygreen I was shocked at how cute and believable Gizmo was from 35 years ago. Who needs CGI? As soon as he came on screen everyone went “aw”. (Everyone being maybe 20 people that showed up. I couldn’t even give my extra ticket away.)

And the score? So well done. I hope they play it again next year.

And get off of my lawn you whippersnappers. Movies were better back in the day.

@sammydog01 Practical effects for the win! You had more people at your showing than we had. It’s funny–everyone I told about it afterwards was excited or at least interested, but nobody knew it was showing (and at a bargain price!). I don’t think they did a good job of advertising it/possibly bothered advertising it at all (although I was waiting for MONTHS and terrified my favorite seats would sell out). I hope it comes back next year too.

@mossygreen Bonus- they had a special deal for the throwback showings- five bucks for a medium popcorn and soda. OK I had to fight the counter guy but it was worth it. Next year I’ll go see all the movies.

@sammydog01

What is a “throwback showing”?

@f00l The Regal Cinema near my house showed older Christmas movies at noon on Saturdays in December and “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Christmas eve. They had Gremlins, A Christmas Story, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Elf, and Polar Express. I guess the correct term is Holiday Classics. Big screen, five bucks.

@sammydog01

Ok cool!

Still my favorite creature. Funny to see Julie Adams in "Murder She Wrote.

Blockquote

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@therealjrn Yeah, that’s pretty much the movie. But sexier!

@therealjrn Adding to my previous comment: I read an interview with del Toro from 3-4 years ago (when he must have been working on this movie) where he talked about how the Creature was the first monster he loved as a small boy, so I’m pretty sure this movie is the realization of a childhood dream to see the Creature From the Black Lagoon have sex with a pretty lady.

@mossygreen

@moondrake Thanks for reminding me I need to see Crimson Peak.

@sammydog01 Crimson Peak doesn’t have an especially original story, but its well told and I think it’s the most visually beautiful del Toro film. It has some very memorable imagery. The actors did a great job as well.

@sammydog01 @moondrake Crimson Peak was described by del Toro as aimed toward (or channeled by) his inner “14-year-old bookish girl,” so it’s basically a sexy-but-not-too-sexy, scary-ish-but-not-violent, somewhat overblown Victorian High Gothic romance. I read all the reviews before I went to see it, so I wasn’t expecting anything conceptually deeper than an actual Gothic romance, and I LOVED IT. Also: Hiddleston was a better leading man choice than Cumberbatch would have been because he looks sicker and weaker.

@mossygreen Hiddleston has really mastered that sly yet vulnerable expression. I don’t know if it’s real or good acting, but there’s a profound sadness in his eyes that makes him perfect for roles like gothic romance, an orphaned god who doesn’t want to love his adoptive family but still does, and a broke down merc.

@moondrake I loved The Night Manager.

@sammydog01

Based in the excellent Le Carre novel?

Had not seen that. Didn’t realize it was Hiddleston.

@f00l Yes- he was awesome as the night manager. It also had Hugh Laurie as the bad guy. It was on AMC and is on Amazon Prime right now.

@moondrake That’s a really good way to describe him. I always just think he seems smart, you know? Wheels are turning where you can’t see them but you know they’re there. Kind of like Roddy McDowall, who always seemed like he was thinking, no matter what the role was.

@mossygreen I loved Roddy McDowall.

@sammydog01 As everyone should.

@sammydog01 loved it?or loved it ironically ? I’d like to take the kids

@naropa I loved it as did my teenage daughter. It’s light and funny and has the Rock, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart in it. Also good guys, bad guys, and a lot of action. (Sorry in advance if you hate it.)

@sammydog01 I also enjoyed it. I love Dwayne Johnson, but it was also funny, and I thought Jack Black did an excellent job with his role. It even had a few surprises, which is uncommon in a popcorn film.

@f00l The ten bucks a month thing is still on.

@sammydog01 So it’s good for general admission, but I assume not for XD, 3D, or big new movies that say “no passes”. Is that about right? I’ve been considering it for a long time. Years ago I wrote them and suggested some kind of deal where you paid 150% and got a buddy pass. It’s hard to make myself go to the movies by myself.

@moondrake it’s good on regular movies. No 3d or 4d.

New movies are fine. I saw last Jedi on Monday.

I have a feeling they will maybe do a pass for 3d soon because I had a survey asking if I was interested in it for a premium price. I’m sure if enough people say yes, they’ll do it.

@sammydog01 hopefully at the end of the year, they’ll still honor the yearly price we paid.

@moondrake I don’t think the “no passes” is a problem but the other formats aren’t included. They send you a debit card- you pick a movie while at the theater and they put the cash on the card.

I go to the movies all the time by myself. It’s not like you can chat anyway. There are a lot of folks alone there.

@RiotDemon Nope, we’ll be paying full price on renewal, whatever that turns out to be. I think the contract rolls over to monthly payments.

@sammydog01 right now it says my annual renewal price is the same… meh.

@sammydog01
@RiotDemon

Read up on this a little.

No IMAX or 3D. Otherwise good.

Not all theaters participate. If you are in a decent metro area, you’re probably fine.

A cheapie annual deal still exists thru Costco.

$90.00 annual gets you 12 months of movie pass and also 12 months of streaming from Fandor.com

Your purchase codes from Costco.com. You redeem codes at moviepass.com and fandor.com.

You can purchase this from Costco without a Costco membership. There us a slight surcharge Costco charges if you do this.

Costco link here:
https://slickdeals.net/?sdtrk=iphone&apikey=b125c57c240217c7f7b27d7f3167064b126475d6&api_key_id=16085672&pno=350787&lno=1&sdtid=0&trd=Costco%2Bcom&afsrc=1

Redeem movie pass code here:
https://slickdeals.net/?sdtrk=iphone&apikey=592744969b721607b6d66bf36b2e923bb2fbfc99&api_key_id=8942813&pno=350787&lno=2&sdtid=0&trd=moviepass%2Bcom%2Bcostco&afsrc=1

Redeem fandor.com code here:
https://slickdeals.net/?sdtrk=iphone&apikey=592744969b721607b6d66bf36b2e923bb2fbfc99&api_key_id=8942813&pno=350787&lno=3&sdtid=0&trd=fandor%2Bcom%2Bpromo%2Bcostco2017&afsrc=1

A detailed FAQ on how this works is here:
https://slickdeals.net/f/11029907-costco-moviepass-and-fandor-12-month-subscription-evoucher-89-99

Also, consumer comments there.

After your annual purchase is used up, your account reverts to monthly at $9.99 for movie pass.

This all takes about 2-3 weeks to start up, since they have to send you a moviepass debit card. (read FAQ)

The Costco thing is for new accounts only. So sign up using a new email address.

If you have any existing movie pass account billed monthly in a different email address, don’t terminate that monthly account until you get your new debit card.

If you accidentally sign up on the same email address you are already using for movie pass not purchased thru Costco, you may get double-billed and have trouble unraveling that, so be sure to use a new email address to take advantage if this.

Seems like a decent deal.

@f00l mine doesn’t renew until November, I think, so things might change a lot by then.

@f00l Well I bit the bullet and bought a year through Costco. I see probably 15-20 movies a year now at $5-7 each, and part of my New Year’s resolution will include going to at least one movie per month by myself, so the card should arrive just about in time to facilitate that. Now I just have to figure out how to work off all that popcorn weight.

@f00l Okay, so to better understand this, in the app you pick your movie showing and when applicable the reserved seat. But you don’t actually have the ticket till you physically go to the theater and swipe your Moviepass card, correct? You can only buy tickets on the day of the showing, but can you get them early? Like at 11am for a 4 or 7pm showing? That’s how I generally buy tickets for popular films, swing by the theater in the morning and pick them up and go back later for the film. With reserved seating there’s no more standing in line for an hour to get a decent seat.

Since Alamo Draft House opened here, Cinemark, our biggest chain, converted all their theaters to reserved seating and has been renovating like crazy, upgrading furnishings, adding food and beer menus. Their seating is much more comfortable than Alamo (one theater we go to has Lazy Boy style recliners), and their menus are competitive. Thanks Alamo!

@moondrake You go to the theater, pick the movie in the app (you have to be physically by the box office for it to work), buy the ticket at the box office and pay for it with the Movie Pass card. They put the cash on the card as soon as you select it in the app. It looks like you can get tickets for movies later in the day but I haven’t tried it.

@moondrake

I don’t own one yet. I intend to.

Check the Slickdeals link or ask @sammydog01 for extensive info.

Oops. She already beat me to it.

@RiotDemon That’s too bad. You’ll still enjoy it though - there’s terrific humor and wonderful acting in it you’ll appreciate regardless.

Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer – all knocked it out of the park.

@RiotDemon Assholes! Making you click on posts! Dammit!

@therealjrn I’m guessing that was sarcasm?

@RiotDemon Naw, sarcasm is too harsh, more of a little tease, really.

@RiotDemon The trailer they had at the theater probably told too much about the movie too.

@therealjrn post your fabulous green box, for CHRISTMAS sake already!!!

love,
sir.

@mick SIR!!!

@sammydog01 surprisingly I haven’t seen any. The only trailers I watch now are usually at the theatre. I try not to spoil anything.

Have you earned your $90 yet?

@RiotDemon I went to see Star Wars last night. I’m maybe halfway if you count movies that I wouldn’t have gone to see otherwise.

@therealjrn
tu es plutôt cool et tout…
et vous êtes tellement occupé!!!

Je manque mr moustaches …
il n’est pas tellement occupé.

just sayin…

@mick
Je vous remercie! M. Whiskers et moi sommes un peu sous la température.

Mais nous serons bientôt de retour à la maison.

@therealjrn i actually really want to see this movie!!! like the only movie, that caught my interest!

we will wait, not so patiently james. lol

@KDemo

You got the brand new eye-lens. You tell us.

@KDemo (According to the trailer monster-shaped. Shhhh.)

@KDemo Do you consider the last line of the movie a spoiler?

@ACraigL

I’ll just go ahead and spoil it then.

Here:

@f00l Nice try. Turns out Bruce Willis was dead the whole time.

@ACraigL - Never mind. I think I know -

Brody: "I used to hate the water."
Hooper: “I can’t imagine why.”

@cranky1950 Would being told that encourage you to go see it?

@mossygreen Probably not

@cranky1950

Is this a movie about a psycho ice carver or sumptin?

What if she (our ice-carver) were HAWT?

@f00l Oh God hawt axe murderessesses how can you go wrong.

@cranky1950
/giphy So I married an axe murderer

@RiotDemon I just found a theater that’s showing it- about 30 minutes away but I’m going to go this week. I hope it’s good.

@sammydog01 I drove 30 minutes to go see the latest Blade Runner on the last night it was showing semi local. I had gone to work at 5am, watched the original Blade Runner after work, couldn’t take a nap, and then dozed in the middle of the movie a little. Damnit.

You might be less picky about the ending. It was pretty. No points taken off for effects, that’s for sure.

@RiotDemon I drove on down to the artsy Criterion theater- they take Movie Pass. There were 5 rows of seats. I didn’t really like the movie- parts were OK but it was so slow and violent. I thought the ending was OK, it was what I expected, but overall it didn’t do much for me.

There was a preview for I, Tonya- the premise sounded stupid but the movie looks really good.

@sammydog01 violent stuff didn’t bother me. The stereotypical late 50s bullshit bothered me more. His car said 1962, but it made me think 50s housewife.

You liked the end? I thought it was, I dunno… Don’t have the words.

@RiotDemon

'50’s housewives (or people who appeared to possibly be one) continued to exist for decades after the fifties.

The visible “type” was extremely common, even typical/dominant (as a type), until the 1970’s at least.

The early 60’s were much like the 1950’s, with the addition of a bit more rock and roll, nuclear fear, Camelot, civil rights protests, and early Vietnam.

The kids were visibly changing orientation, but the adult public stereotypes had not yet been seriously strained en masse. That was later.

(I have not seen this film and know nothing about it.)

@f00l it was the typical wife must obey husband, even if he’s a total dick. Black people not allowed to sit in a restaurant. A gay person having to hide what he was.

I know it all existed, it just makes me sad… Especially because it still happens. My mom told me stories of her grandfather and uncles that lived in Georgia.

At least every generation gets better. I know people shit all over millennials, but they sure are a lot more tolerant than people of the past.

@RiotDemon

The end of racially separated seating restaurants and restrooms happened, in FW, around 1960? Any way, FW before the great protests and legal changes that came later.

I remember, from pre-school days, separate drinking fountains. OMFG, to think back.

The “wife must obey” thing (in its pure form) was rare, altho usually the husband took the lead on most major decisions, esp $ decisions; and wives and single females had trouble getting credit due to legal reasons.

Most husbands and wives cooperated. People got divorced easily if they wanted to. And there was as much as stigma against the divorced husband as against the divorced wife; for that reason and plenty of other reasons, most tyrannical conduct was discouraged.

For one thing, one’s entire social circle would know, even if nothing was ever said openly. And they would disapprove. And the tyrannical husband world be often made to quietly and constantly “feel” the disapproval of others.

FW was effectively desegregated in one fell swoop by Marvin and Obediah Leonard, owners if the largest department store in town.

They were Jewish and had long felt the sting of racial and religious discrimination themselves.

(Being Jewish, weren’t welcome as members at any of the local tony snooty country clubs. So they built their own, with the best golf course in town, and created an important main tourney stop on the PGA tour to go with. It was a total success.)

They were huge innovators in other ways. They put in the first retail a/c system (in the 1940’s!), in their store that covered 6 city blocks.
The blocks were connected by a series of over-street and underground tunnels, and they ran a famous “bargain basement”.

They brought escalators to FW. They built and maintained what was, AFAIK, the only private subway in existence. (Enormous open free parking, ride the FREE M&O Subway downtown to their store. Do whatever you wanted downtown.)

Their store had the best holiday light display in town at that time.

They gave their store departments and personnel enormous freedom to act, and shared profits generously. Most people who got a job there never wanted to work for anyone else.

By the 1940’s:

Leonard’s called itself a “one-stop shopping center.” Hard to argue with that boast. Indeed, at Leonard’s you could buy a piano, a petticoat, or a packet of pumpkin seeds. A fur coat or a windmill. Leonard’s made its own pasta and candy. It even had its own creamery to make dairy products. It roasted its own coffee, baked its own bread, put its own Leonard’s brand on products: laundry detergent, bicycles, freezers. You could smoke a Leonard’s brand cigar while pushing a Leonard’s brand lawn mower lubricated by Leonard’s brand motor oil. The kingdom of Leonard’s contained a beauty salon, a grocery department, an auto service department, a farm department. Leonard’s even printed its own script as store currency.

And they made two enormous social innovations.

During the depression, when FDR closed the banks in order to stop the bank run, Leonards Dept store cashed checks. And paid with “Leonards Script”, spendable in the store. No fees.

They sold everything from groceries to furniture, so people could conduct their lives pretty closely to normal, even with the banks closed.

Leonards made a quite a profit on the Script. Because so many people kept part of it for souvenirs and never spent it. And because people remembered the risk Leonards took, and shopped at Leonards out of loyalty for decades afterwards.

And around 1960, the brothers, who hated segregation, decided their department stores would simply step into the social and financial void, and ban it.

There were a lot of predictions of white boycott against the Jewish family. Instead, business, sales, and profits soared, and all the other businesses were forced to follow and desegregate very quickly.

And that was the end of legal segregation in FW. Because, in part, of the courage of two brothers.

Not the end of local racial/ethnic/religious bigotry and ugliness. But it was the end of segregated business practices.

These two aren’t the only people of courage in that history, not even close. But, locally, we could do more to honor them. All of them.