Four Steven Spielberg films will return to the big screen next month.
Here’s what the press release says:
Cinemark Holdings, one of the world’s largest motion picture exhibitors, is pleased to announce the next four films in our Classics Series will feature the work of acclaimed director Steven Spielberg. The films include JAWS on June 2 and 5, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK on June 9 and 12, E. T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL on June 16 and 19, and SCHINDLER’S LIST on June 23 and 26. Performances will be on Sundays at 2pm, and Wednesdays at two separate show times, 2 pm and 7pm.
All earnings from the June 23 and 26 performances of SCHINDLER’S LIST will go to Spielberg’s USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education, which is dedicated to making audio-visual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides a compelling voice for education and action.
I have, I blush to admit, never seen Jaws so maybe it’s time I go. I would love to see Raiders of the Lost Ark again for the first time, if you understand what I mean. It was so much fun.
It’s been years since I’ve seen E.T., and I’m curious as to whether I would like it or not. And even though I own a copy of Schindler’s List, I watch it every time it’s on television, which isn’t often enough. I vividly remember sitting in a movie theater watching it, barely moving the whole time. I think the ending is flawed, but I can live with that for the rest of the movie.
Let’s start with the movie that doesn’t have a number behind its title, shall we? In Epic, Amanda Seyfried offers the voice of a teenager (she IS only 27 after all) who discovers a mysterious world of small people and talking slugs (I so want to insert a newsroom joke here, but I will forbear). The review looks stunning, especially when the scenes are captured from the back of a hummingbird. I think it will be a tough sell to the 8-year-old boy in my life, however.
Fast & Furious 6 deserves an asterisk for achieving this: It’s the sixth movie in a series that has not drawn me into a movie theater even once. (I’ve made it to maybe a third of the Star Wars movies. Maybe half.) So you’ll have to tell me about it, because I’m having a hard time even watching the trailer.
Finally, The Hangover Part III has already opened. It’s billed as the “epic”* conclusion to the trilogy. I snickered all through The Hangover, sighed in exasperation through The Hangover Part II and have decided to pass on this offering. Unless the whole world assures me I’m wrong. And the scene with the giraffe in the previews? Hate it.
*I’m starting to think “epic” does not mean what Hollywood thinks it means.
Lizzie the puppy and I hit the sidewalk at 6 this morning.
I so want to get up and not have to bundle up before I go outside to walk. And it will be nice when Lizzie gets a clue and I don’t spend the entire walk with my arm being pulled from its socket.
But the silver lining today was walking past masses and masses of lilacs and their unbelievably sweet fragrance. I have lots of favorite flowers, but who could live in a world with lilacs?
How had I never heard of the Jimmy Buffett living in Brookings connection before? I feel like I have wasted my life until now because this is new to me.
For some reason, the cloudy, rainy weather has made me think of the movie “Private Benjamin” a lot lately.
It’s the scene where Judy Benjamin, a spoiled, rich girl played by Goldie Hawn, and her entire platoon are forced to march in the rain as punishment.
During the march, she says, “My name is Judy! J-U-D-Y Judy and I’d like somebody to call me by my name! Oh, okay I took my life in my own hands, I made a mistake fine I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again! I wanna wear my sandals… I wanna go out to lunch. I wanna be NORMAL again!”
With a few changes, that could be me:
“My name is Jill! J-I-L-L Jill and I’d like somebody to talk to me without a mouth filled with rain. … I wanna wear my sandals and not get them all squishy. I wanna go out to lunch and sit outside. I wanna be DRY again!”
I had several days off and have a puppy with lots of energy so I walked more than usual earlier this week.
The routes in my neighborhood get boring, since there are so many obstacles that make for a limited number of routes (Sanford, First Baptist, VA/Spellerberg), but I’m not inclined to drive to a bike path. Driving to go walking seems a bit stupid to me.
As I walked one day, I envisioned this exchange taking place among city councilors:
“Madam Chair, I make a motion that the VA be required to put sidewalks on 26th Street. It’s a busy street, and it’s unsafe to make people walk in the street. But walking on uneven ground also has its pitfalls.”
“I second the motion.”
“All in favor?”
“Aye.”
“Noes:?
Silence.
“The ayes have it. Sidewalks will be poured on the VA grounds. Next agenda item?”
“Requiring Riverview Heights home owners to install sidewalks.”
Well, you get my point.
There’s only one movie opening this weekend, but for Star Trek fans, even if a dozen movies were opening this weekend there would be only one movie opening this weekend.
Make sense?
What I’m saying is, Star Trek Into Darkness has opened with a midnight showing, and all indications are it’s going to be SRO at any movie theater that carries it.
The review on Wired calls it “a disposable summer movie,” but I’d see it if it ere just the phone book being read backward because I like Benedict Cumberbatch so much (yes, I basically like his name. And his Sherlock Holmes).
I do have to admit, I can’t tell the actors who play Spock and Kirk apart in real life (thank heavens for pointy ears).
One viewer is upset because this Star Trek leaves out the philosophy that made the TV series and some of the movies stand out.
Me, I’m in it just for the Tribbles.
There was a time when The Office was must-see TV for me. Never. Missed. An. Episode.
In fact, when it started airing on cable, I would spend a whole evening watching three hours of The Office in a row.
But I gave it up several years ago when I just didn’t enjoy it anymore. Story lines were repetitious, Michael was gone, characters like Gabe didn’t interest me.
To be honest, it was Pam and Jim’s relationship that I relished for so many years. I didn’t mind that they got married (it would have been ridiculous to keep them apart forever), but as they settled into married life and had a baby and Pam became a saleswoman, well, yawn, have a good rest of your life, but without me (plus, I worried The Office would break them up, at least temporarily, and if I want real life I’ll go look at my own divorce papers thank you very much).
So I’m not going to watch tonight’s finale. I think. There really would be no purpose to it since I’m so out of touch with what has happened. I’ve read a few things on social media (am I right that Dwight is finally office manager?), but it’s basically a muddle.
Still.
I’d kind of like to say an official goodbye.
Maybe watching this clip of The Office farewells will be enough.
There’s no point in me taking this AP quiz about Star Trek unless every quiestion is about Tribbles.
But you might enjoy it.
In just 50 minutes (or 5 p.m. CDT for those of us who don’t like math), the South Dakota Music Education Association will release a video of a virtual choir.
It is, the SDMEA page assures me, the “world premier.” (I’m just being snarky because I would assume that of all people to know the difference between premiere and premier, it would be artsy folks who HAVE premieres.)
Anyway, what is a virtual choir? “The SDMEA Virtual Choir is a state-wide project to create a user-generated online middle school choir. From October 29th, 2012, you have until 12:00am on January 15th, 2013 to record yourself singing your part of the track “Stand Together” by Jim Papoulis and upload it to YouTube.”
You can hear the bass* portion, for example, here.
Wait, the basses are boring. Try the alto version instead.
*Middle school choirs have basses? Who knew?