My wife and daughter went out of town with some friends for the holiday weekend, leaving me here in New Orleans to fend for myself. After they left on Friday, it dawned on me that I had a perfect opportunity to go see a movie in a theater, something I’ve only done once since our daughter was born.
I checked the local listings to discover there was only one movie showing that I really wanted to see, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a Swedish-language film. (Swedish being the only language I can sort of speak, besides English.) It was showing at the newly redone Theatres at Canal Place. I could even eat dinner there. I called their “movie line” and confirmed it was showing that evening at 6:30 PM. But when I visited their website to buy a ticket — no dice. It wasn’t listed. So I called their “info line” and learned that the projector for that film was on the fritz. “It should be fixed by Tuesday.”
Tuesday!
Of course they have other screens, with functioning projectors, which were showing Sex and the City 2 every forty minutes or so.
The only other theater in biking distance is The Prytania, which has Shrek 5 in six dimensions, or something like that. Ugh.
Why don’t we have more screens in Orleans Parish? Then I remembered the Zeitgeist. I ended up heading over there for an early showing of The Secret of Kells.
On Saturday, just for kicks, I checked the Theatres at Canal Place website again, and to my surprise The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was listed. I called and they confirmed the projector issues had been resolved — only the showing was sold out.
So I stayed at home and watched a movie on DVD.
Sunday I contemplated The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo again. There was an early show but that would conflict with the protest. The only other showing was at 6:30 PM. I checked the running time and discovered it was two and a half hours. That would cut into the new episode of Treme. Can’t catch a break.
But finally my luck turned. After the protest I learned that there would be no Treme that evening. So to make a long story short, I finally saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Sunday evening.
It was a good thriller. I enjoyed it. The Secret of Kells was enjoyable too, and very beautiful to look at. But ironically enough, the movie that made the biggest impression on me was the one I watched on DVD at home, alone, Saturday night — Last Year at Marienbad.
As for the Theatres at Canal Place, it’s very nice but I’m not sure what I think about their age limit. They only admit people 18 and older, no matter the movie. I’m sure that maintains the classy upscale atmosphere they’re aiming for, but it also means that there’s only one theater in Orleans Parish that I can take my daughter to once she’s old enough to actually behave herself in a theater, namely the Prytania. Well, there is also the Zeitgeist. But once again I have to wonder why we don’t have more viable screens around the city, and why no one has been able to engineer something like the old Movie Pitchers.
Yeah, I miss Movie Pitchers. It was a nice and cheap late night escape. When we have our girl in Oct. I guess I’ll be in the same boat.
Any rumors of anyone opening a theatre along the Lafitte Corridor?
Dad and I have both read “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and it is showing in Indianapolis on the northside. We’ve been tempted to drive up there to see it. I just realized the other day that it has subtitles…didn’t realize until then that it was most likely filmed in Sweden, the country of the author. A really good read. So did you listen to the dialog or use the subtitles?
Mom, there are some violent passages but I guess you know that if you read the book. I didn’t figure this for your cup of tea. But it is a really good film, and if you liked the book I’m sure you’d enjoy it. I’m afraid my Swedish is waaay too rusty for me to understand anything but the simplest stuff. However, I was immediately struck by the original Swedish title for the movie (and book) which translates as “Men Who Hate Women.”
It is nice just to hear the language though and pick up bits and pieces. I used to speak some Mandarin (I lived in Taipei, Taiwan briefly.) I still love to listen–eavesdropping on conversations…as who would expect me to understand? It can be fun at times.
Opening Thee-ay-ters is so expensive.
We were spozed to get a multi-screen chain movie house by now, but
the whole electronic download/swap/pirate thang kills the bizzness model.
I can go to a $1.50 second-run flick up in Albuquerque, with eight screens,
but down here we are limited to a two-screen warehouse with sound-bleed-over
problems. Full price tickets for second-class quality.
And a guy feels bad not buying the popcorn and soda, neither of which I need.
But my sweetie loves it because I have to stay squeezy up with her for two hours
and we usually do split the big corn and half-strength soda, just
to be good Americans.