love, love, love, love

Since last week, I've been having my own little film festival. For Christmas, my singing bird gave me one of those gifts that keep on giving: The Entertainment 2010 for Charleston, SC. Yes, it was my idea, but I considered it a gift for both of us, as we both are on fixed incomes (no, we haven't won the lottery yet!) and it would stretch our entertainment and dining dollars quite nicely. Savannah isn't large enough to rate such a book yet, but there's good news. Since the book is part of a national group, quite a few of the discounts can be used everywhere in these United States. Nice!
Regal Cinemas has quite a few coupons in said book, a generous SIXTEEN of them, in fact. All but two offer a savings of $5 on admission for two tickets. Now, you know me: I love my movies!!! And, as I generally attend them solo, at first glance it seems those coupons might be difficult to use up during the course of a year. Not so! As I have found this week, the coupon requires the purchase of two tickets, BUT the tickets can be for TWO DIFFERENT MOVIES! Ah, what a perfect gift for a cinemaphile like moi!
Friday night, I found myself in Savannah with - incredible as it sounds - no specific plans. No dinner engagement, no art offering, no party. So, I took myself to a double-header, discount coupon in hand. The movies of the night were "When In Rome" followed by "It's Complicated", both dealing with love, as it would happen. My rationale for these choices was simple. The first movie was to allow me to re-visit Rome, to see the Forum once more, maybe even spot my name carved in marble atop the temple built for the beloved wife of Antoninus. And, on the basis of my having once been a wife and now divorced, I chose to see how Meryl Streep handled the situation. So, ulterior motives and all, into the cinema I trod.
Well, I saved $5 off the two tickets, getting to see both movies for only $14. Sah-weet! Then, because I used my Regal Crown Club card and hit a certain reward threshold, I also snagged a FREE ticket to a movie of my choice in the next three months. Wow! As an extra bonus, I thoroughly enjoyed both movies, getting many laughs and giggles throughout. A wonderful evening!
So, tonight, I thought I would repeat the feat and use another coupon for my version of a double-header. I saved another $5 with the coupon, then the Regal Crown Club rewarded me with a FREE small popcorn. Yum!
This time, I chose what I thought were two Oscar contenders (turns out, only one of them is, and it's not the one the Savannah Film Festival showed this past fall). Both, again, are love stories. Must be something in the air! "A Single Man" was first in the line-up and Colin Firth was spot on as a man cast adrift after the death of his partner. They had been together 16 years, separated only when a fatal car wreck interfered. Excellent, in so many ways. The second choice was one I had missed at the SFF, "The Young Victoria". Now, I'm not usually one for historical romances, truly, but... well, this was my second chance to see it on the big screen, you know? So, I did. And I am so glad that I did! Talk about romances! This story of Queen Victoria and her Prince Albert was everything a love story should be. Beautiful. I cannot recommend both of tonight's screenings highly enough.