couple of a*lists - see, i went to movies!

Not only did I go to movies at NCG Cinema last week, but I also made it out to AMC Classic 11 a few times!

I caught the new Japanese anime, the British finale, and even a sports movie!

Carolyn even went to "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle" with me, in the BigD auditorium, along with a contingent of SCAD students.

Yes, the version with spoken Japanese and English subtitles, the way it's meant to be!

Let me say, when they were fighting on the different levels of that enormous castle, it felt like they were traveling within an M.C. Escher work - absolutely dizzying at times!!!

On Wednesday, I went to "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" on my own, as she had already seen it, and found it to be an honest look at the effect of divorce on a woman's social life, whether in 1930's England or even 2007's Savannah.

I must say that it introduced me to another actor to enjoy: Alessandro Nivola.

The 53-year-old plays a bit of a scamp, but he's oh-so-charming... rawrrrr!!!

I realize he's been in other movies I've seen, but certainly not as such a sexy character.

I'll have to look for him the next time I see those earlier works... and look forward to seeing him in future films!

Oh, my, let me calm myself for a moment... whew!

On to the third movie, "The Senior", with Michael Chiklis as a 59-year-old man who'd been expelled from college midway through his final year.

That's because he couldn't stop fighting, both on and off the football field.

Fast-forward to the 40th reunion of the team he would have been on, with them including him for the celebration.

While there, he finds out he's still eligible to play, as his senior year is still open for him to finish.

And so he does just that, including trying out for the team - and making it - and going to classes.

Excellent film about second chances... and I love those!

 

Then, this week, with fewer distractions at NCG, I managed to complete my AMC dance card with a foursome!

All were seen solo, and only the last is one I'd see again.

That's because "Gabby's Dollhouse - The Movie" was a celebration of life and family and imagination, with lots of encouragement to viewers to sing along, to clap along, to dance along!!!

It was soooo much fun!!!

Even for someone who knew nothing of the TV show!

I even liked Kristen Wiig in this one... and I usually don't care for her at all.

That's saying something!

However, the other three movies were definitely one and done.

"A Big Bold Beautiful Journey" was certainly not the date movie portrayed in its previews, though Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie were certainly excellent.

However, it was like speed dating through the worst times, with all the dirty laundry pulled out of the baggage for all to see.

After all, they were both adults in their 4th decade, so they'd lived through a lot of experiences, picking up hurts along the way.

So, although realistic in some ways, the movie's approach to forming a relationship was not quite believable, with being content not what most seek.

"The Long Walk" reminded me that Stephen King movies can be horrific, and that one was utterly unrelenting in its horror.

Listening as so many young men lost their lives was exhausting.

Give me a John Wick movie any day, but not this slaughter of innocents.

Then there's "The History Of Sound", which certainly had some wonderful American folk and gospel music from remote areas.

Set in times that bookend World War I, it first focuses on a relationship between two young men at college, one of whom is drafted into the Army.

Then there's shift after that one returns to the States.

He encourages the farmer to join him in a scientific endeavor to document unheard music and they have several months on the road together.

Then the movie shifts again and the focus is squarely on the farmer.

It's a good story, but not one for me to read again.

Okay, that's enough for this 25th day of September of 2025.

(smile!)