toys in the attic (and elsewhere)

This morning, I started my day with this movie about toys.
I was given free popcorn.
(Free drink, too!)
"The Lego Movie" was part of the Carmike Cinema's Summer Kid series of films.
Tonight, I will end my day with a movie about toys.
I will also receive free popcorn.
"Transformers: Age of Extinction" begins in about thirty minutes, making it a night flick, but thanks to Dealflicks and Spotlight Eisenhower Square, it won't cost me but a few bucks more than I paid this morning.
(The drink will be extra, if I choose to buy one.)
What a wonderful life!

I had seen "The Lego Movie" earlier this year, on February 18. Then, on March 16, while marking time waiting for the bfe's flight back from Canada, I arranged the pieces of the display and snapped the above photo. (That movie had some staying power, for its marketing materials to still be out in the cinema lobby!)
At the time, I thought it was a post-apocalyptic bit of fantasy and very much enjoyed it. So, I'd been looking forward to seeing it again, when I saw it was on the summer schedule.
Today, I realized something else: this film bears a striking resemblance to "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who"!!!
What a revelation!
Seriously, just hear me out.
(All subreferences intended!)
The correlation between the two does exist.
Both movies are about imaginary, small, worlds populated by inhabitants who are mostly unaware of their presence in a much larger world.
Both movies feature main characters in the larger world who are trying to convince others in their world of the presence of life in the small world.
For the most part, the inhabitants of the small world are oblivious to the fact that outside forces are at work, either for or against them.
Sure, the details differ.
One movie is completely animated and both worlds are imaginary, whereas the one I watched today had both animated fiction and live action reality.
In one movie, one of the inhabitants of the small world must convince the others of the presence of the large world in order to save their wish-puff from being scattered into the four winds. In this morning's movie, the inhabitants of the small world are never aware of the outside world. Not once.
So, off I go to see Optimus Prime! Will he save Earth?
I sure hope so!!!
(smile!)

summer kid, that's me!

That is one giant bumblebee!
Though, in truth,
it probably isn't any larger than this one.
But perspective is the key.
When you've been shrunk to the size of the Leafmen, size definitely matters!

I've really been enjoying my animation film festival!
While it's true that not all of the movies in the cinemas' series of summer-morning films are animated, a good many are.
That's fine with me!
Especially when they include race scenes or swordfights or pirates!
Not that pirates are in "Epic". Because they are most certainly not.
But I would not have minded if they were.
(smile!)
I was a little late joining the summer-morning films this year.
I did not see my first one until Tuesday, June 10th. But what an awesome first film for my personal Summer Kid Film Festival - "How To Train Your Dragon"!!! Toothless, my lovely Night Fury dragon!!! Woohoo!!!
To get to see the original days before the sequel came out was... aWeSOmE!!!
(Yes, I know I already said it, but it bore repeating.)
That first film of my SKFF was at the Royal Cinema in Pooler. They were the only ones that offered that favorite movie for me. Their summer films had started the week before. The movies screen on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 AM and cost one dollar. Popcorn and a drink can be had for only $4.
Two weeks would pass before I was able to continue with my Summer Kid Film Festival. (Hey, I'm pretty busy in the summer, with travels and such. You, too, right?)
That second film, on June 25th, was "The Croods", at the Spotlight Cinema. Great movie about family, adventure, and daughter-father relationships. The Spotlight group screens their summer-morning films on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, at 10 AM. They are the only cinema that offers three days of these kid movies - and they are also the only ones at which the movies are free. To encourage them to continue, I usually buy the kid-sized tray of popcorn, soda, and candy. (It's only about $5.)
The very next day, I went to my third film as a Summer Kid: "Despicable Me"!!! That was at the Carmike Cinema. A mere $4 gets you the movie, popcorn, and a drink. Their Summer Kid Series is held only on Thursdays, so keep that in mind.
Up to this point, I had previously seen the movies. None were new to me.
Not so for the fourth film! "The Adventures of Tintin", about an investigative boy reporter and his dog, had somehow escaped me when it came out three years ago. I'm so glad the Summer Movie Express at the Regal Cinema brought it for me on this first day of July!
By the way, their summer films are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and cost just one dollar. Popcorn can be had for just a few dollars more. Two of them, in fact. Dollars, not popcorns.
On July 3rd, I was back at the Carmike for "Despicable Me 2", for more fun with Minions and the three once-orphaned girls Gru had adopted - adorable! What great timing! Just one week after the cinema had screened the original! I bet they did that on purpose!
(smile!)
And that brings us to this week and today.
My Summer Kid Film Festival has had five movies so far, all animated.
I wonder what the rest of the festival will bring?
I'll be sure to let you know...

artificial knees

It was to be Orange Crush weekend at Tybee, but I had already committed to joining the baseball girls duo for the play last night. "Til Beth Do Us Part" was a comedy, held over for this second weekend, and a theatre friend was directing it. She had also invited me to come over for the play, so, on a rainy Friday afternoon, I did so, arriving early to beat the Crush. In fact, I was way TOO early!
So, to pass the time, I dined at a long-time family favorite, the Sugar Shack. As a kid, this was a must-stop-here site on our way home from a day at the beach, playing in the waves and getting bronzed. Yummy malts! But no malts this time. I dined on chicken tenders and fries, relishing the teacher discount offered by the two students working there. Lagniappe!
While there, I read the alternate entertainment paper, published on Thursdays, so it was only a day old. Once upon a time, one had to subscribe to the local newspaper to get this supplement; now, it was available for free. Most of the time, I had easier access to the other entertainment listings, so it was actually rare that I Had my hands on a "DO." This was one of those times.
So, I read about the play I had come to see at Tybee. And I read various other articles, too, including the one about the next day's Savannah International Animation Film Festival, which I already had bought my all-day pass. I also phoned the director to get directions to the play site, but spoke to my retired swimmer instead, who pretty much knows how to get anywhere. Seriously. And it was really nice to talk to her! She and I don't see much of each other, but we used to, until she partnered up. You know how that goes.
Eventually, the rain ceased and I went on to the theatre-cum-arthouse to meet up with my friends. What fun!! There were even singing commercials between acts!!! If you ever get the urge to catch one of the plays at Tybee, do yourself a favor and GO. The commercials are worth the price of admission!
So, the next day, today, I'm was off to the animation festival, bright and early. Early??? Yes, indeed, the festival and talks were to only be on a single day this year, rather than the two-day event of last year. To fit everything in, the start time was - shiver - 0830 on a Saturday morning. So, there I was, to catch as many of the day's films as I could before the fundraiser I was attending that afternoon.
And guess who was also there? The retiree! What a great surprise! We watched the films and enjoyed the speaker, then we adjourned for lunch at the WhistleStop Cafe at the Savannah Visitor's Center. Then we walked back over for the festival, where I caught another hour of new shorts before I had to leave. Upon my return about two hours later, I caught the last hour or so of animation, then she and I bid our adieus.
Now, as I was going through the DO, reading the comics and filling in the crossword puzzle and the other games, a curious coincidence arose. The scrambled word puzzle's clue, as seen above, dealt with artificial knees (which the retiree now has!) and the answer was "joint venture." Which is close enough to my magic word for me! It's as if she and I were destined to reconnect!
What a great couple of days it's been for seeing friends: the retirees, the baseball duo, the bfe, and the peace Guy. Wonderful!