2024, Art, Media, Movies, Uncategorized

In Frame

38 Comments

So….. the reason that I was lurking around Southdale on Tuesday was that I went to the movies!

This may not seem like an amazing circumstance to you, but the last time I went to the movies by myself was when Princess Bride was released.  The fourth day in a row that I went to see it, I couldn’t convince anybody else to join me. 

For most of the last thirty years, I’ve gone to the movies on average once a year.  Almost always on Christmas Day with YA.  Part of it is that I just don’t get worked up much for the movies that Hollywood has been pumping out for decades and the other part is I just don’t see the value of coughing up that much cash when the movie will be out in a year or so (although even less these days) and I can see it for free on TV.  And when I can pause it if I need to hit the bathroom or refresh my drink.

Anyway… last Saturday at the book signing at Once Upon a Crime, as I was getting my books rung up, I noticed some bookmarks on the counter advertising Conclave, a movie that is currently out.  I’ve seen the movie’s commercials and admire the main stars: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini (boy does she remind me of her mom more and more).  When I asked the gal behind the register if I could have a bookmark, I mentioned that I couldn’t wait to see the movie.  She brightened up and said “just a minute” while she dug around in a drawer.  Then she handed me a ticket for two free movie passes to Conclave!   It could only be used during the day Monday-Friday, so being a carefree retiree, I headed out on my own. 

The movie is fabulous.  Visually stunning (Sistine Chapel!) and a very interesting look at the conclave process.  A little of it I knew, but most was new to me.  Ralph Fiennes gave a masterful performance as did the others.  I particularly thought both John Lithgow and Lucian Msamati were outstanding.  As you can imagine in a movie about the Roman Catholic conclave process, women didn’t feature as much as I would have enjoyed but Isabella Rossellini played her part with strength and resolve.

So five stars from me and I can’t wait for it to cycle to tv/cable so I can see it again.

When was the last time you were in an actual movie theatre?  What did you see?

38 thoughts on “In Frame”

  1. 1917.
    No! I’m not that old!
    The 1930 All Quiet On The Western Front remains a favorite film of mine.
    No! I never saw it in theater!
    Covid hit soon after and I haven’t gone back to a theater since then.
    I will definitely return in a few days for Bonhoeffer. What an amazing life that I’ve only read about. I refuse to read anything about the movie as I’m hoping to be emotionally affected by the film.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      1. Re: Bonhoeffer – his family and critics aren’t very impressed – too much that is not true. I was planning to see it based on the trailer but not now. Sorry to burst your balloon.

        Like

        Reply

  2. saw comments conclave last week and loved it and this week i saw the little things unaware it was going to be about the catholic church and the abise od unwed mothers in ireland
    at the end it turned out to be by ben affleck and matt damon
    it was good but dark
    i take my mom every tiesdat $5 day
    i love the theaters

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  3. A year or so ago we went to the Winona 7 theater for… something, will let you know if I remember. Like tim, it would have been $5 Tuesday, which is more than that by now..

    I’ve missed some that I would have paid for, and ironically there are now 3 movies there that I’d like to see there: Wicked, Best Christmas Pageant, and Conclave (now that I read these comments). We’ll see – esp. with the cold now, it’s just hard to crowbar ourselves out of the cozy house.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. i booked my wicked tickets for friday after thanksgiving matanee when daughters will be back in town
      10 days in advance the theater was 50% sold out for even the matanee. i was surprised
      dylan movie coming for christmas im looking forward to

      Like

      Reply

  4. Rise and Shine, Baboons,

    Last Christmas, really the only day I plan at the theaters, we saw “Boys in the Boat.” It was wonderful and so uplifting. It was also beautifully shot, so the large screen scenes of the rowing skulls on various bodies of water, as well as the shots of the shore, were stunning. The book was good as well (we read it for Blevins). The movie was not as detailed, of course, but the visual shots were worth the experience. I loved the scenes of training, as well as the scenes portraying what life was like in 1935-36, which gave the story a richness.

    “Conclave” is on my list of must see movies. VS, I am deeply envious of those free tickets. I enjoy the work of many of those actors immensely. Plus I watch Stanley Tucci cooking clips on Instagram. How does he stay so skinny eating what he cooks? A deep question of our time.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  6. I read some spoileriffic reviews of Conclave. The conclusion sounds utterly ridiculous, and I don’t think I’ll be wasting any money on it. Last movie I saw in the theater was Beetlejuice Beetlejuice earlier this fall (my housemate is a fan). It was at the Riverview theater in Minneapolis, so we had excellent popcorn, and the volume was actually tolerable.

    –Crow Girl

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I agree about the unlikeliness. But considering where the hell we are the last couple of weeks and for the next four years, I am going to take unlikely/hopeful.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  8. Prior to the pandemic, I was a regular at the movies. I used to see 3 or 4 a month. But since 2020, movie quality has gone downhill. If I see one a month I am doing well. I did think “Conclave” was very good – Fiennes best role since “Schindler’s List”. Now is when Oscar bait movies come out and there are some interesting looking ones coming up. Most of the time I go to movies on Tuesday – Emagine theaters are still $5 plus tax if you sign up for their loyalty program, and you can get a free small (actually medium) bag of popcorn.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  9. Last movie I saw, when we went to Northfield for a movie and lunch with friends, was the Barbie movie. That’s about as much drama as I can stand these days.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  11. I don’t recall what the last movie I saw was, but I do recall which theater it was. The experience itself remains vivid in my mind.

    The theater was a multiplex in Inver Grove Heights, and it was a weekend matinee. The theater was pretty much empty except for a handful of patrons scattered throughout. One patron was a young woman with an infant baby seated near the back of theater, a few rows behind us.

    About fifteen minutes into the film, the baby started whimpering. Soon the whimpering escalated to inconsolable wailing. The young woman, presumably the mother of the child, remained seated trying to comfort her baby. When her efforts proved futile, she decided to change the baby’s diaper – right there in her seat. Soon the stench of baby poop was wafting through the theater along with the baby’s screams.

    It was at this point we decided to leave and ask for our money back. On our way out we informed a group of theater employees standing around in the lobby of the problem inside our particular showroom. They refused to give us a refund but offered tickets to another show instead. We decided to cut our loses and just go home.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  12. OT – sort of. Saw this headline in The Guardian: “‘I couldn’t look away!’ The rapid, runaway rise of ridiculous Christmas romcoms.” I missread the last word as condoms, and thought, “Are you kidding me? Is that a thing?” Oh, never mind.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    3. Hallmark has been running Christmas movies for weeks now. I assume there are folks out there who want to watch this stuff for nearly a quarter of the year.

      I just made my reservations to visit my mom in January, Luckily it will be just regular Hallmark movies then. It’s a five-night trip, so I’m gearing up for 10 of them. Sigh.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  13. Well, I just now watched Conclave. I’m not going to give any of the plot away. But there is a hellava lot of marble on those sets! And the duplication of the Sistina was excellent. Right down to the tiny door on the right as you look at the Last Judgement. That’s the “one” I remember coming through after a long climb up the stairs.
    The theater volume was outrageously loud.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  14. I’ve only seen a couple of movies i theaters since the pandemic. Barbie….Elvis….I think that’s it. I’d like to see Conclave.

    A couple of times I have dropped into the Riverview to buy popcorn.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. I hadn’t heard of Asteroid City until now, but the trailer looks really interesting and funny —- showing free for me on Peacock — guess I know what I’m doing later today.

    Like

    Reply

    1. That looks like the white smoke from the burning of ballots signaling that a Pope was just elected.
      I remember from the movie Shoes Of The Fisherman.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a reply to PlainJane Cancel reply