Out & About – Page 337

Top Movies of January-May 2015

New Feature!

Because I watch so many movies, I thought it would be handy to have a summary at the end of the month of my top movies of that month. These are movies I watched during the month that I feel are worth watching, for a variety of reasons. Just like my viewing patterns, movies will be both first-run and from the back catalog. I will include a total of movies* watched in the month and a sentence or two explaining why I’m recommending this movie to you. After this catch-up post, this will be a monthly feature.

*For our purposes “movies” will include both films and the DVDs of TV show seasons.

January:
(6 total movies watched)

Dear White People
Come for the peek into college campus life via Black characters, stay for Lionel, the nerd.

Skeleton Twins
Hollywood is littered with the broken careers of post-Saturday Night Live actors. Watch this for two alumni, attempting/succeeding at serious drama.

Zero Motivation
You will probably have to work to find this comedy, an Israeli Army female version of Office Space, but it will be worth it.

February:
(2 total movies watched)

Treme Season 1
Travel back to just after Katrina and watch a multi-racial cast attempt to put their lives back together.

March:
(11 total movies watched)

Cinderella (2015)
Marvel at how well Disney translates an animated classic into a live-action movie. Become verklempt during the ballroom scene and gasp just how well the dress works.

April:
(9 total movies watched)

12 Years a Slave
Watch it because the acting is first rate and the subject matter is important.

Short Term 12
Recommended for its heart (it’s so much better than those movies designed to inspire you) and for its female-centered plot.

Furious 7
Only watch this after you have enjoyed numbers 1, 4, 5, & 6 of the series and marvel at how well they sent off Paul Walker

May:
(12 total movies watched)

Ex Machina
A great movie for post-viewing conversation and spellbinding to watch.

Now, Voyager
Female centered 1950s drama (not the sci-fi film I thought it was) about a woman of a certain age finding her path

Me and Orson Welles
A very good backstage drama of Wells’s 1937 production of Julius Caesar.

Like Crazy
Quietly acted and improvised realistic love story.

While We’re Young
Smart and funny and a good time capsule of current life for 20- and 40-somethings.

Mikey & Nicky
Look to Elaine May for a different kind of gangster film.

Oddly specific fundraising mailer

I worked in the library at both colleges I attended for undergraduate work. UMass is pretty persistent in the fundraising, despite the fact that I only made one donation once, to the history department. It was weird to see the tagline “Happiness is…a job at the library.”

Yes it is, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give you any money.

Friday Project and how to stay cool in the heat.

The Friday Project this week was hemming two pair of new pants I bought. I found great tutorials here and here. I also took up the shoulders in a shirt I purchased.

It’s hot, especially for Portland. If I can keep the heat out, our house is pretty okay. Here’s how I attempted to keep it at bay.

This is the only south-facing window in our house. If I close the curtains, it helps a lot. Antares doesn’t mind the heat, though. He will happily sleep on the sunny side of the curtain.

Why heat up the big oven to cook your pie crust, when you can instead use your toaster oven?

Laundry! Dried outside. In about 10 minutes. I washed ALL of my bedding.

Three sentence movie reviews: The Lifeguard

While the movie shelves are loaded with whiny male protagonists whose lives fall apart and they retreat to somewhere/something to recover, there are fewer of these stories about women. So it was that I enjoyed watching Kristen Bell return home to her parents to be again the lifeguard she was as a teenager. I found the story resonant and the acting was great too, especially by Bell, Mamie Gummer and Alex Shaffer.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home, while avoiding prepping for vacation.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2013/lifeguard.html

Three sentence movie reviews: 22 Jump Street

While not as funny as the first time I watched it, (the surprise factor was gone) I still enjoyed this sequel making fun of sequels. This time I greatly anticipated the Mr. & Mrs. Smith scene and cackled at Jillian Bell’s weirdness. This would also make a good movie for a discussion of male attitudes toward women sleeping around depending on if the women in question is the male’s daughter or not.

Cost: free from library. (It was just sitting there. I couldn’t not bring it home.)
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2014/twenty_two_jump_street.html

42nd Street Station

“What is this place?” I wondered as I wandered by. Not having to be anywhere at any time, I checked it out.

Ah, it’s one of those places that takes a big space and then makes smaller spaces available to small businesses. These seem to be a very 80s concept to me.

I enjoyed looking at the different businesses and stopped in the restaurant to have a sandwich before heading home.

There was a deli counter and also a bar. I was offered a free Keno play, which I took. It was not a winner. (Surprise!)

My egg salad sandwich and water.

I stopped in the bathroom on the way out and was interested to see this random room of antiques in the hallway near the bathrooms. There wasn’t a sign telling me what it was and there wasn’t a person to ask.

Three sentence movie reviews: Dope

Possibly the best movie about being a teenage boy since Kings of Summer. It’s funny, it’s moving, it’s set in present day and has a 90s hip hop soundtrack. Eventually, they will start making movies about girls coming of age, but in the meantime, sit down and enjoy this fabulous piece of movie.

Cost: $5.00
Where watched: Regal City Center Stadium 12 with Matt*

*Sweetheart, what are you doing Sunday at 6? I have a movie I think we will both enjoy.
And we did.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/dope_ver2.html

Which is the better value the large avocado or the small one?

For some time now I’ve wanted to crunch the numbers on this equation. The avocado on the left costs $1.25. The one on the right costs $0.99. Let’s break this down.

Here we can see that the pits are similarly sized.

The large is 2.75 ounces bigger than the small.

Overall, the large avocado gives us 6.5 ounces for $1.25, while the small gives us 4 ounces for $0.99.

Crunching the numbers: Large is $0.19/oz

Small is: $0.25/oz.

Large is the better deal.

However, I also conducted a taste test, and I liked the taste of the smaller avocado better. Someday I should do a blind taste test.

Three sentence movie reviews: Edward Scissorhands

It was interesting to revisit this film 25 years after I first watched it. Overall, I don’t think the narrative held up, though I think Edward Scissorhands is such an iconic character, that this movie can skate by even without a solid plot. Diane Wiest remains my favorite “mom” from 1980s films.*

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home

*see: Footloose, Parenthood, this movie. Also don’t forget her overwrought actress in Bullets Over Broadway. “Don’t speak!”

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1990/edward_scissorhands_ver1.html

Walk to the Rugged Manic

Matt participated in the Rugged Maniac at Portland International Raceway. As that location is close to our house, we walked. Here are some things I saw.

Interstate Ave north of Argyle is experiencing road construction. This here is a new sidewalk added to the viaduct. I was interested to note the random fencing that is nowhere else along this section of sidewalk. My guess is that some sort of law says it has to be above rail road tracks, to keep shenanigans to a minimum.

Along this walk is a junk place. With some butterfly bush looking pretty. Butterfly Bush is classified as invasive, but I do appreciate how pretty it is as it takes over.

Cacophony of junk.

From one point on the sidewalk you can see two mountains. Here is St. Helens, with a topper of electric wire.

And here is Mt. Hood with a swallow cooperating with me and agreeing to be in my picture. It only took 10 or so tries.

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31