Drive-In Theaters: Past and Present

 A lot has changed in the way we watch movies. The concept of a Drive-In theater was invented by New Jersey businessman R. M. Hollingshead, whose Hollingshead theater stayed in business for just three years. This was long enough, however, for the concept to catch on and spread throughout the country- especially in rural America.

In the segregated south of 1947 "colored" patrons couldn't park next to the whites.

 The Drive-In phenomena hit its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, with over 4,000 screens across the United States. No doubt, this "date-friendly" venue helped spur America's love for 50s and 60s automobiles, and I'm sure those darkly lit social spaces played a keen role in causing the baby boom as well.
 I can remember seeing but a handful of movies (Annie, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Romancing the Stone, and Gremlins) at Richmond's Bellwood Drive-In, which was converted into a flea market in 1986. This 1,000+ car lot situated on 23 acres was a staple of the Richmond cultural scene since its construction immediately following the end of World War II.

Aerial photo of The Goochland Drive-In, Sandy Hook, VA

 The reason I bring this up, is I'm considering giving a the newly opened Goochland Drive-In a try. Opened in 2009, The Goochland Drive-In is advertised as being a family-run, family friendly Drive-In experience with tickets at $7.00 for adults and concessions for $3.50 and under. Sounds like a great bargain for the family. Who's up for a "night out"?

Chungking Express (1994) *** 1/2

Coming soon to an arthouse theater near you... in the year 1994.

 I've watched Chungking Express three times since it was released on Blu Ray by the Criterion Collection. It's a movie that is clearly better in its first segment, as Brigitte Lin steals the show as the woman in a blonde wig, a mysterious drug smuggling femme fatale who comes to the attention of love forlorn cop, He Zhiwu, played by Takeshi Kaneshiro.

 What really makes the film stand out, however, is Kar Wai's vision of Hong Kong. Immediately recognizable to the western viewer- with its city populated by bars, convenience stores, fast food chains and kiosks. The characters themselves really come to life in this setting, making their longing that much more immediate and believable.

In Chungking Express, even the women have a western look to them.

  My favorite scene in the film is the non-love scene between the Woman in a Blonde Wig and He Zhiwu. On the eve of He's 25th birthday, he meets the Blonde Wigged Woman at a bar. He approaches her with one of film's great pickup lines, "Do you like pineapple?"

 In the world Kar Wai creates here, time is both finite and limitless. While He's love for May has an expiration date, he romanticizes about a love that lasts forever. The Blonde Wigged Woman is walking a tightrope, trying to find runaway drug mules. For her time is ticking down, and she must negotiate the labyrinthine corridors of Hong Kong in a cat and mouse game pulled straight out of high-noir.

 The second half of the film features another cop, a nameless character known only by his badge number #663. played by the handsome, Tony Leung, and a quirky free-spirited girl, played by Faye Wong, who is saving her money to fly to California. This section of the film is punctuated by the Mamas and the Papas' song "California Dreaming". 

 Chungking Express is a Generation X love story, that is, specifically, a non-love story.  Kar Wai offers no assurances as to the outcomes for any of these characters, but does offer, for a brief moment, a sense of belonging and honest to goodness living life out loud. This is the best kind of feeling to get from a movie and I can't wait to go back.

Inception (2010) ****

Director: Christopher Nolan

You are looking at the poster of the best Sci-Fi film in 40 years.

 I'm not going to put forth a tired tract treatise on what makes for good sci-fi. Suffice it to say, Christopher Nolan's Inception is without a doubt the most human, terrifying, realistic, and improbable science fiction film to come out since Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. And whereas, from my point of view, Kubrick's vision of future exploration and rebirth in the Cosmos had a particularly human component, Nolan's Inception is an even more striking exposition into the human construct of the entire world in which we live.

 It's possible that this is the closest mainstream film has come to trying to explain string theory. Don't get me wrong, the film does not try to fill your head with new age techno-religious mumbo-jumbo. The Matrix this isn't, instead, this is a brilliantly conceived Reutersvärd staircase of a film has no beginning and no end. As the dream worlds reveal themselves one by one (and yes, it is my opinion that the entire film takes place in the midst of dreaming) you discover increasingly larger puzzles as the details disappear into whisper. By the time the film arrives at its great crescendo- in the midst of a crumbling, faceless water world of a city known as Limbo, we've had our M.C. Escher moments, our great moments of weightlessness, freightening glimpses into our darker selves, and haunting visits of our ghostly past. Think of it as the most awesome dream you ever had projected onto a 300 foot screen with booming surround sound.

 Casually, one may consider this film to be a heist movie. I leaned over to my wife and said at one point that the film reminded me of the mindfuck version of Ocean's Eleven. This aside- aside, I do not think of Inception as a heist movie at all. I do not believe that Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) ever leaves his dream state- the premise of his adventures are all technicolor chemical creations of his multi-layered dream world.

Everything's going to be alright. It's only a dream.

  Inception is such a multi-layered and multi-dimensional film, that I think it will be impossible to sort out every detail. Christopher Nolan, it is said, worked on the script for ten years. I can say that the pay off was worth the effort. In fact, Inception is so good, that it made me immediately wonder about another recent Leonardo DiCaprio vehicle, Shutter Island, where DiCaprio delves into the realm of surrealism and questionable narative trustworthyness. Compared side by side, Shutter Island comes across as amateur hour, which is big praise for Nolan.

 Inception's special effects are a marvel, but the true star is the culmination of well conceived story, believable acting, and a director that dreams big.

Barnes and Nobles 50% Off Criterion Collection Sale Starts July 14th.

Normally, I wouldn't shop at Barnes and Nobles for movies because they use retail+ pricing. Even their sales aren't sales when you factor in prices that are sometimes $20 higher than their competitors. But, Barnes and Nobles 50% Sale is another matter entirely. Even their over priced Wings of Desires ($49.99 in store - $33.99 online) will be a bargain at $25.00. 

I'm a recovering Criterion junkie that's parted ways with about half of my "collection" and even I'll be tempted to pick up a few Blu Rays (I have my eyes on Wages of Fear, Monsoon Wedding, Close Up, and Mystery Train).