two press screenings
I got a late start this morning, still catching up on sleep after the midnight movie, I suppose. I wasn't sure the 10 am press screening, Bad Influence, sounded like a winner, so I didn't push to make it. Then when the time to leave for the noon film approached, I wasn't entirely on the ball, and got out of the house later than I intended. ("J" took the day off from press screenings.)
Fortunately, I was lucky on traffic, which was uncommonly light, and made it to Pacific Place without the tedious traffic. I've mostly been parking halfway up Capitol Hill in a $15 lot, but I didn't think I could spare the extra time to run down the hill. Circling down to parking level five took a while too, so I'm not sure I saved time. I got to the theater exactly at noon and the theater door had closed already, and press screenings enforce start times strictly. However, the gatekeeper was going in too, and took pity, so I slipped in, settling for a front row, off center seat.
As it turned out, the film wouldn't have been a great loss anyway. Becoming Who I Was told the story of a boy who was regarded as an incarnation of a Tibetan Buddhist Rinpoche. It was filmed over several years, and some parts were reenacted perhaps appropriate in a film about someone believed to be reincarnated. I dozed quite a bit, and usually found that the story hadn't materially advanced during the naps. The scenery was beautiful, but the film was only fair.
The 2 pm film, Whose Streets?, held my interest better, with great video of the Ferguson Missouri police brutality protests. It wasn't as strong at assembling the video into a clear story line. I rate it almost good.
I was surprised by the audience sizes. The noon show looked like one of the largest press screening audiences I've seen; the room was mostly full. Then the 2 pm film had an audience that looked smaller than most. Strange.
I made it out of the parking in time to pay the same $15 as I would have paid halfway up the hill.
The drive home was easy too. "T" and I went out on errands, but it was mostly a relaxed evening.
Fortunately, I was lucky on traffic, which was uncommonly light, and made it to Pacific Place without the tedious traffic. I've mostly been parking halfway up Capitol Hill in a $15 lot, but I didn't think I could spare the extra time to run down the hill. Circling down to parking level five took a while too, so I'm not sure I saved time. I got to the theater exactly at noon and the theater door had closed already, and press screenings enforce start times strictly. However, the gatekeeper was going in too, and took pity, so I slipped in, settling for a front row, off center seat.
As it turned out, the film wouldn't have been a great loss anyway. Becoming Who I Was told the story of a boy who was regarded as an incarnation of a Tibetan Buddhist Rinpoche. It was filmed over several years, and some parts were reenacted perhaps appropriate in a film about someone believed to be reincarnated. I dozed quite a bit, and usually found that the story hadn't materially advanced during the naps. The scenery was beautiful, but the film was only fair.
The 2 pm film, Whose Streets?, held my interest better, with great video of the Ferguson Missouri police brutality protests. It wasn't as strong at assembling the video into a clear story line. I rate it almost good.
I was surprised by the audience sizes. The noon show looked like one of the largest press screening audiences I've seen; the room was mostly full. Then the 2 pm film had an audience that looked smaller than most. Strange.
I made it out of the parking in time to pay the same $15 as I would have paid halfway up the hill.
The drive home was easy too. "T" and I went out on errands, but it was mostly a relaxed evening.