three press screenings
This morning I dropped "J" off close to the theater, went halfway up Capitol Hill for the usual semi-expensive parking (instead of the really expensive parking deep underground below the theater), and ran down the hill. Some people in the theater were concerned for my health, hearing how heavily I was breathing after the run, but I was just catching my breath after the 0.4 mile (0.6 km) sprint. Fortunately, I didn't have to sprint on the return trip, because the uphill return trip would have been a lot tougher run than the downhill morning run.
We both watched the 10 am film, Angry Inuk, a documentary about how animal rights groups' attacks on clubbing white baby seals have gravely damaged Inuit people's ability to feed themselves, because legislation against the baby seal hunting also affects Inuits' ability to sell seal skins - a by-product of hunting seals for food - which is how they pay for fuel, heating, housing, and everything else they need to live. Without seal hunting, they're forced to seek other livelihoods, including mining and oil, which, unlike the hunting at their level, are not sustainable. Additionally, although seals are not endangered species, the animal rights groups often emphasize the seal hunts over very endangered species because baby seals generate more fund-raising money. It's a very good documentary, and I was impressed that the video shot nine years ago looked as good as the most recent video in the film.
J couldn't make it to the second and third films because she had an afternoon appointment. To spare me skipping one of the films (and paying for parking again), she bravely made the trip to the appointment by bus, a crutch in one hand, and a wheel suitcase full of her things-to-do-while-waiting pulled by the other hand.
The noon film, The Truth about Love Is . . ., was an Italian comedy based on a memoir. The main characters were a man and woman with two cute kids and a strained relationship, the woman's sister, the sister's poet-janitor-nanny boyfriend, the grandparents, and a friendly young neighbor. I found it very funny, I enjoyed the story, and I heard a fair amount of laughter during the film. During the break, I found that quite a few people disliked it as much as I liked it. I rate it good.
The 2 pm film, Come, Together, was billed as the story of a Korean family coming together in the face of adversity: the father's loss of a job after 18 years, the mother's tedious, dead-end job, and their daughter's worried over admission to college. From the description, I had the impression that it was a comedy, but it turned out to be a drama commenting on the struggles of the competitive rat-race in modern Korea. I have complaints about the conclusion too, but I can't describe them without spoiler risk (and more time than I have to write tonight). I rate it fair.
After the films, I walked back up the hill to the car, where a shabby-looking guy asked me whether I had time left on my parking receipt. I did, and he asked me for it, apparently with the intention of selling the remaining hours to someone else, though I didn't see him near the entrance when I drove away.
I picked up J after her appointment, picked up T after his school, and took J to a not-too-long meeting, then we finally returned home to relax for the evening.
We both watched the 10 am film, Angry Inuk, a documentary about how animal rights groups' attacks on clubbing white baby seals have gravely damaged Inuit people's ability to feed themselves, because legislation against the baby seal hunting also affects Inuits' ability to sell seal skins - a by-product of hunting seals for food - which is how they pay for fuel, heating, housing, and everything else they need to live. Without seal hunting, they're forced to seek other livelihoods, including mining and oil, which, unlike the hunting at their level, are not sustainable. Additionally, although seals are not endangered species, the animal rights groups often emphasize the seal hunts over very endangered species because baby seals generate more fund-raising money. It's a very good documentary, and I was impressed that the video shot nine years ago looked as good as the most recent video in the film.
J couldn't make it to the second and third films because she had an afternoon appointment. To spare me skipping one of the films (and paying for parking again), she bravely made the trip to the appointment by bus, a crutch in one hand, and a wheel suitcase full of her things-to-do-while-waiting pulled by the other hand.
The noon film, The Truth about Love Is . . ., was an Italian comedy based on a memoir. The main characters were a man and woman with two cute kids and a strained relationship, the woman's sister, the sister's poet-janitor-nanny boyfriend, the grandparents, and a friendly young neighbor. I found it very funny, I enjoyed the story, and I heard a fair amount of laughter during the film. During the break, I found that quite a few people disliked it as much as I liked it. I rate it good.
The 2 pm film, Come, Together, was billed as the story of a Korean family coming together in the face of adversity: the father's loss of a job after 18 years, the mother's tedious, dead-end job, and their daughter's worried over admission to college. From the description, I had the impression that it was a comedy, but it turned out to be a drama commenting on the struggles of the competitive rat-race in modern Korea. I have complaints about the conclusion too, but I can't describe them without spoiler risk (and more time than I have to write tonight). I rate it fair.
After the films, I walked back up the hill to the car, where a shabby-looking guy asked me whether I had time left on my parking receipt. I did, and he asked me for it, apparently with the intention of selling the remaining hours to someone else, though I didn't see him near the entrance when I drove away.
I picked up J after her appointment, picked up T after his school, and took J to a not-too-long meeting, then we finally returned home to relax for the evening.