six films in a day, food and parking logistics
Today was not the first time "J" and I have seen six films in one day, and it may not be the last. But it's a rare event in any case. And it was a good day. None of the films were duds, and some were real winners. We didn't even have to travel between theaters, though I did have to move the car to reduce the cost of parking.
The 10 am press screening was Naples in Veils, a strange film about a woman doctor who meets a man, then mysteriously sees him again and again. Very good, and visually wonderful.
The noon press screening was Doubtful, which was an interesting twist on the inspiring teacher genre, but only a fair movie overall.
The 2 pm press screening was C'est la vie!, an excellent French comedy about a company catering an absurdly ostentatious wedding.
The 4:30 pm regular screening was 1985, a very good film about a man dying of AIDS. Jamie Chung was particularly impressive in a large supporting role.
The 7 pm screening was What Will People Say, a very good drama about how Pakistan's repression of women persists even when people leave the country.
Revision (the next day): Aside from one wrong scene, my initial impression of the film was very positive. But on further reflection, I think that the notably wrong scene drags it down farther, and I've observed other flaws. Still, it's a good film, particularly if viewed in comparison to issue movies that misplace drama behind their issues.
The 9:30 pm screening, and the reason we stuck around at Pacific Place so late, was Scary Mother. It's a weird movie about a woman obsessed with writing a novel, and mostly very good other than intermittent pacing problems.
Neither J nor I had planned ahead very well about food. We had some candy from the theater's concessions to stave off hunger when a break between films was particularly short. Then during the break between 1985 and What Will People Say, I went out to buy a Caesar salad, but we didn't have time to actually eat it, and didn't want to disrupt the film (or violate the outside food prohibition) by trying to eat it in the dark. We ended up eating it during the next break, and even then it was a rush for me to finish my share.
I parked for most of the day in the underground lot I've usually been using, at $15 for 12 hours. The problem with that was that it only lasted until a bit before 10 pm, not late enough to cover all of Scary Mother - and if I read the sign correctly, going over the 12-hour limit bumped the price up to the full-day price of $30. So I had to move the car some time after the beginning of evening parking hours and the 12-hour limit. In the break between What Will People Say and Scary Mother, I moved the car to the Pacific Place lot, which was $7 instead of the $8 it would cost to leave the original lot and go back in. I could have avoided that charge by going up the hill to the lot by the Egyptian, where I have an afternoons-and-evenings pass, but that would have used up too much of the break, and I wanted at least a little time for the salad.
While we were out, "T" had a fun late afternoon and evening with his friend "L".