Friday, October 23, 2009

Friday Fantasies: Movies in the City

Last night, Dan and I stopped in Slidell – a town north of Lake Pontchartrain and thirty or so miles shy of New Orleans – ‘cause, frankly, we were sick of the road. But we finished the trek this morning, making it to the bustling French Quarter by mid-morning. After checking our mail and scouring the streets for an apartment, we decided to have our first official meal (this time!) in our beloved New Orleans. So, we strolled to the Oceana Grill on Conti and proceeded to share a dozen raw oysters, a shrimp po-boy, a bowl of seafood gumbo, and an Abita Amber (which, for you non-Louisianians, is a regionally brewed beer).

Afterward, we headed to Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans, where we’re staying in a strange little hotel until we locate an apartment. And suddenly, we realized that as much as we’ll miss the beauty and solitude of northern Michigan for the next six or so months, there’s at least one thing that New Orleans has over that isolated region: movies that aren’t widely released! Movies like Paranormal Activity (2007), which we saw tonight.

While this horror flick has received plenty of amazing reviews, I’ve also seen several negative ones, most of which cite the overacting, plot holes, and general ridiculousness of staying in a situation that’s causing such unrest. To such naysayers, I would say that although I agree the acting isn’t always believable, the plot has a few questionable turns, and the whole situation is slightly harder to accept than, say, the documentary-style nature of The Blair Witch Project (1999), I think that overall this is an effectively creepy and suspenseful film, with some genuinely startling moments and several well-done special effects, especially given its extremely low budget. So, I, for one, am pleased that I was able to see it in a theater.

Sorry, my dear northern Michigan, New Orleans has won this round, I'm afraid, but the battle's not over yet. Of course, I should add, the food and music aren’t so bad here either.

12 comments:

Stephanie Damore said...

Glad to see you're in New Orleans. As for the scary movie, I'll take your word for it. I'm a scaredy cat remember? BUT I do agree that it must be awesome to see such low-budget films in the theater. For that I am jealous.

Becky said...

Sounds like a perfect meal!

Laura Martone said...

Thanks, Steph! Oh, I remember - I haven't been away THAT long! I know it seems like I only like horror films... but I'm a fan of most indie films, and it is pretty cool to see them in a tripped-out theater. That's something I miss in northern Michigan, for sure.

Becky - It was!

Deb said...

I also dwell in Camp Fraidy Cat. The 'poke was watching Underworld last night and I kept my book held in front of my face. :)

The thought of seafood gumbo is making my mouth water. Mmm..

Laura Martone said...

Why so many fraidy cats online? Now, I feel like a weirdo (well, more so than I already did). ;-(

Dan and I love UNDERWORLD - the whole series, in fact. That's not nearly as freaky as PARANORMAL ACTIVITY was, I can assure you. ;-)

Yep. The seafood gumbo was good. Tonight, we're going to split a muffuletta. I can't wait!

Becky said...

Mmmm And you're not weird! Just brave!

Joshua McCune said...

Thanks for the review... definitely gonna check it out.

Laura Martone said...

Thanks, Becky! I don't usually consider myself very brave, so it's nice to hear it every now and again.

Any time, Bane! Hope you enjoy it. (I must admit, though, I'm the perfect audience member for a scary movie. I jump and shriek in all the right places...)

Stephanie Damore said...

Laura - Indie films are cool, but sadly, I've never had a chance to see one in the theater. =( I'll have to add that to my bucket list.

Laura Martone said...

Bummer, Steph. Guess I've been spoiled by living in New Orleans and Los Angeles... and attending film fests whenever possible. But that makes me think I should start a bucket list, too.

Unknown said...

Laura I loved the movie. I saw it last night. I wrote a few things about it on my movie blog. I hate horror type films normally but I really liked this one.

Laura Martone said...

Yeah, Jen, so did I. I thought it was pretty darn creepy - sure made me jump and shriek and shudder a few times. Glad you liked it, too.