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.