where: CENTURY 14 VALLEJO in Vallejo, CA
when: Tuesday, December 8ht, 2009
show: 4:55 p.m.
costs: $7.25 Ticket + $3.75 small Diet/Zero ( w/ Barq's & Cherry flavors ) Coke + $1.00 Jack Link's Jackpack ( [ cheddar, pretzel and beef sticks ] which I bought at a Dollar Tree Store and smuggled-in ) + $6.26 Double Steak Grande Quesadilla extra large Meal Deal with a side dish of Cheese Fiesta Potatoes at Taco Bell = $18.26
auditorium: 13
seat: 5th row, 8ht column
synopsis: A widower, Frank Goode ( Robert De Niro ), arranges for a family get-together at his place. But none of his children, inexplicably, can make it. Desperate to reconnect with his grown children, he embarks on an impromptu road trip to surprise each and every one of them, against his doctor's advice, and finds that all is not well with any one of his children.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) House chores; 2.) Grocery store; 3.) Barbecue grill; 4.) 'Phone messages; 5.) Doctor's office; 6.) Train; 7.) Diner; 8.) David's apartment building; 9.) The rolling luggage; 10.) Golf game; 11.) Chinese take-out dinner; 12.) Family photo; 13.) Ad pitch; 14.) Train station; 15.) Symphony rehearsal; 16.) Lady trucker; 17.) Mugging; 18.) The baby; 19.) The 'phone message; 20.) "Good team"; 21.) At the airport; 22.) The waitress; 23.) The airplane; 23.) The lies; 24.) Hospital; 25.) David's mail; 26.) At the grave site; 27.) Art gallery; and 28.) Christmas get-together.
audience reaction: There was only one other person in the audience, an old lady seated way in the back row. There was no way for me to gauge her reaction.
recommendation: I liked this family drama which is neither too sweet nor too sad. If you're into sentimental family get-togethers then this movie is for you.
spoiler alert! If you look at the movie poster, Robert De Niro is holding a digital camera even though he used a cheap 35mm camera throughout the movie. How did Frank move the big wooden outdoor table all by himself? The store shelves at the grocery store didn't have shelf tags. The wine department clerk didn't know what he was selling. In this day and age, why didn't Frank carry a cell phone, even if only for emergency use? A certain camera manufacturer could have easily capitalized on the many "Kodak Moments" shown throughout this movie.
fyi: One time, I was in the wine department of a store when a lady approached me and asked if I knew much about wines. I apologized and told her that I don't drink. But I added that I knew the assistant manager was rumored to be a recovering alcoholic and that I would go and ask him. She just laughed even though I meant it in all seriousness! So ... I'm funny now without even working at it? I'll be darned!
If you hold a pair of chopsticks close to the bottom, it is considered bad table manners.
I have this Chinese friend who brings his lunch to work. He would always eat his lunch with a fork and/or spoon. Out of curiosity, I asked him if he uses a fork and a spoon when he's eating at home. He told me that he only uses chopsticks at home. I find this too weird to comprehend.
The Christmas after 911 was an especially sad one. And the song, "I'll Be Home For Christmas," was the saddest of them all, according to a newspaper article.
When I was 16 years old, I won second place in a poster drawing contest and was subsequently offered an art scholarship by a New York art academy. When I told my family about it, no one showed any sign of interest as my good news just fell on deaf ears. Since I couldn't get anybody in my family to be interested in it, I just turned down the offer. I taught myself to do charcoal portraits as a way for me to kick my own self in the butt for turning down the scholarship. If I could have it to do all over again, I would take that offer in a heartbeat whether or not it would meet with my family's approval!
word of advice: What you want for your children and what they want for themselves are not always one and the same.
tidbits: After the movie, I decided to go to Taco Bell for dinner because I haven't been to one in about two years. Then, after getting some gas at Chevron's, I went looking for a Fargo-style Santa hat and an ear-flapped winter hat since it is getting wintry cold, but I found neither one.
