Buck

Tonight I made a return to The Flicks and decided to see the movie, Buck.

Now, if you know me at all, you are probably aware that I have seen barely any "mainstream" movies.  My boyfriend is the sole reason I have seen Dumb and Dumber, as well as The Patriot.  I still have never seen Happy Gilmore or Billy Madison.  I am not quite sure how this happened, because I could have sworn we went to the movies about every weekend growing up.  Anyway, it isn't all bad because I get a moment of brilliant clarity every time I see a movie that all of America has already seen.  Suddenly all of these different quotes and sayings I thought people were randomly throwing out have a reason.  For a long time I thought my boyfriend and his friends just all had random inside jokes -- nope, they were Dumb and Dumber lines!

So my point...Buck is about the man who inspired the Horse Whisperer.  I have never seen the Horse Whisperer.  However, this movie has been getting rave reviews and I keep spending the weekend in Garden Valley with serious horse lovers.  I wanted to check out the movie and see what all the fuss is about.  Plus, I might be one of the only people who is able to watch this and then The Horse Whisperer and know the fact before the fiction.

Have you all been to Rotten Tomatoes? They are like yelp but for movies.  Basically the audience and professional reviewers rate the movies and also provide comments.  While I don't always pay attention to the reviews, it can help you weed out awful movies and ensure you see awesome movies. For instance: Horrible Bosses has great reviews, especially for that type of movie!

Buck was rated 86% by the critics and 92% by the audience, which is amazing for Rotten Tomatoes.  I have a feeling the audience rating is so high because the majority of people who would be drawn to a movie like this are people who are already interested in horses in some manner or another. 

When I got to The Flicks, it was just as lovely as it was the first time I went.  This place is the perfect example of the expectations I hold a normal coffee shop to.  Absolutely friendly, helpful, cheerful, and prompt.  They were ready to take my order before I was ready to say it, but they were also patient and didn't make me feel rushed.  They even managed to point out there was a credit card minimum without sounding bitchy or rude (a feat most places tend to fail miserably at).

I would like to mention that not only are the employees friendly, but the guests are friendly.  You will not feel at out place AT ALL at The Flicks if you go solo.  There is a definite older crowd, but there are also families, dates, etc.  Almost everyone smiles.  It is the kind of place I can imagine most everyone is considered a "regular" and treated like one.

My movie ticket was $7 with a student discount.  It is $7 for seniors and matinees as well.  A normal movie showing is $9.

Once I bought my ticket, I decided to try something new.  I got the pita last time, and it was delicious, but who knew what other tasty food awaited me.  This time I went for the herbed cheese with french bread (only $2.25!).  I also needed to reach the $5 credit card minimum so kindly pointed out to me, so I got a huckleberry italian cream soda (now I know -- it is a bit better without cream, I think).

The herbed cheese and bread was phenomenal.  I liked it even more than the pita.  The cheese was very creamy and rich and the bread was the perfect chewy texture, conveniently in bite size pieces.  I am very particular about rationing my cheese in a variety of situations. I always use less at the beginning to ensure I have enough at the end, because I think it is the worst to end with dry bread/crackers/etc.  You should know that this cheese lasted me and then some! I was conservative for the first two, moderate for the middle few, and overindulgent with the last couple and I still had cheese left at the end.  I finished it off by scooping it out with my finger (once the movie had started and it was dark, of course).

As for the movie, I really enjoyed it.  It was only 88 minutes, which was honestly about all I could handle for it to hold my attention the entire time.  I don't mean that it was boring.  It was VERY interesting and I spent the majority of it amazed at the power, beauty and intelligence of horses.  I was even more impressed with Buck Branaman and his abilities.  It is truly hard to believe what he is capable of and I bet it is incredible watching Buck in person.  I was just tired near the end and I am a fan of short movies :)

If you have ever thought that horses were intriguing, ever been interested in the cowboy community, or would just like to see some badass rope tricks, this is a good movie for you. It isn't action-packed (but there is some blood!), but it is a very well made documentary and a very interesting story.

I also loved Buck.  He has been through so much and his life story alone should inspire you.