Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

This was quite the weekend because I went to see TWO movies!  One was for a friend's birthday, and the other was because it was Saturday and I didn't want to go out.  Nothing sounded better than a movie.


Saturday I went with my friend Emily to see Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.

The basic premise of the movie is a wealthy sheikh wants to be able to go salmon fishing in the Yemen river.  Money is no obstacle and Emily Blunt plays Harriet, his investment adviser.  She tracks down Ewan McGregor's character, Dr. Frank Jones, who is a salmon expert working for the British fisheries department.  He thinks the idea is preposterous, but due to circumstances beyond his control, he gets involved.  The movie is what unfolds on a mission to bring this idea this life.more »

The movie has Emily Blunt in it, whom I absolutely love (she is the girl above).

Rotten Tomatoes critics rate the movie 69% and audience members rate it 75%.  


Pleasant reviews say, "this cast, director, and writer, make it all come off as unlikely a delight as the very fishy story is it built on," and call it a "a charming little movie."  Those who didn't like the movie called it a "clunky melodrama" that "half-heartedly tries out wacky comedy, sweet romance, and inspirational drama."

Overall, I loved the movie and would recommend it as something worth watching.  I think charming is a good way to characterize it.  However, I do see where the negative reviews are coming from - it does seem a bit long, and at times seems like it is going for too much.  There were a few developments that seemed to happen very quickly and a little too perfectly.

But, this is a movie about life and you know how I love movies about life!  It isn't a particularly depressing one, and there are a few twists you wouldn't expect.   A perfect Sunday matinee.

Jeff, Who Lives At Home

I LOVE going to the movies.  Whenever I have some free time, I like to spend it at the movies.  There is always a huge list of movies that I want to see, so I never have trouble picking something to suit my mood.  The love of movies came from my Dad - we would see movies almost every weekend growing up.  I think it helped that Enumclaw had such a cheap theater, with tickets around $6 and affordable pop/popcorn/candy.

One of my favorite theaters in Boise is The Flicks.  See my blog post all about The Flicks here: #001 Best Place to Catch an Indie Flick in Boise. My favorite snacks are to get the herbed goat cheese with french bread (only $3) and huckleberry italian cream soda. Of course, about half the time I bring my own frozen yogurt, so I don't need to purchase any snacks.

Today I decided to go see a matinee showing of Jeff, Who Lives At Home.  The movie is only 83 minutes and I wanted to watch a fairly short one.  That way, I get the perks of a movie, but I still have time to go grocery shopping, hit up the library, and watch Desperate Housewives and GCB!

Jeff (Jason Segel) is a 30-year-old who lives at home in his mother's (Susan Sarandon) basement.  His brother is Patrick (Ed Holmes) a middle-class husband with a struggling marriage to his wife, Linda (Judy Greer).  Both brothers have very dissimiliar world views - Jeff looks for meaning in signs that the world provides him, while Patrick seems to care only of his own opinion.

The plot centers around Jeff following the signs from a mysterious phone call of a caller looking for "Kevin," and the adventure the two brothers end up on while trying to determine what Patrick's wife is up to wife another man.  There is also a subplot of Sharon (Susan Sarandon) and a secrete admirer (or a prank?) at her workplace.

This movie is genuinely funny, and one of those movies about life that I love (kind of like how The Descendants and Vicky Cristina Barcelona are about life).  Because of that, I thought it would have one of those slightly odd ends where the movie ends, life goes on, and there isn't much resolution.  Where you sit and think, "that's it?!?"

Jeff, Who Lives At Home, is not like one of those movies.  There is a great twist at the end and it has a really wonderful, all wrapped up ending.  They don't spell everything out for you, but I promise you will leave satisfied.  I was almost tearing up with an awwww kind of happiness, but no matter how you react, I completely recommend this movie.

Rotten Tomatoes agrees with me: 74% of critics liked it and 75% of viewers.  Roger Moore say it takes the Duplass brothers' art to a "newer, deeper place" and Rolling Stone says this film "hits you where you live."  Some who didn't enjoy the movie said that it "never quite got around to being funny" and another says, "It's short of that essential added spectacle, the visceral, tumultuous event that really shakes up the characters and creates a journey worth taking."  I disagree, but you should see it and decide for yourself.

Here is the trailer:

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.

#001 Best Place to See an Indie Flick

After I got off work, I decided to was finally time to check out #001 Best Place to See an Indie Flick -- The Flicks.

I left my house at 6:20 for the 6:55 showing of Jane Eyre.  I wanted to make sure and leave early so I would have time to buy a snack to eat during my movie.

It was a beautiful day in Boise, so I was just going to wear a t-shirt and at the last minute, I decided to grab a sweater.  Thank goodness, because the theater was acually pretty cold.  It reminded me a lot of the Enumclaw theater (size-wise) but with clean floors and four times as many theaters.

Inside the theater was really cute.  I think it would be a great place just to meet someone for a cup of coffee or a snack.

They also had outdoor seating, which was full before the movie and empty after.

It cost $7 for the movie (student discount) which I think is reasonable.  Once I got in line for snacks, I panicked!  There were way too many delicious things.

I ended up getting a pita with hummus, as well as a huckleberry italian soda without cream.  Together it was $7.95 which is great.  For comparison, a popcorn and pop at Edwards is $11.50 and I don't think that is nearly as tasty.

First, the italian soda.  SO GOOD.  SOOOOO GOOD.  I can't even explain why it was so delicious, but it was amazing.  Not too sweet, but sweet enough.  Crushed ice and not cubed ice.  Perfect amount of carbonation.  I have never had a huckleberry italian soda before, so not sure if that is just their nature, or if The Flicks is exceptional.  They also had it already made immediately after I paid and were very friendly the entire time.

Next, my hummus and pita were ready.

The pita was in two layers, for a total of six.  The pita itself was phenomenal.  It was that kind of doughy smell where you stop and inhale while you are eating, and it's hard to tell where the smell of the bread and the taste of the bread overlap.  SO DELICIOUS.  It reminded me of the business building at UI -- I swear I survived off pitas sometimes.

The hummus was hummus.  Not bad, not amazing.  In fact, I think I would have preferred the pita alone.  I tried to eat the pepperincini things and the olives, but I couldn't stand them both.  Its weird I love vinegar but hate those things (the olives were kalamata -- YUCK).  I did love the tomatoes though.  By the way, I should have had a little more forethought, as it is very difficult to eat hummus with pita in the dark during a movie!

I was the first one to arrive at the particular theater my movie was showing in.  It was funny how much more stressful is it to pick a seat when you have tons of choices.  I watched everyone after me agonize over where to sit.  Some people even got up and moved a couple times.  It made me laugh because we learned about that concept in marketing.  People have a much harder time being satisfied when presented with many options. And, of course, three girls sat smack in front of me when there was plenty of room, but oh well.

As for the movie...I wasn't a big fan.  I haven't actually read Jane Eyre, so maybe that is why.  I thought the movie was overall really boring, and pretty depressing for most of it.  There were a few parts I liked, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it or see it again. However, I loved watching a movie by myself.  I thought it would be weird, but I am totally going to do it again.  Maybe pretty soon, as I saw this on the table and I really want to see this movie:

The Flicks didn't leave out any details.  They also had cute flowers in the bathroom :)

As for this weekend, the people have spoken and I am going to check out the World Center for Birds of Prey in downtown Boise.  Make sure to vote and decide what else I should do this weekend...eat somewhere tasty, zen out, go shopping for wild imports, or people watch and drink tea.

Now it is bed time for me!  I have to get up early and go to the DMV and sign a paper they forget to have me sign...ugh...not too pleased about that, but at least I don't have to wait in any lines.

Up Next

Going to attempt to convince my roommates to go see "Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Made," at #001 The Flicks: Best Place to See an Indie Flick.
I feel like it will be easier to convince David, but they do sell beer and wine, so hopefully I can get both the roomies to go!  They get here tomorrow and I think David leaves around Friday, so let me know if you are interested in joining us!