11.8.2012: A night over a year in the making

Me dressed up as a certain 00 agent

Let me start with a true story:  Mid to late afternoon I got a call asking if I could compact the trash.  I had just tied my bow tie and was looking good.  Regardless I went to the trash compactor and compacted.  Even a member of my community, whom I had not met, turned his car around and stopped to ensure he had seen it right: me all dressed up to compact the community trash.

Ok with that said on to the night.  Friends started trickling in slowly shortly after my battle of wits with the trash.  Bond features played throughout the evening in the back ground and a mighty meal of breakfast for dinner prepared.  We even sipped on martinis.  

Then we journeyed to the theater.  After popcorn and sodas were consumed the moment arrived I had been anxiously waiting for came.  A certain theme played and one secret agent blazed in to focus.  Two and a half hours of excitement later we emered from what is and will be the best movie of 2012.  Not only is it the best Daniel Craig Bond (after Casino Royale that’s quite an accomplishment) its one of the best in the franchise.  Skyfall is as a mighty installment as George Lazinbe’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (my personal favorite).

I had been looking forward to Skyfall for well over a year and was the movie I was most excited for in 2012.  As the movie came closer to release the days stretched longer while preparations for the night got underway.  The night I got to combine a variety of my favorite things: cooking, midnight movies, James Bond, hanging out with friends and family.  The wait was well worth it and I don’t think I’m the only one saying that.

I’ve said it before but after this past week I say it again and with more meaning:  I’m honored to have people who want to gather for friendship and fellowship to be wined and dined and hang out for all hours of the night.

It’s nights and experiences like this that will be looked back fondly in the time to come.  I can’t wait for the next gathering.

Flying High with Friends at a midnight feature

The clock turned over another minute.  It does this many times during the day.  This time though it turned over to midnight and therefore turned over the day to Friday.  At this moment a rush of images ran across screen and into my view.  The images ran for close to 2 and 1/2 hours.  The images all made up Flight, the new movie starring Denzel Washington. 

The evening began multiple hours before the lights were turned down and the screen lit up.  Friends gathered for dinner made by yours truly.  The dinner was awesome, thanks in advance for asking how it was.  

Now back to the feature at hand.  The obligatory thoughts on the movie: powerful and intense.  I wasn’t expecting the focal point to be about one’s battle with alcoholism.  Had I read any reviews of the movie I would of been aware of this but as I typically do not read reviews I was unaware and was under the impression that the movie was more about the plane crash and the investigation would be at the center of the flick.  It didn’t stop me from throughly enjoying the feature and it made the movie that more intriguing to me.

Denzel Washington was gave a tour de force performance, as I’ve come to expect from him.  What truly blew me away about the movie was the opening crash sequence.  I knew that all would be reasonably ok, since it occurs at the beginning of the movie and the advertisements all indicated an investigation with Denzel Washington at the center of it.  The crash gave the opening a great bit of suspense and set the bar high for the remainder of the movie.

That high set bar was matched by incredible story telling and an intense final few moments.  The ending was a bit preachy for my tastes but I’m forgiving it that as the rest of the movie kept me on my toes.  Not in a guessing way of what’s going to happen next but continuing to question the back and forth morals/decisions of its central character.  

I would love to see the movie and its star Denzel Washington as a dark horse at this year’s academy awards.  The film deserves the reconization, if it gets it the movie won’t win, but deserves to be in the race.  Had there been a set number of 10 nominated features I could easily see this movie among them.  5, despite my want for the movie to be in the elite 5, I doubt it would be considering some of the strong movies already released and some strong looking competitors on the way out in the next eight weeks.  However with the number between 5 and 10 I lean more towards the movie being nominated but depends on the tastes of those filling out ballots.  

In the end I’m glad I saw Flight and as always had a blast at the midnight gathering.  I now look forward to the next midnight showing this coming thursday.  It’s the movie I’ve been looking forward to all year and have very high expectations.  The movie is the new Bond feature Skyfall.  Expectations are high because it’s bond, the last two movies were great and Daniel Craig is an incredible 007.  I’ve said it before and stand behind the statement: The worst 007 movie is better then any other franchise movie. period.  Ok so enough about my Bond obsession Flight is a must see.