Platinum Power

Saturday, June 13, 1998
One year ago: Books, Books, Books!

It was so delicious sleeping late this morning. In this case, "late" means about nine fifteen. When I hear Tom and Ray, the Car Talk guys, talking in my ear, I know it's time to get up. (What? You don't sleep with the radio on?) I decided to wear one of my new skirts today, a green print with what look like fern fronds on it. I like the cut of these skirts, the ones I bought at the street fair a few weeks ago. They button up the front, are knee-length or a bit shorter, and have two small slits, one on each thigh, between the front and front-side panels on either side. (Not easy to describe!)

When I got down to the Broadway Performance Hall, A--- wasn't visible, but I assumed he was already inside. There was a Filmmakers' Forum session going on, and as a Platinum Passholder, he was able to attend if he wanted. So I discussed seen movies and weekend plans with the other passholders in line. A--- did appear, a few minutes before we were let inside. He had been at the forum session, which had Aiden Quinn and his brothers discussing their movie, This is My Father, which will be the closing night gala tomorrow.

We went inside and got settled. The films were already running late, which might impact plans for the rest of the day. A--- once again exercised his platinum pass, by grabbing some cool flashlight/pen combinations that they had been giving to forum attendees and distributing them to those of us lucky enough to be selected by him.

Possums
This played with a very funny short, "What it was was Football," based on the classic Andy Griffith monologue. The movie Possums told the story of a small town that cancels the high school football team, after 25 losing seasons in a row, and 13 years without scoring a touchdown. Mac Davis, playing a local hardware and feed store owner, can't accept this. He continues doing the radio broadcasts of the games, now as fantasy games. Of course, I think we can see where the story goes after this, but it was pleasant enough all the same.

Because the movie started late, we couldn't stay for the Q and A with the director. We moved on down the street to the Havard Exit, with a stop at the Magic Dragon for quick Chinese food on the way. We took advantage of A---'s platinum power once again, by sending him ahead to save our preferred seats while we ate in a more leisurely fashion.

Floating
This starred Norman Reedus, who is a new actor to me but a favorite of some of the other pass holders. The costar was Chad Lowe, younger brother to Rob Lowe. A young man feels trapped, taking care of his father who's been injured in an auto accident and living year round in a lakeside neighborhood of vacation homes. This was good enough to hold my attention, and I can see why Norman is getting attention, but I still think his name isn't a good one for a movie star.

Once again we bailed from the Q and A with the director/screenwriter. A--- had an invitation to a reception that was part of the filmmakers' forum, so we thought we'd get something to eat there, before the 6:30 movie. I was glad I'd worn something a little more dressy than normal, since I hadn't known about this event in the morning. The party was supposed to start at five, so we should have had plenty of time. But when we got there (It was held at the former Moe's Mo'Rockin Cafe, now called AROspace, whatever that means) the party hadn't started and everyone was still waiting outside on the sidewalk.

Finally they opened the doors and let us in, even though it seemed they still weren't quite ready. A--- and I walked around inside the all-black or all-white cool modern spaces, through the rooms where they were frantically arranging the flowers still. We were looking for the food! We eventually found platters of marinated or roasted veggies, so A--- helped himself while I checked out a few more rooms. When I tried to walk out onto a balcony that overlooked the dance floor, a guy in a chair said, "I'm sorry, this is the VIP area!" Platinum power again! I went to fetch A---, so we could avail ourselves of this hallowed ground. We sat down and he ate his baby carrots and roasted red peppers. Again, frantic workers came by and sprinkled the cocktail tables with freesia stems and chamomile blossoms. The only thing that seemed VIP-ish about the space was the waitress that arrived and took a drink order from A--- and brought him a Seven-Up. Oh, and the people that kept getting turned away by the guy at the door. One more check of the buffet to make sure we hadn't missed any substantial food, and we were done. Off we went, A--- to his movie and me to mine at the Egyptian.

The Governess
I liked this! Minnie Driver is a Jewess from London in the 1830s, forced by family circumstances to masquerade as Christian and take a governess's position on a remote estate in the north. She helps her employer, a scientist experimenting with early photographic processes. Lavish production, great cast, and not your typical romance. This will play theatrically in August.

I changed my mind on staying for the next movie, even though it would have starred Alan Rickman, one of my favorites. Skipping that meant skipping the midnight movie as well. Enough is enough! When I got home, there was a message from the service station on my answering machine, saying they had bad news about my car. I should have called them during the day! I'll probably have to wait until Monday morning to get the details.

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Tonight, for the first time, I got what I'd regard as hate mail or criticism about my Yahoo personal ads:

>I have read the last 100 ads that you have placed. 
>Let me say that you come across as arrogant, controlling 
>and desperate. Give-it-a-rest. You reached out to about 
>one million men and you haven't met anyone yet! Take a break. 

I giggled when I read this, but I did reply, instead of just deleting. I expressed regret that my Yahoo ads didn't suit the writer's tastes, but noted that it was fortunate that there were lots of folks in the world. Probably there's one that's just right for this person, and someone right for me as well. And I thanked him for his concern.

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