Indiana Jones Marathon

My sister Kristine and I have really enjoyed going to movie marathons at the Megaplex (we've been to the Harry Potter and Twilight marathons) so yesterday we went to another one for the Indiana Jones franchise and this time Trent joined us.  It featured the original trilogy and it was so much fun to see these movies again on the big screen.  The intrepid archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) joins forces with his former girlfriend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) to locate the Ark of the Covenant before his nemesis Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman) can give it to the Nazis in Raiders of the Lost Ark, he and his sidekick Short Round (Ke Huy Quan) inadvertently team up with a nightclub singer named Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) to rescue children kidnapped by an evil cult searching for sacred stones in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and he must work with his estranged father Dr. Henry Jones (Sean Connery) to find the Holy Grail when he learns that Walter Donovan (Julian Glover), the wealthy businessman who hired him to find it, and Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody), the art historian with whom he has been working, are in league with the Nazis in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  These movies have lots of really exciting action sequences and some of my favorites are a boat chase through the canals of Venice, a fight near the propeller of a plane, a high speed cart chase through a mine, an aerial dog fight between a biplane and two fighter planes, a fight on the top of a moving tank that eventually goes over a cliff, a jump from a plane in an inflatable raft, a fight for control of a speeding truck, and a giant boulder rolling through a corridor in a temple (I think the special effects hold up really well).  I love the maps that show the routes taken around the world and I may or may not have cheered out loud the first time I heard the instantly recognizable fanfare from "The Raiders Theme" by John Williams (this crowd was very subdued compared to the other marathons). The character of Indiana Jones is iconic with his signature fedora and bullwhip and I really enjoyed seeing his ingenuity in action as he follows the clues (and avoids booby traps) in search of treasure.  Ford is a great action hero (he did most of his own stunts) and his taciturn demeanor reminds me of Humphrey Bogart.  Connery is a hoot, especially in his humorous interactions with Ford (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is my favorite in the series), and I love Allen's feisty portrayal of Marion but I think Capshaw is really annoying as Willie (Kristine tried to count how many times she screams but she lost track).  I always love revisiting movies from my youth because I like to see if they still affect me in the same way and these movies definitely do!  Seeing them again was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Note:  We can't wait for the next marathon at the Megaplex!  Trent would like to see one for the Mission: Impossible franchise and I am still hoping for The Hunger Games.

Twilight Marathon

When I noticed that an inordinate number of my students were reading the same book with a distinctive black cover, I was really curious because getting them to read for pleasure was a hard sell and I wanted to know what had them all so enthralled.  I asked one of my classes and then immediately went to my computer to order a copy of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.  They all told me to order New Moon at the same time because I would definitely want to read it as soon as I was finished with Twilight but I decided to see if I liked it before ordering the next one.  The book came on a Friday and I ended up staying up all night to finish it (then drove to Barnes & Noble and waited an hour in the parking lot for it to open so I could get New Moon and pre-order Eclipse).  Since I enjoyed the books, I was really excited for each of the movies to come out and I saw all five of them at midnight screenings.  I have to admit that I love them and binge watching them is a guilty pleasure so, of course, I had to go to a Twilight marathon at the Megaplex with my sister Kristine yesterday.  We had so much fun at the Harry Potter marathon last summer so we were really excited for this one because it was considerably shorter (only 12 hours instead of 22).  The set-up at the theater was very similar to the Harry Potter marathon and, once again, I was really impressed with how organized everything was because checking in and ordering concessions was quick and easy despite the large crowd (six theaters were in use at the Legacy Crossing location). Our audience was very animated with lots of cheering whenever Jacob appears without a shirt (which is most of the time) and whenever Edward appears in the sun.  There was also a lot of laughing when the Quileutes turn into wolves and when we first see baby Renesmee (the CGI is admittedly pretty bad).  What I noticed most when watching these movies on the big screen again was how much I love the music, especially "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse, "Decode" by Paramore, and "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" by Iron & Wine in Twilight, "Possibility" by Lykke Li and "Meet Me on the Equinox" by Death Cab for Cutie in New Moon, "Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)" by Muse in Eclipse, "From Now On" by The Features, "I Didn't Mean It" by The Belle Brigade, "It Will Rain" by Bruno Mars, and "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri in Breaking Dawn Part One, and "The Forgotten" by Green Day in Breaking Dawn Part Two (I remembered the words to all of these songs even though I hadn't heard them in a long time).  I think I love these movies so much because they are a form of escapism and spending my Saturday escaping from the world was really fun (and much needed).  Kristine and I can't wait for the next marathon at the Megaplex (we are hoping for The Hunger Games).

Harry Potter Marathon

I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter franchise so I was really excited to see a marathon of all eight movies with my sister Kristine over the weekend.  I had never done a marathon like this before and, even though I was really tired at the end (it was 22 hours including short breaks), I had so much fun!  Most people were in costume (I represented House Ravenclaw) and there were some really fun backdrops for photos.  The ticket included a free large popcorn and soda with unlimited refills and you could purchase a meal package with breakfast, lunch, and dinner catered by local restaurants but we opted not to get it because we thought it was expensive for what it was (the Megaplex at Jordan Commons has lots of food options and the service was great despite the big crowds during the meal breaks).  As I watched each of the movies I was especially struck by the enchanting world-building in Sorcerer's Stone, the theme of fearing those who are different in Chamber of Secrets, the developing relationship between Harry and Sirius Black in Prisoner of Azkaban, the changing dynamic between Harry, Ron, and Hermione and their friends as they enter adolescence in Goblet of Fire, the darker tone as Harry's mind is invaded by Voldemort (it is interesting to see Harry mimic Voldemort's mannerisms) in Order of the Phoenix, the higher stakes for every character in Half-Blood Prince, the importance of friendship and teamwork in Deathly Hallows Part One, and the weight of responsibility that Harry feels as he faces Voldemort (I always get a tears in my eyes when Harry asks his parents, Remus, and Sirius to be with him) in Deathly Hallows Part Two.  I also enjoyed seeing the changes in Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson as they grow up on screen (it is much more evident watching the movies one after the other).  I love every movie in the series but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Goblet of Fire (which is really ironic because I dozed off for a few minutes and missed the sequence in the maze).  The audience wasn't as boisterous as I was expecting but there were definitely cheers and applause at the end of the final movie (maybe it was just relief that we had all survived).  I had a great time and I would definitely do a movie marathon again!

Note:  I'm happy that I got to experience this with Kristine because she is the one who introduced the books to me.