Ignorable by all those who would rather not read about BNAT, enclosed a chronological tale with short reviews.



First off, we all showed up and got in very smoothly. Much more smoothly than in previous years. The new theater was gorgeous and super comfy compared to previous years. It was announced that we'd all be getting free HD-DVD (thus solving our "HD or Blu-Ray" dilemma) players, and we got a quick overview of some of the things that it can do. And dayumn, it can do a lot. (or will once we have a nifty HD cable, which it did not come with).

Then, without further ado, we went into the films.

1. The Great McGinty
A beautiful old movie, a comedy about a bad man who becomes mayor, then governor, then goes good, then ends up running a bar in a banana republic. Really great, and one of those reasons that one goes to BNAT. No, it isn't just for the premieres, it's for stuff like this.

2. Charlie Wilson's War
From the previews on this, I really thought I wouldn't like it. But I really liked it very much quite a lot. If you aren't a fan of the talky, quick moving, serious and yet amusing sort of thing that happens in The West Wing, you may not like it. But it really is very, very good. Serious in what it's about. Funny in that people? People are funny in real life. Go see this one when it comes out.

3. Pickup on South Street
In which we learn that the best way to pick up a woman is to cold-cock her in the chin. And that you can be a criminal, but heaven's forbid that you actually make deals with commies! Eh, it was okay. Not with the hate, not with the awe. Jean Peters was holy hell gorgeous though, so there was at least something pretty to look at.

4. Mongol
Another of the premieres we got. And one I might never have gotten a chance to see were it not for BNAT. About the early life of Genghis Khan. I really quite liked it. A bit long in bits. Great characterization. Amazing battle scenes. I hear it's the first of a trilogy, and I really look forward to seeing the rest.

5. The Abominable Dr. Phibes.
I slept through a good deal of this, mostly because I had seen it before. It's a fun movie, very pretty, very weird. And how can you not love something that has murder by unicorn catapult?

6. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
This is one of those musicals that is going to be liked a whole lot more by people who've never seen it on stage. I have never seen it on stage. I quite liked it. I also liked that they passed out meat pies halfway through at the theater. I should not have eaten the pie.

7. Lonely are the Brave
Uhm, I slept through enough of this that the plot has become spotty. So far as I can tell, it's about an idiot cowboy who gets himself into jail, then tries to escape. And always makes the completely wrong decision, leading to his death. It should be "Dead are the Stupid". But like I said, I missed most of it.

8. The Poughkeepsie Tapes
Bad. So bad. Bad from beginning to end and all through the middle. A fake documentary about a serial killer that was not convincing even for a moment. Not sure if it was a comedy (there was some awkward humor) or gore porn (there was very little gore, comparatively), or a serious thriller (there wasn't a moment of fear). How bad was it? The film makers were in the audience and supposed to perform a Q&A afterwards and suddenly had to leave or 'miss a flight' (at three in the morning when the only airport has its last flight go out at 11 p.m. or so). About the only smart thing they did. Oh, and they also clearly hate women to a deep and disturbing level.

9. Teen Lust
What can be said about Teen Lust? Perhaps the best thing to be said is that only after The Poughkeepsie Tapes could it have been a blessed relief. There were teens. There was lust. There was a wedding. Most of what I learned from this movie was learned by asking people heading from the theater into the lobby as I spent most of it socializing on the stairs there.

10. City on the Edge of Forever
The classic Star Trek episode. In HD. Gooorgeous. However, I'd seen it before, plus? Kind of talky. We really needed some energy about then. But still, a lovely thing to see.

11. Farewell Uncle Tom
Well, I had been sure at this point that all of the 'punishment' movies were done with. I was wrong. At least they warned us ahead of time, told us it was one of the worst and most racist films ever made. Another fake documentary, this one using the concept of a pair of Italian film makers travelling back through time to document the slave trade in America. It was brutal. It was disgusting. (Much like the slave trade) I also only watched about the first fifteen minutes of it, as about then my breakfast showed up and I preferred not to eat it while watching shackled people gorge on corn meal mash. After I finished breakfast I... well, I went into the other screen at the theater, took up four seats, and slept for an hour and a half.

12. Trick 'r Treat
Proof that the movie studios are complete idiots. When I heard that the last film was a premiere, I was overjoyed. When I heard that it was going to be a horror movie, I was depressed and considered going back to sleep. And then this started and I decided to give it a chance. Great movie if you like horror flicks, especially Tales from the Crypt type, with interlacing stories and a sense of fun along with the fear. And why are the movie studios stupid? Because it was supposed to go out last halloween. They put it off, and then were trying to release it... This Easter. A (strongly) Halloween themed horror movie, and they were quite sure that it would do better at Easter. In what world does that make sense?

Interspersed throughout were some fun trailers (Hobo with a Gun!), and some previews for material like Fanboys, Rambo, and Wall*e. They all looked good.