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At the Movies

 For the first time in a long while, I have a movie theater within walking distance of my home.


"The Village" cinema has opened in South Orange--mostly because Hollywood's Patrick Wilson wanted a functioning South Orange theater.

Patrick Wilson lives (at least sometimes) in Montclair. He filmed a little promo for "The Village," and in the promo, he maintains that it's a trial to watch a movie at home: "The screen is so small, and you don't have any variety with your snacks." This puzzled me. Who has a small screen now? And does anyone actually go to a freestanding movie theater for the snacks? ("I'm really craving a fifteen-dollar sleeve of M and Ms.....")

In any case, I saw "Don't Breathe 2," which is a bit like a fairy tale. A little girl finds herself in the custody of a deranged vet; the little girl's parents are (allegedly) dead. But then a sinister figure appears. He wants to abduct the girl. Why? Of course, the reason is that the girl's parents are *not* dead; they have been running a meth operation nearby for many years. The venal mother might soon die of a heart ailment, so she wants to harvest her little daughter's organs. She wants the heart ripped from her daughter's chest--while the daughter is awake--so that the heart can function in a *new* chest (MOM'S chest).

This seems to be a spin on "Snow White"--which I hadn't expected. In "Snow White," the evil queen must wear red-hot coals on her feet, and must dance until she dies. In "Don't Breathe 2," the nutty mom just gets pushed off a cliff (as far as I can recall).

I thought this movie was smarter and more stylish than "Black Widow"; I wouldn't say it's a work of art, but I enjoyed myself.

Till next time.
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