“The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.”
The day is pretty with sun and a blue sky. It’s also a bit chilly at 48˚. A breeze is blowing. Not many leaves are left on the trees after the nor’easter. My lawn has disappeared again. I noticed tattered prayer flags from my backyard are hanging off one of the branches near the deck. They are the worse for wear.
Yesterday was dump day, movie day and get pet food day. Whew, it was a busy day. I’m still recovering.
My town where I grew up had a dump for things too big for the trucks. It was filled with piles of junk. I don’t ever remember my father going to the dump. We had curb-side trash pick-up, and my dad hauled out the barrels every week and hauled them back in when he got home from work. When we moved to the Cape, my dad had to go to the dump every week as there was no trash pick-up. He really liked his dump runs and tried to cajole one of us into going with him as if it were a treat, a stop for ice cream. The dump in those days was raucous from the sounds of the sea gulls flying all around the trash heaps. You could even see those heaps from the highway and the birds circling around them.
Dumps now are civilized with recycle and trash bins. No more seagulls. They have to look elsewhere for a tidbit. My father wouldn’t enjoy the dump at all. The excitement is gone.
The paper mentioned that movies are probably on their way out usurped by short attention spans and television. The films which make money usually have the shallowest depths. The article suggested that Gone with the Wind wouldn’t make it with today’s audiences: too long. I’d also add it has no “hilarious” drunken scenes, not a single vampire or slasher and no sex.
I am an anachronism, and I don’t care. Actually I’m rather proud of that!
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: anachronism, dump runs, dumps, movies, Nor'easter, prayer flags, sea gulls
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
November 10, 2012 at 11:02 am
It’s funny how different we can feel what’s warm or cold. It was rather warm here today, around 48F 🙂 🙂 🙂 No wind and barely no sunshine either but at least it didn’t rain more than a few minutes.
I can’t remember ever going to the old kind of dumps, they started burning most things when I was a kid and recycling started rather early too. So all I can remember is the rats running around at the recycling dump 🙂 I don’t know why they were there because they can’t have found anything to eat, good places to hide from any predators of course.
There is a lack of vampires in Gone with the wind 🙂 🙂 🙂 not even a single zombie 🙂 But I do hope we still will watch movies with any kind of depth when I’m old. There’s always the independent movies that can save us 🙂
Have a great day!
November 10, 2012 at 11:42 am
Christer,
We are used to a bit warmer temps this time of year. So far the days are at least 4˚ cooler than the average. The next few days, though, should be warm.
The Cape has no town trash pick-up. You can pay a company if you want, but I go get a dump sticker every year and bring my own trash. The sticker is nearly $100.00.
You’re right about independent movies and some studios are till taking chances. I saw Argo yesterday, and it was excellent.
November 10, 2012 at 11:29 am
Hi Kat,
You had my week all in one day. Rest up!
We had a dump when I was a kid. It wasn’t the kind of dump where you brought your stuff. It was the dump where the curbside pickup dumped everyone else’s stuff. I am a dump picker at heart and I loved to go play in that dump. I found all kinds of neat stuff and lugged it home. I still have a silver plated Revere style bowl that I plucked from out of the piles. The furniture that I picked out of the dump and refinished has long ago been recycled to young family members who were starting housekeeping. It’s probably all back in the landfill by now. Thank heavens I have a tiny jeep. I see wonderful things on the side of the road every trash day and I can’t pick them up because they won’t fit. Saved from excess clutter by my little red Wrangler. 🙂
I’m not a movie fan. Once in a while I will go but I’m never comfortable. The volume is too loud and the seats are generally torturous. I’d rather be home in my cozies curled up on the couch with the dog and listening to TV while knitting or reading.
Sunny and blue skies up here. The bird feeders need filling and Rocky needs feeding.
Enjoy the day!
November 10, 2012 at 11:46 am
Hi Caryn,
Today I have a few things to do around the house then I’ll rest and read.
You need to take your jeep and head down to Boston and Allston just as the college students are leaving. Along the road you’ll find enough furniture to outfit a house. The students don’t rent for the summer and don’t, for the most part, take it home. I have always thought of doing that but have no more room.
My theaters are okay for movies. The chairs tilt and at matinees few people are there so I can out my feet over the seat if I want. Yesterday it was Argo, and I enjoyed it. I do sneak in my own popcorn and candy but buy a drink there. No movie at the theater is complete without popcorn!
Yup, my birds are hungry beasts and I noticed the feeders need my attention.
November 10, 2012 at 11:30 am
I disagree with the article about movies going on their way out. I just think the venue is changing. With the advent of large screen TVs the home theater is replacing the movie house. Today a first run movie cost about $10 plus another $5 for a big bag of popcorn. How in the world can a teenager afford to go out on a movie date. It’s harder for a guy to get to first base in your parents living room watching the big TV. 🙂 I have a backlog of good films that I didn’t see in the theater because of the hassle and the cost. I will either rent them on DVD or Blue Ray, stream from iTunes or Netflix until the current new film has been released on DVD or iTunes. I don’t waste my time on vampire flicks, car chase flicks or slasher flicks. Most movies today are made for a teenage audience. or at least an adult audience with a teenage mentality. I may have to make an exception and go to the movies to see Stephen Spielberg’s new film “Lincoln”.
“Gone With The Wind”, would do just fine today. Rhett Butler would not say, “Frankly I don’t give a damn”. He would say a more explicit word more suited for today’s audience. Also, Rhett and Scarlett would be seen fornicating while Atlanta burns. 🙂 Also, there would be lots of action and gore during the battle scenes.
I have always had garbage pickup. I have never had the pleasure of visiting a dump. Today I think they are called “Land fills”. Why have the sea gulls stopped feeding at the dump? Does everyone have a garbage disposer?
November 10, 2012 at 11:54 am
Bob,
The author based his conclusions on the number of tickets being sold now compared with earlier times.
If movies aren’t making the money from theaters they have always made, fewer movies will be made. The only ones making money are the ones you mentioned: those aimed at teenagers and young 20 somethings, and they’ll be more of them to my chagrin.
I can’t see kids today sitting through such a long movie as GWTW especially one without that gore you mentioned. Redoing movies to fit the audience is a sacrilege.
The gulls have no access to piles of trash anymore. All of the land fills have containers where you throw your trash and those containers go right onto a truck.
Few garbage disposers here on the Cape as we all have septic tanks and the garbage would add to filling it.
November 10, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Non rainy day here today.But the temps are getting much cooler at nigght. It got down to 30 deg. and awoke this morning to frost everywhere.I’m already missing those nice temps. of 70-80 degrees outside.
Happy Trails to everyone 🙂
November 10, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Morpfy,
We’re also getting cooler at night, low 40’s and, like you, a couple of nights in the 30’s. We haven’t had frost yet and the next few days are supposed to be warm so I don’t know when it’ll be here.
I’m missing them too and very much missing my deck.
November 10, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Don’t worry about the youths. Both Sesame Street and Muppet Show made a less than 2 min version of Gone With The Wind. No zombies, but a monster, pigs and lots of wind.
November 10, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Birgit,
Harry Potter is finished so many don’t read any more, even e-books. Thumbs will be larger in the next few generations. Conversations are acronyms.
I do worry!
November 10, 2012 at 9:28 pm
Dont no y u r woreed?
November 11, 2012 at 4:44 pm
Conversations are ANACHRONISMS, I say, Kat! 🙁
I am filled beyond the gills with anachronisms.
November 11, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Rick,
You are also correct. Real conversations are gone and in their places are ANACHRONISMS.