The Dreaded Demolition, Drive-Ins and "The Dead." " Donnie Darko," "Designer Devils," Dustin and "Drop Dead Fred."

Syl Says:

The Dreaded Demolition

Oh Ivan, say it isn’t so—not our White Castle in Rahway! How could they do it? How could they obliterate that strange and wonderful place; close enough to allow us to visit frequently, far enough away to qualify as a” road trip.” It was fast food indeed, but still an exotic treat; a landmark as indigenous to New Jersey as “big hair “and the drive-in theaters of the recent past.
“Sliders”—Adieu!

Drive-Ins and “The Dead”

And, speaking of drive-ins: ah, the drive- ins. Ah, those hot summer nights as a child in my pajamas, playing on the rides, watching the movie while sitting on the hood of the car and going to sleep in the back seat. Ah, those hot summer nights as a young adult, in the car with the windows steamed up, in the back seat only half watching the movie (wink, wink).

I can still remember the static of the speaker in the window, the taste of the drive-in food: hot dogs, burgers, egg rolls wrapped in foil, popcorn and big sodas—not to mention the great movies including: The Blob, The Night Evelyn Came Out OF The Grave, The Night of the Living Dead (my fave.) and (oh yea) the one I didn’t see twice (wink, wink): Love at First Bite.

I remember the “Amboy’s Drive-In Theatre” on Rt. 9 in Sayreville. This one had great rides and no window speakers (the sound came over an AM station on the car radio), and the screen faced Rt. 9 and the Parkway. I can recall being stuck in a summer traffic jam on the old Edison Bridge and watching some soft-core porn while riding in the back seat of my parent’s car. The theater closed in the late 70’s and by the end of the 80’s most of the New Jersey drive-ins had slipped into obscurity.

Oh, what I would give to experience just one more drive-in movie!
Drive-Ins--Adieu!

"Donnie Darko"

Ivan, I would like to thank you for turning me on to this very cool dark drama. I’m surprised that I missed it when it came out in theaters because any time there is a movie where someone is talking to a 6 ft. tall (murderous) bunny rabbit named Frank—I am there. The “Goth” girl in the video store said that she purchased a copy and had to watch it over and over again. So I watched it, then went to the website for more info, then watched it again—and, armed with this info plus my understanding (as it were) of the “Theory of Relativity,” “The Quantum Theory,” “The Big Bang,” and “Black Holes” (due to reading Stephen Hawking’s books: A Brief History of Time and Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays), I was able to figure out what was going on. I, however, want to watch it another time to try to tie up some details.

Finally, in the scene you refer to, where Jake (Donnie) slides his hand down his pants under hypnosis, you express your disappointment with the therapist (the still beautiful Katherine Ross) for waking him. I ask you Ivan: just what kind of therapist would she have been to let him take that to fruition? LOL!
Thanks again Ivan—I loved it!
Donnie--Adieu!

“Designer Devils”

By “Designer Devils” I am referring to the film you mentioned: The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep is a “kick-ass” actress and it looks like my kind of movie. I was supposed to see it last week with a coworker-- unfortunately however, we did not go. I will definitely see it at a later date and then provide a review.
Last week’s movie date—Adieu!

Dustin

I also watched Midnight Cowboy recently—what a cowinkydink! I happen to love old movies of any genre, so I just love the 60’s ambience of this movie. Aside from the “cultural significance” of this film, the remarkable performance of Dustin Hoffman as the pathetic “Ratso Rizzo “impressed me the most. Truth be known, I was on this earth for only 16 years when I first saw this movie, and I didn’t really give a “rats ass” for my fellow man as of yet. To my immature teenage mind, the relationship between a male prostitute and a cruddy homeless guy was very humorous—still, the last scene where Ratso dies as the palm trees of his beloved Miami begin to pass by the windows of the bus touched me. Who can forget that scene?
Ratso--Adieu!

“Drop Dead Fred”

Never saw this one—never will! I only used this movie title because it rhymed! LOL!

ADIEU!