Continuing my homecoming tour to my usual theaters, with my first trip back to the Dine In. Despite their usually horrible menu, I felt obligated to order dinner, given their smaller capacity and struggles of the past year. Their Covid precautions were a bit interesting.
Scanned in my ticket to a dude sitting at a table. Not too different from usual. Did have an awkward exchange when I couldn’t hear him complimenting my shirt (it had an iguana that said It Gets Better, referencing a recent SNL sketch and supporting LGBTQ+ causes). Between our masks, his quiet voice, and the plexiglass, he had to repeat himself multiple times. I just wanted to be sure he wasn’t trying to give me important directions.
The directions he should have given me were for where/how to order food. The previous go to your seat and wait for a waiter protocol was different. I saw a little table set up in the middle of the hall way with some registers and a menu, but no one was manning it. Read thru the abbreviated menu and waited for a few minutes, before overhearing a staff member directing some other guests to the bar to order. So I did that.
The rest of the dining experience was mostly business as usual, except all the single use packaging does hurt my heart a little bit. That’s been one of the more annoying aspects of the pandemic. No more attempts to go green. I hate having to use disposable grocery bags, but not as much as I hate having to back my own stuff if I do bring in my reusables. I digress. The movie.
Filmmaker Taylor Sheridan is amazing when it comes to telling a certain kind of story about a certain kind of character, and Those Who Wish Me Dead was no exception (even if not the best title). This film’s down on their luck salt of the earth hero of sorts was a park service firefighter played by Angelina Jolie. A recent miscalculation and tragedy during a previous fire left her broken and disconnected from her work. She meets a young boy who’s running from some bad guys and tries to help him, which might bring her some redemption as well.
I’ve been very light on words for talking about this one. Very much Sheridan energy. Thoughtful premise, solid characters, lots of suspense. More vibes from Wind River than his others, but less mystery and more tension. Solid cast: Jolie, Jon Bernthal, Nicholas Hoult, Aiden Gillen. Don’t let my brevity make you think it was unremarkable. It was simple but effective. And my chicken sandwich actually wasn’t too bad, by AMC food standards.
Those Who Wish Me Dead – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/