Star Wars: The Force Awakens... finally

Our tickets are for tonight (we held out until now so we could get seats at the comfy reclining theatre) and I made it til now without seeing any spoilers. Beyond excited.

That is all.

Adding this so I can watch it over and over.

Movies with a Downtown View: Moonrise Kingdom

My friend Liz invited us to join her for Movies with a Downtown View. The Rochestariat and The Little Theater joined together to produce a free outdoor movie showing in Manhattan Square Park.

It's a really cool experience to watch a film with the Rochester skyline in the background. Besides the movie there were food trucks and giveaways. We just brought our lawn chairs and snacks.

The movie they showed was Moonrise Kingdom. It was the perfect film for outside on a summer night. We had never seen it before and now it's our favorite Wes Anderson film. It had everything you would expect from a Wes Anderson movie - great costumes, colors, set design, and quippy lines.

Being set in the 60s the entire movie had a classic vintage feel. I enjoyed the use of the telephone operator, and the little portable battery operated record player.

Of all of Anderson's films this one had the most charming storyline. I really cared for the characters and rooted for them.

The added bonus was Aaron and I are heading out for a camping trip tomorrow and the Khaki Scout scenes put us in the right mood.

Begin Again

Once is a favorite movie of Aaron's, so when I saw that director/writer John Carney had another movie, now available streaming, called Begin Again, I told Aaron we should watch it. I was also intrigued that Adam Levine was acting in it.

I don't want to give away too much of the film but there are so many similiarities to Once but different enough. Don't the film posters even look similar? It really felt like "Once... in the US." We loved it and I liked the ending better than Once. This and Chef are my favorite films I've seen this year so far.

Just like I did with Once, I downloaded a few of the songs from the Begin Again soundtrack. I love movie soundtracks, and when the music is so integrated into the movie like this they are especially good. Lost Stars and Like a Fool are some faves of mine. (I wish the kazoo had made it into Like a Fool though)

Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day

Today is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day and I'm taking some shots with my new wood pinhole camera with a roll of Kodak T-Max film.

Be sure to check out this great blog post on 1000Words about pinhole photography and this gorgeous Kodak Picture of the Day pinhole shot.

I did some reading online but when it came to taking the pictures I didn't do any mathmatical computations and winged it instead. I hope I get at least one decent image! Stay tuned.

Film Photography Day

Today is Film Photography Day. Here are are a few shots I took on film when I was in Cologne, Germany.

They are from the Hohenzollern Bridge that is covered with locks.

Happy Film Photography Day.

Rochester Subway on Film

When we were in the subway I shot film. I got some shots on the end of a roll of Kodak BW400CN.

And then a few shot on the beginning of a roll of Kodak Portra 400.

New Dryden & Sideways

These past few months the Eastman House has been refinishing the Dryden Theatre. This evening was the reopening. Everything has been upgraded - new seats, lighting, sound, screen and curtain. Our friend Tom invited us out for the evening and it was a chance to catch up and see the theatre changes.

A screening of Sideways was scheduled for the repopening of the Dryden Theatre. Before the screening was a dinner with wine accompaniment. I liked how my twitter handle was on my place card!

After watching Sideways, the director, novelist and screenwriter did a Q & A session on stage. Sideways won best adapted screenplay in 2004 so it was interesting to hear them.

Pearl Harbor film shots

Remember how the day was saved at Pearl Harbor by two rolls of film when the digital camera battery was left at the hotel?

I just got the photos back from the lab. This is the USS Arizona turret that still sticks out of the water.

The oil drops.

USS Missouri

Fire power.

Aaron and two Pearl Harbor vets.

The film came through for us.

Film at the beach

When I was at the beach I shot a roll of Ektar 100 film.

The digital pics I took but the film ones are something special.

The color and lighting are so amazing.

It's not as fast and convenient as digital but getting the film developed after I get home stretches the vacation out a little longer.

Right back at the beach.