Thanksgiving Night at the Movies
by Erin Z. Bass
Thanksgiving and Christmas are two of my favorite times to go to the movies. It helps that they’re also popular times for movie releases, but I love nursing that turkey hangover by sitting in a dark theater for a few hours. As a kid, it was a tradition for me and my cousins to go to the movies on Christmas night. We’d all pile into a suburban, some of us rolling around on the back floor, while the oldest got the job of driving us to the theater. As Thanksgiving approaches tomorrow and I head to Dallas, Texas, to spend it with the in-laws, I’m secretly hoping to sneak away for a flick. Below are a couple of my recommendations for the weekend:
Rise of the Guardians is William Joyce of Shreveport, Louisiana’s Moonbot Studios’ followup to his Oscar-winning short “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.” Instead of a man and his magical books, this film teams up Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and The Tooth Fairy – and is full length.
Indie pick Silver Linings Playbook currently has a 91 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and if you’ve seen any previews, you’ll know why. “Hunger Games”‘ star and Kentucky native Jennifer Lawrence isn’t fighting for her life but does help Bradley Cooper rebuild his.
Last, but probably the most important film to see this holiday season, is Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. Starring Daniel Day Lewis as the 16th president during the Civil War and emancipation, and written by Tony Kushner and presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, “Lincoln” was filmed entirely in Virginia. After watching, plan a trip to the state’s new self-guided Lincoln Movie Trail.
