Last night I volunteered to help out at the concession stand of my local movie theater. It is a new place that shows independent films, foreign films, basically all the movies most people don't watch in the theater out here in the boonies. It is on the ground floor of the building that is directly behind my apartment, which happens to be a special artist's community they built two years ago. I get their newsletter regularly and it always asks for volunteers with the incentive that if you volunteer, you see the films for free. Yes, please!
Yesterday was the first time I did this, not because I was particularly interested in seeing what was showing, but because I wanted to get my feet wet so that when they inevitably showed something I wanted to see, I could just volunteer. I didn't know what to expect, having never worked a concession stand before and knowing no one involved in the daily operations of the theater. Because the theater is so small, the concession stand was really just a makeshift table with some Costco purchased candy and sodas and fresh brewed coffee and hot water for tea. And there was a popcorn machine, of course. It took about 30 minutes to describe the popcorn machine to me, not because it is especially difficult to operate but rather due to the makeshift nature of this still up and coming theater. I don't think I'd be exaggerating if I said I could have used a flow chart for this operation. There were fans to be put on, doors to be opened, oil to measure and chants to recite. I'm kidding about only one of those things.
Anyway, there were maybe 3 people in total that actually bought anything, much less popcorn so the pressure was off of me. In addition everything was priced at $1 or $2 so making change was easy. You may laugh at this but I am abysmally bad at figuring out basic math. I don't have any desire to improve this aspect of myself so I have just continued along in my badness. I have convinced myself that people find it charming. They probably do not. Anyway, in a few weeks they are showing Queen of Versailles and I kinda want to see that for free so I'll likely volunteer again. I sure hope I don't burn the popcorn.
As for the film, it was Michael Winterbottom's Trishna which, if I'm being honest, I did not care for. I really have enjoyed Winterbottom's other films immensely with 24 Hour Party People and The Trip being at the top and even his other Hardy adaptation Jude would rank on my list. And I am a huge Thomas Hardy fan (Trishna was loosely based on Tess of the D'Ubervilles) but this one just fell flat. And the story was bereft of an Angel Clare which was the only salve for Tess in the novel. In this film adaptation, Trishna had no one and nothing apart from Alec who was called Jay in this flim and the grisly ending was just too much for me. I'd rather recommend any one of the number BBC adaptations of the novel or better yet, read the damn novel, lazy people.
Tonight, I'm having drinks with my family members because I'm not done celebrating my birthday yet.
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