Day #29 - January 26

SAM SHOWING HIS GEMINI NATURE ABOUT A MOVIE MADE IN PHILLY

IN HER SHOES – "I am talking to – my – friend!
 After seeing how Curtis Hanson incorporated Los Angeles, Pittsburgh,
and Detroit into L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, WONDER BOYS, and 8 MILE,
respectively, I became hopeful that he would eventually make his way
around to setting a movie in Philadelphia.  It was really a pipe
dream.  After all, Real World – Philadelphia was maybe the tenth
season of that show.  I think they did New York twice before they got
around to Philadelphia.  And when they did the show in Philadelphia,
the unions almost shut the production down.  Anyways, I sat down to
watch IN HER SHOES not realizing that half of it was set in my
proverbial hometown.  And I couldn't have been more disappointed with
the use of the city. First of all, no local runs up the Art Museum
steps like Rocky.  Not a single one.  It doesn't happen.  In this
movie it happens twice—and with dogs! (NOTE: I hate dogs.)  Second,
there is an extraordinarily lame conversation about the Sixers in
front of Geno's that is too bewildering to describe.  Third,
everything happens at the Jamaican Jerk Hut.   Okay, all of this
pisses me off because the location scout went on a basic tour of
Philadelphia and incorporated those easy/touristy locations into the
story.  Los Angeles had the sunny sprawl, Pittsburgh had the
preponderance of bridges, Detroit had the burned-out houses.
Philadelphia has the frickin' Rocky steps, a lame sports conversation,
and the Jamaican Jerk Hut.  Maybe this is what is depressing me.
Anyways, the movie is funny, touching, and will make you cry.  And oh
yeah, it's a chick flick for guys, seriously.

SCENE TO REMEMBER: The real story about how they drove to New York
City and bought a dog.
MORAL TO THE STORY: Lose weight and make sure you're literate.

Mom's note: This review truly encapsulates the Gemini that was Sam -- we called his other half his evil twin Damien.  Read all the nasty stuff about how the city wasn't highlighted and then read the last few lines to see that HE LOVED THE MOVIE ANYWAYS (sic - a Sammy word).  This was on his top ten list of the 2005 (year of the depressing movie) movies he loved.
PS--I love Toni Collette...