"Unbroken" Advance Movie Premiere Scores Hit

I have to admit, I feel a little bit like a VIP, having been given the opportunity, via my participation in meetup.com, to see an advanced screening of the movie Unbroken. And for free, no less. It opens to the general public Christmas day.

The ticket-holders started queueing up about 5:30. Our group, Southwest Florida Singles and Couples Over 40, was just one of many groups to receive free tickets. There must have been around 300 people there, and the auditorium in the movieplex was filled to capacity. They opened the auditorium doors around 6:30, and then we had an hour to wait before the movie started at 7:30. So the full wait time was nearly as long as the movie, but I had 3 or 4 people to talk with from our meetup group, so the time went quickly.

It was completely worth it. Excellent movie, in my opinion. Plane crashes. 47 days in a life raft. Sharks. Unimaginable brutality in two separate POW camps. What Zamperelli went through can scarcely be comprehended. Angelina Jolie, with all her Hollywood weirdness (whether true or manufactured) stayed in the background and let the actors (relative unknowns at that) do their jobs, and I believe she did herself proud. It is an interesting movie on many levels. Certainly one aspect is that this is one of the few movies I can remember where the people behinds the scenes (Jolie and the Cohen brothers Joel and Ethan who wrote the screenplay) are more famous than the actors! Anyway, it will be interesting to see how the Academy voters treat Jolie and the movie at Oscar time. I want to read the book now! The sad part about this movie is that the people who need to see it the most -- the Red Bull-drinking, Clash of Clans-playing 20- and 30-somethings will avoid it like the plague. It might give them a little perspective the next time their Playstations break and they view it as a hardship. But of course it will not happen.

Before the movie, I had dinner at a new (at least for me) restaurant called "Buster's Sports Bar and Eatery" on McGregor Blvd. It is a hangout for the locals, though is gaining popularity with the tourists via Yelp, Urbanspoon, TripAdvisor, etc. I heard about it from "Kaye", the lady at Fleamasters from whom I bought my kitchen table and chairs. Every day they have a special, and on Wednesday it was all-you-can-eat fried chicken served with two sides for $10. And I mean REAL fried chicken here, folks. Big plump pieces of fresh (not frozen) chicken, hand battered, and then deep fried. It takes 20 minutes to get your order, and the chicken arrives at your table at a temperature hovering somewhere around that of the earth's core. On Tuesdays, they have a 1-1/4 pound whole steamed lobster served with two sides for $13. But their big claim to fame is their 1-pound sirloin steak dinner, served with mushrooms, a large onion ring, potato and salad for $12. This is served Saturday and Sunday, and most folks tell me they eat half the steak and bring the other half home for another meal. Anyway, the chicken was delicious, and I will report on the steak and lobster later.

Today is Thursday, and I'm just kind of laying back. I did perform a little grocery shopping. First to the Publix deli for some Boar's Head Tavern Ham and Cream Havarti cheese, both of which I now consider "staples" for the fridge along with eggs, milk, and butter. When all else fails for a snack idea, a "roll-up" of ham and Havarti does the trick. Most of you know me as a frugal individual who buys shirts at the Salvation Army thrift store for a dollar, and so on. But I'm telling you this Boar's Head stuff is a shining example of value over sheer price. It simply cannot be beat. Find it in your area and give it a try. The Havarti and the ham are each $11.39 a pound, and totally worth it. Second, to the Walmart Neighborhood Market for a 5-pound bag of Florida grapefruit, diet Coke, milk, bananas, oatmeal, and a pound of ground chuck. Walmart is fine for the basics, but their deli sucks compared to Publix.

Also, I found another animal shelter here in town in addition to the Lee County Animal Services, to which I was unable to commit because of their requirement of six months minimum service period for its volunteers. This group is the Gulf Coast Humane Society, and they will take volunteers for any length of time. They are on the north end of town, very close to the Fleamasters flea market, so I know right where they are. I'm going to check them out tomorrow (Friday) in conjunction with my flea market visit, and fill out an application. I'll keep you posted.

Tomorrow is also the day of the art/music walk in downtown Fort Myers. Our meetup group organizers, Ed and Pam, had to bow out of hosting at the last minute due to relatives arriving in town, so I fear the meetup is going to fall apart. But that will not stop me from going; I'll just more or less be on my own. I'm taking my canvas foldup chair along so I will have a place to sit out on the plaza to listen to music, and I will give you a full report later.

That's all for now. I didn't send out the email notice with the last blog update, and I did see considerably fewer "hits" on the posting. So this time, I'll send out the email notice.

Bruce