Fleeting Moments

A Night At The Drive-In

Taking the kids to the local drive-in for a double feature -- there aren't many better ways to spend a summer evening!

If you're ever in Central Pennsylvania, a visit to Haar's Drive-In should be in your Top Ten list. Just a few miles south of the PA Turnpike on Route 15, right on the way to Gettysburg, this original '50s-era drive-in runs double-features from April to September. If you're lucky, there's a kids' movie up first, which your children will happily watch...and then fall asleep so you can enjoy the second movie. Last weekend, we watched Underdog (yes, it was painful) to get to Hairspray (fantastic!) It was family night and date night rolled into one!

Other drive-in pleasures:
--the intermission reels, original '50s "get your hot buttered popcorn in our sparkling snack bar" animation;
--a children's play area, with old-style metal slides;
--great people watching if you get there early;
--the snack bar at Haar's actually serves good food, including oyster sandwiches... heaven!
--neon, neon and more neon.

Unfortunately, most of the old-time drive-in theaters have closed; it's just not the highest and best use for the land, I suppose. And Haar's is living on borrowed time, too, I fear. But while we can, we'll be there for as many warm weekend nights as possible, enjoying one of summer's greatest pleasures!

(as always, click on the photos for larger versions)

Read Ruhlman

I swear I didn't read Ruhlman's blog about Ratatouille before I posted mine. But it gives me a chance to link to one of my favorite food blogs. Michael Ruhlman has it all—a quick wit, good looks, a hotline to Anthony Bourdain and a photographer wife. Oh, and some pretty good books, too. Go on, take a look!

Brad Bird is a Genius

We headed to our friendly local drive-in theater on Saturday to see Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille. Unburdened by expectations (I thought Cars was the beginning of the end of Pixar genius, an inevitable dud given the unholy alliance with The New Disney), we were just going to get out of the house and enjoy a lovely summer evening.

What a shock! Ratatouille was one fantastic movie from beginning to end. The animation? Spectacular and worthy of comparison with the early Disney animated greats (I'm talking Bambi and Fantasia here, not The Little Mermaid), finally a CGI movie I could love. The story? Well crafted and taut—there wasn't one frame that didn't need to be there. The voice characterizations? Simply perfect—not all marquee names, but the casting couldn't have been better.

I'm sure there are plenty of credits to go around, but at this point, you've gotta stop and think "Brad Bird is a genius."  He was at the helm of the spectacular, but underappreciated, Iron Giant—another masterful mix of story and animation. And he's responsible for The Incredibles as well. Of course, there are other projects (some more-than-credible TV animation gigs), but Brad Bird's films make up a pretty incredible body of work on their own. Disney's Nine Old Men would be proud, as would the man himself. I'll be standing in line for the next Brad Bird movie!