The Sterile Cuckoo

I have no idea what this title means, The Sterile Cuckoo. But since I’ve written a bit about movies lately I though I would research this one. Stacey and I have seen it on t.v. a couple times just recently. Never heard of or seen it before. I really enjoyed it. I think Stacey did as well. It’s cool. It’s a world totally unknown to me. It’s 1969, in upstate New York, higher education, it’s all foreign to me. But some how romantic. And you never really figure out just how damaged Pookie Adams, Liza character is. And maybe she’s not damaged at all, one never really knows.

I wish I would have written this piece, I think it is spot on and perfectly descriptive of this movie.

I saw The Sterile Cuckoo by accident in 1970. I went to the movie theater to see True Grit because John Wayne had been nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. The double feature that day included The Sterile Cuckoo and it changed the way I would view movies from that day on. I loved every second of this achingly beautiful story about first love for a gangly, awkward, pushy, scared girl and a shy young man. Liza Minnelli is so incredible in this role as she conveys the desperation of a woman who has probably never been loved and can’t understand that it scares people away if you hold too tight and reveal too much. She has no game to play and it costs her. She is the whole movie as all the emotions of the part are captured in her beautiful, expressive eyes. Her monologue in the phone booth near the end of the film should be required viewing for anyone interested in persuing an acting career. Few before her or since have pulled off such a challenging feat with such seamless realism. She was fantastic in Cabaret because it showcased the full range of her talents but this is her best work as an actress.

So I dug a little deeper and learned the title is from the book the movie was adapted from. It’s the name of a poem Pookie wrote and recited near the end of the book. Anyway if ya like movies from the 60’s and 70’s you should check this out. It’s now one of my favorite films.

The Crescent Theater

Stacey and I went to a movie at the new Crescent Theater in beautiful downtown Mobile. We enjoyed “I Served the King of England”. It was funny, it was sad and it was bit dark. I’m not sure how long this film has been around, it seemed really fresh, if you will and you should. You should go to the Crescent Theater and enjoy a movie. It will be an independent film you will see. Those are the only movies the owner/operator, Max Morley, will show at his theater.

The Crescent Theater is located at 208 Dauphin St. Originally built in 1865 when Vaudeville shows were performed there regularly, this was before motion pictures started. It became a movie theater in the early 1900s. It has also enjoyed a life as a restaurant. Now, thanks to Morley and his business partner it will live on as a movie theater.

The Crescent is newly renovated, it’s nothing like an old movie house. The popcorn is good, but if you didn’t know where you were you would think you were in any movie theater anywhere. That’s ok because the renovation is really well done, everything is brand new and state of the art.

Now folks just need to go. I think the films will run for about a week, playing twice a day and then the next one starts. It cost $8 and that’s fair. They have beer, wine and like I said good popcorn. They have everything else you may want, all the typical theater food stuff.

The guy who has open the Crescent, Max Morley has been a part of many renovations in downtown Mobile. He has developed many loft/cond sites and has one or two above the theater for sale. I think he told us one of the condos was priced at 1.2 million. Could that be right? 1.2 million, that’s a lot for Mobile, hell that’s a lot for any place!

But, hey it’s Mobile, they do things different down there. Currently there is a restaurant in Mobile where you can pay $150 for a glass of wine. TURE that. Like Eugene Walters was know to say “Mobile is sweet lunacy’s county seat”.