Lonely Are The Brave

Tisher took me to the Patio Theater to see Lonely Are The Brave tonight. Its way out in the sticks, Portage Park, but the theater itself is beautiful, lots of molding and columns and a stary ceiling, although like the Music Box the seats are terrible.

Tisher and I share a passion for movies. There is however a significant point of contention. His knowledge and interest end in the 60's and that's where mine begins. I scoff at him for not having seen seminal 90's movies like Dark City, Batman Forever, Terminator 2, or 10 Thnigs I Hate About You and he coldly and quietly looks down on me for not being familiar with the cannon of Orson Welles or the creative arc of Robert Mitchum.

Every Wednesday the Patio Theater plays old movies in their original 35mm which of course scratches at Tisher's very specific itch. Lonely Are The Brave is a black and white modern western starring Kirk Douglas. I didn't expect to like it and went because I've never seen a movie Tisher wanted to see, I always drag him to movies made in this decade. The first time we hung out I made him see Pirates Of The Caribbean 4 followed a week or two later with Moneyball.

Despite my expectations I enjoyed the film. Kirk Douglas plays a charming care-free cowboy tough, a loner unbound by fences, walls. or boarders. There was a feeling of freedom and wry rebellion about the film I loved. It also had a young perpetually hang-dog Walter Matthau.

The only negative was the protracted introduction speech given by this short pretentious weasel-man.