Week of July 31 to Aug. 6 (Mann)

What's on at the Tropic
by Phil Mann

If there's a theme this week, it's the run up to marriage. The immensely popular THE HANGOVER continues for another week. This is a buddy, frat-boy comedy about the so-called last night of freedom – the bachelor party. It's joined this week by THE PROPOSAL, a romantic comedy with a taming of the shrew theme. Sandra Bullock is Margaret Tate, a domineering publishing executive (think Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada), with a sweet male assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). But she's got a visa problem and is about to be deported (to Canada. What a plot point! Couldn't they have made it Iran or someplace interesting? Guess that's why it's a comedy.).

Her solution: Order her long-suffering assistant to marry her. You rom-com fans know where this is going. Couple hate each other, get thrown together, and fall in love. But as they say, the journey is more important than the destination. And Margaret and Andew have a pretty interesting and amusing trip, going from New York, to meet his parents in Sitka, Alaska, which turns out to be a sort of Key West of the north – lots of history, tourist attractions and fishing, with a relatively moderate climate. “A crowd-pleasing romantic comedy” says the New York Post.

For the kids, there's the new Warner animated hit, ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS. So the title's a non-sequitur. Did you think Warner was PBS? It's got cute squirrels (including the major female love interest, Scratté), awesome dinosaurs, and a heart-warming adoption of three T-Rex babies by a sloth. Did I say it's for kids? They'll love it.

If you missed the fabulous documentaries FOOD, INC. and EVERY LITTLE STEP, you've got another chance this week. Both have proven very popular and are held over.

The Monday Night Classic is THIS IS THE ARMY, a 1943 Irving Berlin musical starring two future politicians – George Murphy, later Senator from California; and Ronald Regan. It's a rousing good time, with musical hits including “Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning,” “This Is The Army, Mr. Jones,” and “God Bless America” belted out by Kate Smith. Please don't get too teary at the final song, “This Is The Last Time.”

"Dressed up to win
We're dressed up to win
Dressed up for victory
We are just beginning
And we won't stop winning
Till the world is free.

We'll fight to the finish this time
And we'll never have to do it again.”

Yeah, sure.

While you're enjoying this summer film selection, the Tropic has some good deals for you. The Summer Sizzles promotion gets you a free movie pass for every ten shows you see. Just ask at the Box Office for a Sizzles card and get it stamped every time you come. No membership necessary.

But there's also a great deal on new memberships. Join as a Couple and get a $10 Gift Card that can be used for anything at the theater, from beer to tickets. The membership is a good deal anytime -- $60 for the year gets you $3 off on every movie ticket – but now it's even better. With three full-time movie screens, and a fourth on the way, there's always something to see and the visit is always a pleasure, with friendly staff, bargain concessions and comfy seats.

Speaking of the fourth theater, it's due to open next week. I'll tell you more then.

Full info and schedules at TropicCinema.com.
Comments, please, to pmann99@gmail.com
[from Key West the Newspaper - www.kwtn.com]