Entertainment : In Depth - Life of Pi

What astonishes me is how much I love the use of 3-D in "Life of Pi." I've never seen the medium better employed, not even in "Avatar," and although I continue to have doubts about it in general, Lee never uses it for surprises or sensations, but only to deepen the film's sense of places and events. – Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert, avid hater of 3D, gives “Life of PI” 4 out of 4 stars and enthusiastically praises the movie’s storytelling and visual effects. He’s not the only one – critics and patrons alike give this supposedly unfilmable film rave reviews. Check out rottentomatoes.com/m/life-of-pi/.

“Life of PI 3D” plays the Palace Friday, February 8 through Thursday, February 11 at 7 pm, and Monday, February 11 at 2 pm. This epic adventure is rated PG for emotional thematic content throughout, and some scary action sequences and peril.

NOTE: Yes, the Palace calendar says “Pi” is PG-13, but it is not! I think Frank the Booker forgot to make rating changes when he sent me the February calendar. FYI – next week’s “Parental Guidance” is also PG. Interestingly, after a recent note about the lack of children’s and family movies at the Palace I checked and realized that since December 1, 2012, there have been 27 R-rated films released, 10 PG-13-rated movies, 2 PG shows, and no G-rated movies. Tough to be a family friendly theatre these days!

“Life of PI,” the dramatic and emotional story of a courageous young boy who is swept away on high seas, alone in a boat with a Bengal tiger, is appropriate for families, but not your youngest children. I wish I could tell you more, as I’ve had this book by French-Canadian author Yann Martel, on my nightstand for weeks, but still have not read it.

BAGS OR TUBS

What I can tell you is that the votes are in! Tubs won out, but there were several patrons who emailed to keep the bags due to the reasons cited in my previous column – mainly cost and environment.

Here’s the plan – the Palace Theatre will be going back to popcorn tubs very soon. For most sizes, as soon as this Friday night! And, thanks to some innovative suggestions from my Friday night volunteers, we will NOT be raising the prices!

However, we do strongly encourage patrons to take time to crush their popcorn tubs before placing them in the trash so the theatre does not have to add a second garbage pick-up to our week.

As always, thanks for your input and constructive criticism. Making your movie-going experience the best it can be is our highest priority at the Palace.