Ready to Depart from the heat of summer in exchange for a bunch of really cool stars? We’ve got a guardian to protect us, a couple of scoundrels to keep us on our toes, a dedicated employee, a savvy card player, kingly men and more than one determined woman! Our latest Trip Back in Movie Time Tour is sure to be Infamous from Hollywood(land), to Babel to the beaches and beyond…

Kiss those post summer blues good bye and raise a flag (or a glass of wine) to our stars and starlets of 2006.

Originally Published in the Sun by the Sea…September/October 2006 edition

Meg the Movie Buff Goes to Hollywood

2006 INDIAN SUMMER MOVIE GUIDE

With summer soon becoming one of The (dearly) Departed, why not take a trip to a land (or movie theater) not so far, far away? Once outside shorelines (also known as a darkened movie theater), you may come across some interesting characters. The Guardian, fresh from the lifeguard program, has no time for so-called students at the School of Scoundrels, who, when not cheating others, are ogling the Employee of the Month, who just wants a month off to work on her tan. She’ll soon find that the beach in Hollywoodland, while tan-worthy, is not nearly as inviting as our sandy shore. Looking to become Infamous among the movie stars in that magical land, All the King’s Men agree, fall is a great time to travel to a movie theater near you! Lucky You to have a first-class (movie) ticket!

Before planning that trip, please check your local listings as release dates get lost along the way as often as tired travelers.

A producer (Michelle Pfeiffer) emphatically states, I Could Never Be Your Woman (opens Sept. 8^th) to an actor (Paul Rudd) while her daughter (Saoirse Ronan) discovers love for the first time. Mother Nature (Tracey Ullman) interferes, stirring up more trouble than the storms at sea.

Fame meets misfortune in Hollywoodland (opens Sept. 8^th), where a private detective (Adrien Brody) investigates the suicide of Superman actor George Reeves (Ben Affleck). Further proof that time spent in Wildwood is way better for the soul.

Eric Bana is hoping to take on the title of Lucky You (opens Sept. 8^th) as a professional card player trying his luck at the World Series Poker in Las Vegas.  Hoping some of that luck will rub off on them are costars Drew Barrymore and Robert Duvall.

Sharing The Last Kiss (opens Sept. 15^th) are Zach Braff and Jacinda Barrett, a couple who live together despite his commitment issues. Maybe committing to a long, pre-autumn row around the island will set them on the right track.

Two men (Dane Cook and Dax Shepard) vie for the coveted Employee of the Month (opens Sept. 15^th) when they discover the employee of their dreams (Jessica Simpson) only dates the winners. More competitive than the Surf Fishing Tournament, with a different kind of trophy.

All the King’s Men (opens Sept. 22^nd) stand at attention as a journalist (Jude Law) gets caught up in the politics of a Southern populist (Sean Penn). Marching alongside at a parade is a much less controversial way to spend an afternoon.

While local lifeguards are ready to call it a season, Kevin Costner takes on a protective role of The Guardian (opens Sept. 22^nd), a grieving rescue swimmer who mentors a swim champ (Ashton Kutcher), ultimately leading to work in Alaska. There, the true test of heroism awaits.

With beach season coming to a close, the School of Scoundrels will open for business on Sept. 29^th. When a down-on-his-luck meter reader (Jon Heder) enrolls in a class to build his confidence and get his dream girl (Jacinda Barrett), he finds himself in competition with his instructor (Billy Bob Thornton).

The Departed (opens Oct. 6^th) are a gangster (Matt Damon) pretending to be a Boston cop and an actual undercover cop (Leonardo DiCaprio) pretending to be part of the Irish mafia. Each tries to unmask the other, neither wanting to miss the beginning of the Irish Fall Festival!

Life is just a ray of Sunshine (opens Oct. 13^th) for eight astronauts (including Rose Byrne, Cillian Murphy and Chris Evans) who are on a mission to reignite part of the dying sun. Worth noting, the last crew embarking on this mission vanished as quickly as the aforementioned sun on a stormy day.

Truman Capote (Tobey Jones) becomes Infamous (opens Oct. 13^th) when he forms a friendship with convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith while conducting research for his novel In Cold Blood. Also looking for fame are Gwyneth Paltrow, Daniel Craig and Sandra Bullock.

Director Clint Eastwood tells the life stories of the six men who raised the Flags of our Fathers (opens Oct. 20^th) at The Battle of Iwo Jima during WWII. Portraying the men who deserve their own display of fireworks on the beach are Ryan Phillippe, Barry Pepper and Paul Walker.

Living in a Fast Food Nation (opens Oct. 20^th) a marketing executive (Greg Kinnear) finds himself in a moral dilemma while investigating exactly what’s in the food he profits from. Clearly not Boardwalk-style cooking. Also traveling down that morally-questionable fast food lane are Catalina Sandino Moreno and Bruce Willis.

While the Little Children (opens Oct. 20^th) learn how to play well with others at Tot Time, parenthood weighs heavily on the adults in a small town community. Desperately in need of a tot-free night out are Kate Winslet and Jennifer Connelly.

The dream of a peaceful fall season leads to The Nightmare Before Christmas (3-D version, opens Oct. 29^th). Moving from Halloween Town to Christmas Town, Jack Skellington becomes intrigued and attempts to put on Christmas instead of Halloween with the help of the local ghouls and goblins. Featuring the voices of Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon and Catherine O’Hara.

In Babel (opens Oct. 27^th (also known as the Moroccan desert), a married couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) find tragedy waiting for them while on vacation, setting off a chain reaction in the lives of those around them. One more reason to travel no further than your local theater.

With the end of summer comes The Last Kiss of beach weather. The Flags of our Fathers have been raised signaling the time the Little Children fear, also known as Back to School time. Meanwhile, the big kids face their own pre-Nightmare Before Christmas and trade in their beach bags for briefcases. Before returning to reality, weary film travelers make a brief pit stop in the land of Babel and, having tried their unique style of cooking, finds a better appreciation for Boardwalk-style cuisine in our very own Fast Food Nation. Realizing I Could Never Be Your Woman (or waitress), our cast of characters, happy to be back on sandy ground, discover there’s no reason to go anywhere when Sunshine abounds by the sea…🍿🥤