Save Money This Summer with a Film Focused Staycation

Save Money This Summer with a Film Focused Staycation. As a student, I found I could “travel” abroad for as little as $7.50! How is this possible?  By taking a staycation. That way, I created my own film festival.  Most of the old repertory theaters are gone. With them, went double features with great prices. Today you can still have a double feature. Make your own selection. Start with the highly discounted morning show. Find an economical sandwich bar for lunch. Then return for your afternoon matinee. This works on weekends. However, nothing is more delicious than slipping away from work for a weekday afternoon show. If you prefer, amass DVD’s to play at home. Alternatively, download to your devices at home or on the go.

The question now is how to make your selections.  I am the only known film buff admitting to having sat through Ishtar twice. As a result, I have a rule of thumb. If I liked the film, you may want to make an alternate selection!

Consider the following:

Save Money This Summer with a Film Focused Staycation:

Tip 1: Find a film that takes you outside of your everyday world.

1. On a rainy Fourth of July, I opted for Independence Day: Resurgence. This was the perfect escape from the daily grind. The “good guys” here on earth were in the ultimate battle with extraterrestrials.  The special effects, though, were a lot better than the script. Whenever you see there is an option for 3D, this may be the case! I was never a Star Trek fan. However, Independence Day Resurgence was entertaining.

Save Money This Summer with a Film Focused Staycation:

Tip 2:  Choose a children’s film to remember what summer was like with no work Monday-Friday.

Adults as well as children are fans of “anything with animals”.

• Just this summer alone, we have 3 such offerings:  Finding Dory, The Secret Life of Pets and Dog Lovers.  Finding Dory is the obvious sequel to Finding Nemo, already a crowd pleaser.  Of course, Finding Dory is a totally different approach than A Fish Named Wanda. (Spoiler alert: If you haven’t seen this classic, the “star” runs the risk of ending up a culinary delight).
• All of us who leave the house for work can relate to the Secret Life of Pets. If you don’t have a nanny-cam, how can you know what happens when you close the door behind you? Sometimes it is subtle. When you return home, an area rug that has moved from the living room to the kitchen. You spy a half-eaten dust pan.  There is a fresh, new hole dug in the kitchen floor.  What does this all add up to? Clearly, our pets have much more fun during their “work day” than we do.
• In August 2016, Academy Award Winner Kevin Spacey took on his most challenging role.  As a work addicted billionaire, he has been miraculously turned into a cat. Only good behavior will convert him back to his non-feline existence.

Save Money This Summer with a Film Focused Staycation:

Tip 3:  Watch something terrifying that in no way resembles your real life.

Next comes The Shallows with Blake Lively. Shark Week has officially ended making this a perfect summer movie. What adds to the terror? Being really close to shore is no help! (I discovered this for real Upriver in the Amazon. I was surprised to learn that hungry piranhas like the shallow, close-in waters. The proof? A fellow traveler’s toe provided an irresistible bite for a passing piranha a few feet from shore. One of the great frightening real life summer films was Open Water. This was a true story. Divers at the Great Barrier Reef were inadvertently left behind. Of course, staying “safely” at home presents its own risk. I discovered this one year. I ordered and assembled a bumper protector for my car. That was the end to crumbled bumpers. That New Year’s Eve proved it. I stepped outside to find a perfectly unscratched front bumper. Unfortunately, in the interim, an enormous tree had fallen on top. My car was smashed like a pancake and totaled.  So much for careful planning!

Tip 4:  Find a historic film where you will learn something new.

I find this works well with Russian stories of the tsars and battles with Napoleon and a myriad of others.  Another option is sorting out the tangle of films on the British monarchy.  Have you ever wondered in Richard the Third really killed his little nephews?  Moving on to Mary Queen of Scots, her three marriages present ample material for a modern day soap opera.  Of course, many “historic” depictions are docudramas so they may vary from the actual events.

Tip 5:  Enjoy “traveling abroad” in the comfort of your own home via videos.

I have found even when I am on the road I am fascinated by the local travel channel. There is nothing like watching “diving with sharks” as apres-ski in Norway!  Think of all the extra airfare you are saving.

Having made it to 67 countries with all 10 toes intact, piranhas aside, I highly recommend traveling the world and checking off every item on your bucket list.  However, if your travel budget is running low, do consider your own film focused staycation. Give us your feedback on our ideas how to Save Money this Summer with a Film Focused Staycation. You can reach us directly on the Contacts Page.