First off, going to any movie at the Landmark Theater in Edina at 50th and France is an experience. You park in a ramp a mile away and as soon as you open your car door, the smells of the neighborhood overwhelm you. But, this isn’t downtown Minneapolis smells, this is Edina smells and the garlic and breads and so many aromatic scents are wafting through the air….well, it’s heavenly.

So, you make your trek to the theater on 50th St. and of course you must cross the street in a pedestrian crosswalk. Well, there are few times in life that you feel you have such amazing powers as when you step into the crosswalk and all the cars and buses and taxis and everyone stops for you. There’s no doubt that they are cursing you under their breath but it’s still a great feeling.

Second, going to the Landmark is like taking a step back in time. This is the kind of theater that was built in probably the 70’s and the gum under the seats is likely still the same. It’s not your standard mutliplex with 20 screens and recliners that make your home chairs blush in shame. No, these seats are small and cramped together and it’s like the movies used to be. Now, I’m all for the upgrades of a modern movie theater but when you want to see an “Indie” picture, this is where you go.

One of my favorite movies, Samsara, was shown here and it was incredible.

Ok, to Jojo Rabbit. If you don’t know the name Taika Waititi it isn’t his fault. He’s only been involved with little movies like Avengers and things like that. Anyways, he’s certainly one of the most creative and imaginative filmmakers right now and this movie is no different. It’s a comedy, drama, war, family (and more) movie. You’ll laugh at things you don’t know if you should but it’s all so very clever. The boy who plays Jojo, Roman Griffin Davis, is really good and so are all the performances.

It’s different, there’s no doubt about it, but you won’t soon forget it.