Dinner & A Show: Coney Island Diner and 'Paranormal Activity'

Dinner…

Coney Island Diner

44121 Harry Byrd Hwy., Suite 100

Ashburn, VA 20147

I have lamented in the past about the lack of diners in the area. Call me simple, but I’ve got a soft spot for comfort food and breakfast food served all day. Keeping this in mind, I noted the recent opening of the Coney Island Diner with interest, and finally decided to check it out.

Having been raised in Loudoun, I’ve never even been to Coney Island, but from what I can tell it must be a great place. The menu has a selection of the standard diner selection, with the addition of Coney Island (foot-long) hot dogs. The little kid in me demanded the Coney Island Special—twin foot-longs in chili and sour cream.  Served with thick French fries, my first instinct was to try to swallow the whole thing in a mouthful—a leftover instinct from my days at Sterling Middle School. It was all I could do to restrain myself.  Instead, I simply sat back to slowly enjoy a pretty good dog in a fun little diner.

 On the whole, it made for a very nice (and inexpensive) lunch break. The prices were reasonable and the service was attentive. The best part of the experience at Coney Island Diner is the authenticity, and the understanding that you’re not part of a chain. The only confusing part is the location—in the ground floor of an office building next to the large Community Church on Rt. 7, between Lansdowne Boulevard and Ashburn Village Boulevard.

…And a Show

Paranormal Activity (R)

Synopsis: A young couple buys a videocamera to capture the strange activity occurring in their home. The more the couple documents, the more serious the paranormal activity becomes.  

Review:

We’re now in the midst of October and the scary movies are apparently out in force. If you’re looking for a smart one, consider “Paranormal Activity,” as it slowly expands into a wide release. Like “Blair Witch Project” before it, the film was shot on a shoestring budget with the cameras as part of the story—in a YouTube generation, where everything is now recorded and posted, this could very well be the wave of the future.

 In general, the mockumentary style has had only a few notable successes over the years—what it brings to the table in lower production costs and realism is often overshadowed by the fact that the endeavor succeeds or fails only by the production’s talent. Here, an Internet marketing strategy has put “Paranormal Activity”—made for less than $15,000—in competition against movies made for (at least) 100 times that.

 Rather than extol on the brilliant editing of the footage or the natural chemistry of the novice actors, let’s talk about suspense—the likes of which haven’t seen in years. Completely naturalist, the movie begins on a light note with spooky events at an explainable minimal. You learn to like the young couple (YouTube also having taught us that voyeurism is okay), but this affection is used against you as the suspense mercilessly builds throughout the 99 minute movie. Most thrillers raise suspense and then minimize it with humor or a minor scare. In “Paranormal Activity,” there is no release so as events begin to build, the suspense rises to an almost exhausting level.

 See at your own risk.

 Rating (1-5): 4

John Geddie hears “ghost” and he calls his real estate agent immediately.

Next: Where the Wild Things Are