Hey kids, I’m back with a story about the messed upness that is California. Consider this to be a first of many updates concerning the odd things encountered here in good ole Los Angeles CA. There’s many topics to explore, the interstate system, driving, downtown Hollywood, but this one concerns going to see a movie last night at the Arclight
by the way, you could consider these written by both Allison and I as, well, in the course of writing this I’m more than likely stealing & paraphrasing things she’s said about the experience too.
So yeah, we were sitting arround the house w/ nothing much to do, and we don’t know where the zoo is, so we can’t get any retards and take them there. We decide to go see a movie. The movie picked by me and aproved by her was “A Scanner Darkly”. It’s only showing at select cinemas here, so we say “let’s head to the Arclight” as I kinda know where it’s at.
We’ll admit, we were like, well 15min late to the ACTUAL ticket counter. We mistakenly went the the Arclight Dome first and were asked for tickets. We reply “we need to buy tickets” and were told by a security guy to go to the other building to find the box office. We didn’t know about this, and the entrance isn’t well marked. When we finally find it and go in, there’s the same security guard and he asks us “do you have your tickets?” as if we just didn’t see him 3 minutes prior. We remark once again “we NEED to buy tickets” and then he goes on and on about the gift shop and the parking validation stand and the bar and the balcony before giving up so that we can by tickets. Like I said, we are 15min late for the movie at this point.
“2 for A Scanner Darkly” Allison says.
“What showing?” he asks.
“Uh, 8:30…” I remark.
“We know we’re late, can we still get in?” she asks.
The cashier looks at us and says “No can do.”
Fine, we tell him and say that the 10:05 show will be peachy.
Then he asks us “Would you like this near the center?”
We say yes, but not all too sure about why he would ask us.
That’s right, asigned seating. We figure it’s okey, but not what we’re used to. I mean, really, if I was 15 min late, that’s like still previews or the title intro, I’ve missed virtually nothing. So yeah, Allison and I went to go have beers in the archlight bar… which is in the lobby, it struck us as odd, but what the hell, when in Rome you know.
We spend our time drinking and talking and carrying on in our usual fasion until it’s time for the flick. Well we stop at the restrooms along the way. They are far too plush for a cinema. Allison remarks that the only other bathrooms she’s seen that swank are at Nordstrom’s.
After grabbing some snacks we go to find our seats, only to be greeted by an usher who leads us to ours. The ushers here really do earn thier paycheck. I notice that what would normally be filled w/ seats for the first 6 to 8 rows are empty. Right before the movie starts an usher (probly the lead or head usher) comes out to tell us turn off our mobiles and all that, you know, like the cheesy filmstrip usually tells us too. Then she welcomes us to “the Arclight’s showing of A Scanner Darkly” and then we all cheer. I don’t know why we did that. I’m sure Allison did it like I did it, to be sarcastic, but I could tell, not all the seats were filled w/ people cheering to be sarcastic.
For me, this is a little much for my movie going experience. I expect the film itself to be the specticle, not it’s suroundings. Allison and I plan to check out some more cinemas in the area to see what they’re each like. Next on the slate is “Pirates of the Caribean: Blah Blah Blah Fish Cakes 2″ at the El Capitan and “Back to the Future 2: This Time It’s Personal” at some place that has a concession stand open to the public.
