It was the first day after I had finished high school.
I was done with high school forever and instead of finding myself partying it up or starting some lame summer job, I found myself waiting inline for tickets for the first “Star Wars” prequel.
Remember, this was before buying movie tickets online became the norm in fact, I’m not even sure you could buy movie tickets online before the millennium (I graduated high school in 1999). Nope, you had to buy your tickets old school at the box office.
So there I was, in line with Star War nerds waiting for “The Phantom Menace.” I¹m particularly not a huge “Star Wars” fan but my best high school friend was, so I guess I was by proxy.
The line literally snaked all the way around the theater. We lined up around maybe 5 or 6 a.m. to wait for the box office to open at noon. We had thought about camping overnight but decided to leave that up to the hardcore nerds.
We played “Star Wars” trivia to kill the time. We brought our toy lightsabers for impromptu intergalactic battles. We got sunburned.
When the box office opened, we slowed made our way to the front, paid for our tickets for the midnight showing and we were set . . . only to come back in a week and wait even longer for seats.
Nowadays, you buy your movie tickets in advance, sometimes up to a week, print them at home and then show up 20 minutes before the movie starts. No fuss, no mess.
Tonight, I'm driving to Denver to watch “The Dark Knight" at midnight. I had hoped to see the movie on the state's only IMAX screen but when our group went to buy our tickets last week, the theater was already sold out.
I guess on the surface, seeing a movie at midnight doesn't make much sense. It’s going to be the same exact movie when it plays at the same theater on Sunday at 3 p.m. So why bother?
I guess I make the pilgrimage to midnight movies to make an event out of seeing a movie on the big screen. I wrote earlier that as of late, I have been going to midnight showings more out of habit that in anticipation of movies but for the most part it's still worthwhile.
I remember in college, driving to either Boulder or Denver to go see the three “Lord of the Rings” movies at midnight showings. The movies all came out either the week before or during finals, which made going to them and passing class a challenge but still worth it.
There is just something about seeing a movie with a roomful of people eagerly awaiting what is about to appear before them. I remember during the “The Phantom Menace,” when the Lucasfilm logo came up and people cheering and rooting from their seats. I found myself cheering. It made going to the movies an actual experience. Sometimes going to see a movie shouldn't be so casual.
But the midnight venture must be reserved for big popcorn movies. “Shawshank Redemption,” “No Country for Old Men” were great movies but just don’t warrant a midnight venture. If you are having a hard time determining what movies you should see at midnight, ask yourself how likely it would be to see a grown man dressed as an elf, wizard, pirate or superhero. Luckily, my movie troupe stops short of dressing up for movie premieres.
Then when the movies end (and I mean after the final credits - movie nerds ALWAYS stay past the credits to see if there is a final scene left for the devoted fans - it's our equivalent of an encore), you walk out opening sharing your opinion of the movie with friends and the complete stranger you sit next to. Or sharing your frustration with everyone about George Lucas’ audacity of CGI-ing Yoda.
And I don't think the people that go see midnight movies are going for bragging rights to say they saw it before anyone else. If that were true, they would either have to be a theater owner, movie executive or the very least, move to the East Coast where midnight comes first. Sure some see it at midnight so they can rush home after and post leaks online and bicker over minuscule details on postings but I'm sure that group doesn't represent the vast of us midnighters.
I have the highest hopes for “The Dark Knight.” I have for the most part stayed in the dark as reviews have started to roll out but the tidbits I have seen have left me with the impression that this movie is going to be freakin’ awesome.
And yeah, I might be a little grumpy come Friday (I don't expect to be back from Denver anytime before 4 a.m.) but it's totally worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment