Movies, Boston Style
Sigh. So now I have to wait an entire year for The Return of the King. And when that one's over, it's done, and all I'm left with is an empty feeling. Two Towers was fantastic. Really. (Hey, check it out: you can search for all Elvish films on the IMDb.)
What a contrast, though, between seeing The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring last year and seeing Two Towers this year. Last year, opening night, Eugene got tickets for a whole mess of us, and even though I had just gotten back from doing my time on the night shift in Fernley, I was determined to stay up to watch it. KJ and I trooped down first to the Cinerama to wait in line for seats. We weren't too far back, and the line wrapped around the block. I had brought my peanut-butter surprise cookies (recipe by Martha). KJ and I struck up a conversation with the guy in front of us and she convinced him to try the cookies, even though he obviously had no interest in taking sweets from strangers. He then asked for more, and when his wife showed, forced cookies on her. His wife and I both confessed our Martha devotion, bonding immediately, which would only happen in a LOTR line in Seattle. I remember is was cold, or rather, what I used to think of as cold, probably in the mid-40s, and so Adam stopped by Ann Taylor and bought me a cute pink and lavender hat. Eventually everyone showed, and I believe there were twelve or fifteen of us, and we rushed into the theater to grab seats, but we had to separate, because we couldn't get enough seats together. Seeing a movie at the Cinerama is magic. Paul Allen renovated the old theater and the lush seats, the huge screen, incredible sound, and the plush surroundings make it the place to see any film. The crowds at this theater get so excited, and there's plenty of cheering and clapping and laughing (but in a good, not-interfering-with-the-movie way). This morning, Eugene took 39 folks with him to see the 7:45 a.m. showing of Two Towers (which I keep wanting to call Twin Towers. I can't be alone on this one).
And here? Well, for starters, there are no 7:45 a.m. showings. I was able to get tickets for tonight as of last Friday at a theater in a 'burb not too far from here. I found one friend who wanted to see the film. We had two extra tickets, which we were able to sell easily, but everyone I spoke to said, "Oh, I never even saw the first one," or "Just not into it." At the theater, we all waited in an orderly fashion inside the theater about 40 minutes before the show started. When they let people in, everyone calmly walked to find a seat. No chatting with strangers (although I did inject myself into a conversation I was eavesdropping on [what? me eavesdrop? never!] behind me about which trailers go on which films). The theater was your average theater, and once the movie started, I was sucked right in, but it wasn't the same.
Of course, this is probably the last time a big gang is going to a flick in Seattle, too. Eugene is definitely the driving force behind that one, and he's taking a leave from Amazon (good for you, Eugene!), most likely to climb the very LOTR mountains in New Zealand; Scott is midway on his biking trip from Key West to Sand Diego (last I heard from him, he was nearing Big Bend in Texas); others are preparing to depart and even though I've only been gone for a handful of months, I probably wouldn't recognize most of the people at the company anymore. It seems as if almost every day I get more and more e-mails from folks saying good-bye to Amazon and sending out their new contact info. Almost all the Amazonians I started with are gone, scattered about Seattle and the country. So even Seattle isn't Seattle anymore (and while some may quibble that Amazon is not Seattle, for many years, for better or for worse, it did seem to be my life). And while I miss Seattle, I'm certainly growing accustomed to Boston's face. I am quite surprised that I really like all the cold weather and snow. Makes for cozy evenings. My only true complaint about Boston (although I reserve the right to come up with others) is I haven't met enough folks with spunk. Oh, there are a couple (hi Wendy and Shannon!), but not nearly enough. Know any spunky Bostonians? Send them my way.
And, in the meantime, go see Two Towers. And until you get to the theater, you can listen to the rap. That movie rocked! Go. NOW!
What a contrast, though, between seeing The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring last year and seeing Two Towers this year. Last year, opening night, Eugene got tickets for a whole mess of us, and even though I had just gotten back from doing my time on the night shift in Fernley, I was determined to stay up to watch it. KJ and I trooped down first to the Cinerama to wait in line for seats. We weren't too far back, and the line wrapped around the block. I had brought my peanut-butter surprise cookies (recipe by Martha). KJ and I struck up a conversation with the guy in front of us and she convinced him to try the cookies, even though he obviously had no interest in taking sweets from strangers. He then asked for more, and when his wife showed, forced cookies on her. His wife and I both confessed our Martha devotion, bonding immediately, which would only happen in a LOTR line in Seattle. I remember is was cold, or rather, what I used to think of as cold, probably in the mid-40s, and so Adam stopped by Ann Taylor and bought me a cute pink and lavender hat. Eventually everyone showed, and I believe there were twelve or fifteen of us, and we rushed into the theater to grab seats, but we had to separate, because we couldn't get enough seats together. Seeing a movie at the Cinerama is magic. Paul Allen renovated the old theater and the lush seats, the huge screen, incredible sound, and the plush surroundings make it the place to see any film. The crowds at this theater get so excited, and there's plenty of cheering and clapping and laughing (but in a good, not-interfering-with-the-movie way). This morning, Eugene took 39 folks with him to see the 7:45 a.m. showing of Two Towers (which I keep wanting to call Twin Towers. I can't be alone on this one).
And here? Well, for starters, there are no 7:45 a.m. showings. I was able to get tickets for tonight as of last Friday at a theater in a 'burb not too far from here. I found one friend who wanted to see the film. We had two extra tickets, which we were able to sell easily, but everyone I spoke to said, "Oh, I never even saw the first one," or "Just not into it." At the theater, we all waited in an orderly fashion inside the theater about 40 minutes before the show started. When they let people in, everyone calmly walked to find a seat. No chatting with strangers (although I did inject myself into a conversation I was eavesdropping on [what? me eavesdrop? never!] behind me about which trailers go on which films). The theater was your average theater, and once the movie started, I was sucked right in, but it wasn't the same.
Of course, this is probably the last time a big gang is going to a flick in Seattle, too. Eugene is definitely the driving force behind that one, and he's taking a leave from Amazon (good for you, Eugene!), most likely to climb the very LOTR mountains in New Zealand; Scott is midway on his biking trip from Key West to Sand Diego (last I heard from him, he was nearing Big Bend in Texas); others are preparing to depart and even though I've only been gone for a handful of months, I probably wouldn't recognize most of the people at the company anymore. It seems as if almost every day I get more and more e-mails from folks saying good-bye to Amazon and sending out their new contact info. Almost all the Amazonians I started with are gone, scattered about Seattle and the country. So even Seattle isn't Seattle anymore (and while some may quibble that Amazon is not Seattle, for many years, for better or for worse, it did seem to be my life). And while I miss Seattle, I'm certainly growing accustomed to Boston's face. I am quite surprised that I really like all the cold weather and snow. Makes for cozy evenings. My only true complaint about Boston (although I reserve the right to come up with others) is I haven't met enough folks with spunk. Oh, there are a couple (hi Wendy and Shannon!), but not nearly enough. Know any spunky Bostonians? Send them my way.
And, in the meantime, go see Two Towers. And until you get to the theater, you can listen to the rap. That movie rocked! Go. NOW!
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