Tim Vs. The Incredible Hulk

Jen and I went to see Hellboy II: The Golden Army last weekend. It was okay. About 20 minutes into the movie, I thought, "this is terrible," but it eventually got better. Some decent action scenes, decent animation. I loved the movie Pan's Labyrinth and this was directed by the same guy...so maybe I was expecting more. Plus, after watching Dark Knight a couple of weeks ago, it was just no comparison.


But, as we were leaving the theatre, I saw, hiding in the shadows of a corner down at the end of the hallway, a massive, hulking figure. It was, indeed, The Incredible Hulk. I gave Jen my phone and asked her to take a picture of me battling it out with the Hulk. Here it is:




Hey...I'm standing my ground! I'll take on the big, green guy!

Hancock! On IMAX!

So, being the superhero fan that I am, I couldn't wait to see Hancock. The idea of an everyman who becomes a reluctant superhero sounded really appealing. And...as an added bonus...it's showing on IMAX.

So...the very first day tickets became available...I bought two of 'em online for the 8:05 showing--opening night, Wednesday, July 2nd. We scheduled a babysitter...even had her come early, so we could beat the crowds. I've been thinking about this movie all week!

The sitter shows up at 6:45. The theatre is only five minutes away, so after chit-chat and stuff, we make it to the theatre by 7:00...an hour early. We make our way to the IMAX doors, fully expecting a line. There isn't one. No one is there. Hmmm...interesting. So we walk right ino the theatre. It's already dark. The trailers have already started...and almost every seat is taken.

What the?... It's only 7:05. The movie isn't supposed to start for another hour. What's going on?

So, assuming I misread something, I go back to the ticket guy and ask him to see the tickets I printed out at home. Sure enough. They say:

Hancock

8:05pm

July 2, 2008

IMAX

"Ummm...I'm here for the 8:05 showing. How is it that the movie is starting now...at 7:00?"

"Oh. I think we changed the time." the ticket-taker says.

"You what!!!???" Man, I was ticked. How can they change the time AFTER I've already bought tickets? My wife and I were able to find seats...they weren't great...but we at least got to see the movie.

Now...was it all worth it? You bet! I loved this movie! Now...the storyline takes some twists that I absolutely DID NOT EXPECT (which can be a good thing--and in this case, it was) but this is a good movie. I definitely want to see it again. Will Smith is great. Jason Bateman does a really good job...and Charlize Theron does too. An all-around good flick.

One warning for parents: There's quite a bit of foul language in the movie (which is somewhat surprising for a Will Smith movie) so you might wanna think about that before taking little ones.

A Most Depressing Dream

I had a dream last night that absolutely depressed me. I dreamed I was flying. (Usually, flying dreams are awesome--although, in my flying dreams I used to soar over rooftops and trees...now I just hover about 5 or 6 feet above the ground, gliding past people.) Anyway, I was at this strip mall that had a movie theatre...and I was zipping past people. It was pretty cool. I landed at the ticket booth for the movie, where my friend Jay was standing. "We want two tickets to Cloverfield." he said. "Jay..." I interrupted, "You know we have to go to class. We can't go see the movie right now." "Oh, okay." he replied, dejected. And he walked off. I continued to fly around for a bit, when all of the sudden, my wife was there. "Hi honey!" she smiled. "Hey, I want to show you something." I said. Apparently I had never revealed to her that I could fly...and now was going to be the moment. "Check this out." I zipped around the mall area, passing by people who would just glance at me. I did a couple of twirls and landed back in front of my wife. "So...whaddya think?" She was silent. Stunned. And she started to cry. "What's wrong? Are you freaked out that I can fly?" "Honey," she said in her sweet voice, trying desperately not to upset me, "You're not flying. Your'e just standing there with your arms out...and one leg in the air. And people are staring at you. They think something's wrong with you." It hit me hard. I couldn't really fly. Maybe there is something wrong with me...mentally. Then, like a scene out of Sixth Sense, I played all my flying adventures back in my head. I wasn't moving past people, they were moving past me. And the occasional glances were people wondering "what's up with this freak?" I can't fly after all. I woke up...thorougly depressed.

Classless

I already told you about August Rush, the recent movie my wife and I saw during Thanksgiving weekend...but let me tell you about what happened just before the movie. Keep in mind we were on a date, leaving our baby boy at home with his grandparents. You may not know, but we went through nearly 12 years of thinking we weren't going to be blessed with children. Then, our little miracle came along. Morgan is our pride and joy. I love him more than I can put into words. And even though it was Jen's mom and dad watching him...it was still difficult to leave him at home while we went to a movie. So, we're a little stressed as it is. Then, the lights dimmed and the previews began. The very first video starts with a closeup of Jennifer Anniston. She looks directly into the camera and says, "Your son will not live to see his next birthday." Jen and I just looked at each other and she started to cry. What a horrible thing to say to someone! Especially a new mom and dad who are at a movie, leaving their baby boy at home. It was an ad campaign by St. Judes Children's Hospital. I know what they were trying to do with the ad campaign, but I think it's tacky and classless. Shame on St. Judes. I can't believe they have to stoop to such cheap scare tactics to try to drum up donors. I don't like this campaign by St. Judes at all...and I sent them an email to say just that. I hope you will do the same by sending them a message here.