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.

Crunch

So...after 25 years of driving, it finally happened. My first accident. I was on my way to work this morning. It was beautiful...sunny. I had the top down on the Jeep, singing along to Extreme's Hole Hearted. There was one car in front of me doing about 30mph when the light turned yellow...and it appeared she wasn't going to stop, so I figured I'd follow right behind her. Mistake. She DID decide to stop. She rode her brakes pretty hard...and I slammed on mine. Only my big bruiser jeep has anti-lock brakes and 33 inch tires. It wasn't going to stop anytime soon. It felt like an eternity. I put all of my weight into both feet on the brake pedal as I focused on the back end of her brand new, shiny silver 2008 Nissan Sentra. CRUNCH! "*&^%$#!" Yeah, I said a few things I'm not proud of. I immediately jumped out of the car to ask her if she was okay. She said "Yes." Thank God. I asked her to pull over to the shoulder and she did. I called the police. It took forever for them to get there. Meanwhile, there's that feeling of being on display for everyone else who's driving by. The shame. I exchanged information with the other driver. I got a ticket. The back end of her Nissan with the temporary paper plates was scrunched...caved in. Undrivable. My Jeep, on the other hand, looked like it had nothing wrong with it. Except the license plate was a little bent. After all the dispensing of information, I drove away...leaving that poor woman crying there. But thankfully her husband had arrived to console her. Ugh. What a crappy way to start the day...for both of us. Thankfully we both have insurance. More importantly, thankfully, no one was hurt.