More than meets the eye

Last night, we decided to go watch Transformers and boy, were we in for an experience. We picked the 9:30 showing. We got there at about 9:10 and bought our tickets in what would be the smoothest transaction of the evening.

9:15 pm - We're settled in our seats. We're early, but that's OK, we've got our cell phones and palm to keep us busy.

9:30?? pm - The previews begin. Sorry about the lack of an accurate time-stamp, I didn't know that I would be watching the time the rest of the night.

9:50 pm - The movie FINALLY starts. 20 minutes of previews??

9:57 pm - We're getting into the movie and then...shaking....and then a burning image starting in the middle of the screen (which happened to be right on the helicopter so it fooled us for a bit) and then...nothing....just black. Great.

10:01 pm - Employee comes in to say that the projector seized up and will no longer work. Options are: movie pass for a different time, refund, duck in to watch any movie they are playing, or go next door and watch Transformers at 10:20pm. When you live 45 minutes away and you've already made an effort to get there you kind of just want to go through with it. So, we walk next door and sit down.

10:10 pm - Playing solitaire on the PDA. Previews start. Oh, ten minutes early, I thought. Well, good, that'll make up some time 'cause we have to sit through it all again.

10:20 pm - Previews still playing - and they're different which is nice, in a way. There are a couple that are the same, but you get through it.

10:25 pm - Movie starts. Nice, only 15 minutes of previews this time. Different production studio logos...hmmm...? And then...Steve Carell comes up on the screen. What, another preview? Oh, no. This is Evan Almighty. NO WAY. Half the movie theater gets up and runs out. I'm thinking, no way they did this.

10:30 pm - Out comes the PDA to play solitaire again. This is getting old.

10:35 pm - Previews finally start. AGAIN. Now why it took so long for them to do anything beats me. And so begins the torture of sitting through previews yet again. If I have to see the preview for Hot Rod again, somebody is going to get hurt.

11:00 pm - The movie finally begins, again. We made it through 60 minutes of previews. We should get a medal.

11:07 pm - We hold our breath as the scene comes up that set in motion the whole series of events.

11:08 pm - We're breathing again and ecstatic that we're seeing something we haven't seen before.

1:20 am - Movie is over. And boy was it awesome. We probably should have gotten movie passes from the get go, but at one point in this saga we had to just stick to what we had decided to do - point of no return - and let me tell you, worth the wait.

2:05 am - The garage door to our house opens, we pull the car in, and crash into bed.


Update on the sleep report - nice, long sleep, which is what we needed after almost 4 hours in a really bad movie theater seat.