After a very stressful morning and an only slightly less stressful day at work, last night we went to a pleasantly relaxing preview screening at Potomac Yards of Just Like Heaven, a cute new romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and the endearingly-sexy-in-a-“normal guy”-though-not-classically-handsome-or-pop-idol-model-way, not to mention nicely furred Mark Ruffalo and set–and filmed–in San Francisco. The incredibly gorgeous apartment in which much of the film is set and featuring the most stunningly amazing views is, apparently, a real one in San Francisco in which the co-writer used to live.
Jeff had won free tickets to the screening–the movie doesn’t officially open until September 16–from the Washington Post Express; we’ve lucked out with free tickets to movie screenings on a number of occasions, and we’ve begun searching out other opportunities to enter and win such.
OK, granted we didn’t pay for the movie (which I enjoyed, even though it’s a pretty formulaic fluffy film), but I still feel entitled to rant about the concessions, since they’d have cost the same even if we’d had to pay the 8 or 9 bucks each ticket normally would cost. Total: $22 for two small, plain hot dogs (yes, I know, but we had to go straight from work and miss dinner), two sodas and a small, incredibly stale popcorn. The smallest soft drink available costs $4.25, and the smallest popcorn $5.50; at these prices, even DC gasoline at three and a half bucks a gallon begins to look like a bargain.
A plus to the evening, though, was the very responsive audience, one of the better in which I’ve experienced a movie in some time. In fact, the free screenings I’ve attended have had a better feel in that regard, overall, than the movies I’ve paid to see. Interesting, that.
Interesting, indeed. The “buffs” are a little more attentive than the normal “see whatever’s playing” crowd. Still, movie crowds seem like extensions of American life: living vicariously from a box, whether it’s a car or a TV or a movie. It’s rare to feel a connection with the mood of a crowd unless it’s something live, like theater or music.
Yes, very annoying about price of snacks. VERY. I stuff something in my pocket, but if I forget, I usualy have to get something. Popcorn is SO good at a movie. I think it’s a conspiracy!
Joseph and I got to see it early too… personally the message I like to take away from the movie is that career bitches die but boy crazy girls get woken up from their comas.
Weird you mentioned about the responsive audience because I had been thinking the same think about the audience here in Seattle… maybe there ere plants. Like the chick in my screening who exploded “Oh my gaaaaaad� at one of the not so surprising plot twists at the end.
Out of body, out of mind
I’ve been lucky in winning free passes to movie screenings lately. Last week we saw Just Like Heaven, starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. It’s kind of a zany but cute movie (if you don’t think too hard) about a…