DINNER 139: Friday, May 19, 2006

I flew by the house this evening after work to let the dogs outside then left again pretty quickly. Since Wendy had LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS at Falcon Theater tonight, I’d decided to go see THE DA VINCI CODE at my local multiplex. I’d purchased tickets online for the 6:40 show, so time was tight.

I made it to the theater by 6:20 after passing some guy standing at the entrance with a sign denouncing THE DA VINCI CODE. I managed to get ‘rock star’ parking — a spot right in front of the door — and was feeling pretty good about that until I noticed that the parking lot was mostly empty, which surprised me.

Going into the multiplex, my first stop was the Customer Service desk to get my tickets applied to my Star-Pass. Star-Pass is the customer loyalty program for National Amusements theaters. Free to join, it’s an amazing deal since it seems like they give you a free popcorn, soda, or ticket every other purchase you make! Wendy & I don’t go to movies very often, but we’ve already racked up enough points to join the “Director’s Club”, which offers free refills (!) on popcorn and soda, and free candy with some purchases and some other perks. So it is very worthwhile to stop and make sure your purchases are credited.

I picked up some popcorn, Milk Duds, and a Sierra Mist and headed into the theater. Settling into my reserved seat, I got comfortable and waited for the movie to begin. I was a little surprised when the usherette made an announcement that they would be showing a preview for the upcoming WORLD TRADE CENTER movie and invited anyone who might be uncomfortable with watching it to step outside. I looked around, but no one left.

After a while, the movie started. And ran. And ran. And was slow as a snail. And kinda boring. And Tom Hanks looked like he was daydreaming his way through it. And finally, it ended.

The movie was, in a word, okay. In more words, I think DA VINCI CODE was a very good book, but did not translate well into a movie. I’d rate it a 6.75/10.

So, long-and-short… Go to the cinema for a dinner of popcorn and Milk Duds. Join Star-Pass. Don’t rush to see DA VINCI CODE.