Flying Solo
I did something very new and outside my tiny, little comfort zone last night. I went to see a movie alone. I have never, ever done this before and the mere thought of it terrified me so much I had to tell several people I was going to do it so that they’d ask later to make sure I had. I’m not sure why it was so very frightening to me, but, well, it was. But, I did it anyway.
See, it’s like this… Movies, for me, are social events. They are things I go to with people, to share in the social aspect of the whole movie theater experience. It’s an event, even if a small one. A social occasion. A safe way to interact with my not so safe fellow man, or, if I’m lucky, fellow woman. But, LK (aka Ms. NewGal) was busy burning the candle at both ends and I didn’t really want to see more of my friends than I did this weekend and, well, a guy I’ve always admired for his social poise used to go to movies by himself, so… So, I screwed up my courage and went and did it. And had a very enjoyable time.
The movie itself was quite good, even though this is the third or fourth time it’s been done. Very exciting and filled with the very best special effects. The CG work on the ship rolling over alone is worth the $8.50 admission. Then, the whole upside-down ship with explosions and fire and madness and mayhem… Well, it’s very tense and very suspenseful and I loved it. If LK had been with me, she would have squeezed my arm so hard I think she’d have broken it. (She doesn’t do quite so well with suspensefull movies, by her own admission.) I mean, it had me squirming in my seat more than once and I could more or less see how things were going to work out the whole way through.
The best thing, though, was that there was no Shelly Winters character. She was replaced with a single, South American hottie. Horay for Hollywood!
I go to movies alone often, and sometimes even prefer to do so. I have a friend I go often with and she talks almost the entire time. I HATE that! But if you can find someone to go with that is quiet and actually can talk about the movie over coffee afterwards, then they’re the ones to go with!
Anyway….. the special effects were great, but how were the characters? Was there more depth to them? Could you identify with any of them? Were they at all believable? Is there anything to discuss afterwards besides the special effects? Just asking, it makes a difference when deciding if and who my company at the movie should be.
Comment by Cheri — 6/13/2006 @ 11:45 am
There was a little more development of the characters, but, really, not much. They were believable, in their setting, but the action kept things moving along so well and quickly any lack in characterization was lost in the shuffle. The effects and cinematography are the stars of the movie, for sure, but there was some minimal development of subplots.
Mainly, this was an action flick.
Comment by the Network Geek — 6/13/2006 @ 12:56 pm
I used to work in a movie theater, so it doesn’t bother me at all to go to movies by myself. Also, commuting into Manhattan, I’ve also had time to kill in between whatever I had to get done and meeting friends after they get off work. There’s nothing better than stealing away into the dark cold caverns of a multiplex, mid-afternoon in the heat of summer.
Comment by Jill — 6/21/2006 @ 12:16 pm
It still bugs me a lot. For me, movies have always been social events and I feel very odd being in a social setting while alone. But, I better get used to it. Looks like I’ll be flying solo quite a bit for awhile.
Comment by the Network Geek — 6/21/2006 @ 1:23 pm