A day at the movies

Went to see Dunkirk at the AMC South Hills Village theater in Bethel Park, PA.

An excellent movie, in its actiony, docudrama, no plot or story kind of way, but no reason to see it twice.

Was it the best war movie, ever?

Phooey.

A slew of them made in the sixties and seventies about the same war were at least as good, though it was outstanding and beautifully filmed.

It felt very real.

Even frighteningly so, at times,

As for the experience, it was a one-stop lesson in why people don't go to the movies, any more.

Start with the line, a single line for both ticket purchase and food and drink purchase, so whether you wanted food and drink or not you had to wait while every dim bulb ahead of you scratched his head and his ass, figuring out what he ought to buy for food and drink, calling out across the lobby to ask the kids what they want, and so on and on.

And then there was the price, $ 8.00 plus tax for a Sunday matinee, no senior discount allowed.

And then it got worse.

I got there ten minutes before showtime and so expected to watch, and did watch, ten minutes of advertising.

And then I got to watch twenty minutes of additional ads and previews.

And then they put the wrong film on the screen.

Somebody reported the error and in about five minutes the screen went blank and the lights came on.

And then we looked at a blank screen for another ten minutes.

And then we got to watch yet another preview before the actual movie - the correct movie - came on.

But the screen curtains didn't properly adjust, so we got to watch the whole thing with two or three feet cut off on each side.

Nobody ever fixed that.

I paid eight dollars for all this.

It occurred to nobody to offer us our money back, or even a rain check, to compensate for these horrors.

AMC South Hills Village theater in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania.

Remember that name.

A name that will live in infamy.