Posts Tagged ‘movie theater’
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With great regret, I must forewarn you all that today’s blog will be all about hate. It is unfortunate considering this is the last Theater Hopper strip of 2002, but best to vent now before midnight tomorrow and all that “fresh start” and “new cheer” crap gets underway.
First, let me say that I absolutely HATE my local Fox affiliate. I cursed their name quite loudly when they pre-empted The Simpsons for a basketball game between Iowa State and UNI. This is the second time this year they’ve done this. Normally I would be on board to support the Panthers, but may the Lord help anyone who stands between me and the best damn show in television history. The bastards.
Second, about today’s strip.
Anyone who knows me knows my hatred for my local multiplex – The Wynnsong 16 – burns white hot and rages without boundaries. They also know, like a chump, I keep going back there because it is one of the only theaters boasting both stadium seating and THX sound. You can see my dilemma.
However, as good as the physical theaters are, they barely compensate for the crew of nearly retarded helper monkeys they have manning the ticket booths, concessions and projection booths. Today’s strip is but one of the many TRUE STORIES I’ve collected in my experience with Wynnsong.
The above tale took place less than a week ago when I went to see Star Trek: Nemesis. I went to the matinee. I asked for two tickets and was charged $15.00. I had a twenty in my hand and gave it to the drooling goon with the mop-top haircut. But once I had my tickets, I slowly realized that matinee prices should be… y’know, cheaper.
Immediately stepping back up to the booth, I went back to the same dude who sold me tickets. I explained calmly “I just bought tickets for the 1:30 matinee, but you charged me full price.”
A blank stare greeted me from behind the glass.
“So that means you charged me five dollars more than you should have,” I continued to explain. I waited for him to leap into action.
Still a blank stare.
Then the employees flanking him started walking him through the procedure to return to me my five dollars. They were pointing at buttons on the cash register he should press and did everything but grab his hand to pluck my refund out of the drawer for him.
The whole process took about four minutes longer than it should have.
With my cash firmly in my grasp, I waited for some kind of apology or a humble “Oops. My mistake!” but got nothing. This cretin didn’t say a word to me about it. Not even a half-hearted “Enjoy your show!”
I walked into the theater wondering how people such as he could even conjure the will to bathe themselves in the morning.
This is but one of the many reasons why I hate the Wynnsong 16.
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Well, here we are. 2003. Everyone make it through okay? While I have no tales of New Year’s Eve debauchery to share, I am glad to see another year. Here’s to you and yours.
I have to apologize for the delay on the strip. I know I said late morning/early afternoon, but it turned into early evening. But at least I got it to ya on a Wednesday!
As you can see, I’m continuing the “Why I Hate Wynnsong” theme this week. The above event is based on truth, but exaggerated greatly on the end. I know I’m dipping into Seinfied territory with today’s bit of satire, but I am extremely annoyed with the concessions people who repeatedly try to push on you these stupid combo meals. The amount of popcorn they give you could feed a family of four. Why do I need a refill?
“And have you ever noticed how difficult it is to open a bag of airline peanuts?”
By the way, has anyone else noticed the extra care I’ve taken when coloring panes of glass? It’s like, my new thing, or whatever.
No real news today, so I guess I’ll remind you to vote in our poll. It will only take a second and it helps me to know which way to turn the rudder when plotting the future course of this site. The current poll is all about Top Web Comics and it seems to have generated some interest. It’s already racked up a quarter of the votes our last poll took a week to pull together.
Also be sure to check out the “Our Media” section on the right. I was looking for a little extra content to fill the space and figured since this site serves double-duty as a funny pictures depot and a rant spot, I would fill everyone in on the pop culture inspiring me at the moment. As you can see, Jared jumped on the bandwagon as well.
Hmm… must think of clever ending. Hey! Look over there!
:: runs away ::
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I took a second glance at the blog post I made this morning and decided that it was a really sucky way to cap off the week. I wanted to come back and let everyone know things are all better at Camp Brazelton.
After thumbing through the forums at Triton Labs, the solution became immediately clear. When installing the Afterburner, there are four protective plastic strips that prevent contamination to the components before installation. While assembling the mod, I only removed three and that’s why the colors looked all assy.
I would have had time to make the repair last night, but I didn’t want to wake up our beagle puppy Truman. How ironic that the little bastard woke me up at 6 o’clock this morning – a full hour before I regularly get up. I decided to take the extra time to make the repairs to my Game Boy and everything turned out fine. Yay!
I have to say, in retrospect the installation was fairly uncomplicated. But I think when you crack open the shell of this rather expensive piece of equipment, you’re nerves get a little jittery and you don’t follow directions as well as you should. Just goes to show I would make a horrible bomb squad technician…
Something else I wanted to cover in this blog is another Wynnsong story. I figured it was the least I could do since I gave everyone the shaft this morning. I wanted to use it as a plot for one of today’s strip, but it had to deal with concession workers in a different aspect, and I was looking to follow the thread of continuity a little further down the line. Hence, the “lunging through the projectionist booth window” gag we get today.
Anyway, the story. And I swear on the grave of Jack Lemmon it’s the truth.
I went to see Gangs of New York about a week ago. I was having a particularly crappy day and wasn’t much in the mood for any crap. I had hoped going to a movie would take my mind off things. No such luck.
We get to the theater and there is only one guy selling tickets. It’s a Monday night, but it’s understandable, but it’s also right before Christmas when a lot of people have time off. Bad management strikes again.
After purchasing tickets and going inside, there are about 16 people working behind the concession counters and there is NO ONE in line. In fact, there are kids standing behind the counter while the line for tickets is trailing outside. You can’t pull a couple of kids out from behind the candy counter to help thin out the ticket line? Morons!
Realizing that Gangs of New York is like, 12 hours long, I decided to get some popcorn and a soda (BUT NOT A COMBO!) I hadn’t eaten yet and I didn’t want hunger getting in the way of my grasping the movie in all it’s Scorsese glory.
I ask the kid behind the counter, “Can I have a large popcorn and a medium Coke?”
To which he replies, “Sure you can. It’s a free country.”
To which I wanted to reply “ARE YOU GOING TO GET ME MY DAMN COKE, OR NOT?!” But Miss Manners wouldn’t approve.
The kid then starts scooping up the corn and looks over his shoulder with a cock-sure grin and asks “Do you want oil on your popcorn?” And his tone inferred that this was not his cute name for butter, but meant to be taken sarcastically.
“Nooooo… I don’t want OIL on my popcorn,” I scoffed.
Once he was finished putting everything together he rang up the total and I paid with a twenty. “Ooo! Big spender!” he cooed.
So close I was to gripping his skull and slamming it into the register.
I get my change back and he says to me “Enjoy your movie, people!”
I WAS THE ONLY ONE AT THE COUNTER! THERE WERE NO OTHER “PEOPLE”
I met up with Cami who was looking at preview posters and I was nearly shaking with anger. “I think they must be giving these kids lessons on how to be a jackass, or something,” I muttered. We went to watch our film.
Now look, before this erupts into some kind of class warfare thing or whatever, know that I used to work for a movie theater just like this kid. So I KNOW what’s it’s like to be bombarded by idiots all day long. But I was nothing but cool to this kid and he’s firing back with both barrels.
I may have never liked any of the people I served when, but I never went out of my way to make anyone feel like crap. I swear to God if I ever see that kid again, I’m gonna punch him in the back of the head.
Oh, look. Now I’m all angry again! Dammit!
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So this is the conclusion of Why I Hate Wynnsong week. Obviously I dipped a little too deeply into the well of hyper-extended realism with the last two comics, but they’re fairly true to life. I hope you all walked away with at least a smile from this episode. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting to hear from a Wynnsong representative for tarnishing their mediocre name. No luck.
I’m not feeling very chatty today because I just attempted to install the Afterburner for my Game Boy Advance and am afraid I screwed it up. The colors are all washed out and I’m stressing about it. I’ve been reading the Afterburner forums trying to isolate the problem, and I think it’s an easy fix, but my Game Boy is in the kitchen and I don’t want to wake up my dog.
Plus, considering I just spent a gut-wrenching two hours installing the thing – petrified I would ruin a fairly nice piece of electronic equipment – I don’t know if I up for round two just yet. Nevermind I burnt the hell out of my finger tips with the soldering iron.
Anyway, that about caps it off for me tonight. There are no big releases this weekend, so I’ll probably stick close to home. Cami wants to see Two Weeks Notice, but I’m in such a pissy mood right now, just the thought of Sandara Bullock up on screen makes me want to break a two by four over my knee.
Ah, well. Hope everyone else has a better weekend than mine is shaping up to be. I might be back later, but don’t count on it.
Oh, and if you haven’t participated in the poll above, be a dear and give me some feedback! Thanks!
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I would notify you of the new incentive sketch I had drawn to go along with today’s comic, but as of this writing, buzzComix is experiencing some kind of outage. When their site is back up, I’ll let you know when you can check out the new sketch.
Today’s comic kicks off a new four-comic story arc. It revolves around the opening of Central Iowa’s newest theater, The Century 20.
I know that for most of you, the specifics of this announcement impacts you about as greatly as Kirstie Alley announcing she has a new show on cable announcing she’s fat. But I’ve given myself the challenge to make the experience of a new theater opening in a mid-sized metropolitan community relatable. I’ll FIND a way to make you care!
Hey, if I can do three strips in a row taking shots at the Wynnsong 16, I can unlock a method to make The Century 20 interesting! Trust me, the story line will be good.
Incidentally, Microsoft Word suggested “wincing” as a replacement for “Wynnsong.” See?! Even Bill Gates knows they suck!
The opening of The Century 20 coincides with the opening of the new Jordan Creek Town Center literally 5 minutes from my house. It’s Iowa’s largest retail complex ever and they’re expecting 100,000 people to be in attendance when they cut the ribbon on the place.
I, unfortunately, will be at work.
I think the mall will be nice, but a lot of the stores there are aiming for clients with more liquid amounts of cash. They are also targeting people who don’t care if they’re overspending 20 to 30%.
The real boon to me is the new theater. It didn’t dawn on me until Cami pointed it out a month ago, but in order for us to see any movies in the theater, we have to drive at least two towns over. That’s about 20 minutes in the car each way. Not a big deal cuz I like to drive, but it’ll be nice not to have to fight traffic just to see a simple movie. Especially after a late showing.
I’m also excited for The Century 20 because all the other theaters around us have basically given up trying to make your movie-going experience comfortable or even neutral. For the most part, they seem to go out of their way to annoy and inconvenience you.
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buzzcomix still seems to be down, so no incentive sketch for you today. Sorry about that, but it’s totally beyond my control.
So, here’s part two of my special arc celebrating the opening of the Century 20 in my humble hometown digs. Maybe this is a little racier than usual for me, but why should Fenris get to draw all the hot babes?
If all things go to plan, I should be stepping foot inside the mythical Century 20 sometime tonight. What movie will we christen this experience with? How about Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. And for the record: No, the irony in this choice does not escape me.
Yesterday was the 2-year anniversary of Theater Hopper. I wanted to make a bigger deal out of it, but right now I’m doing a pretty piss-poor job of it.
Thank goodness there are creative types like Dave Buist who send me wonderful, congratulatory pieces of fan art. Y’know, I had no idea how violent this comic was until Dave collected every instance of a character being slapped, punched or gouged in one handsome piece of work. Dave also happens to write and draw Taking the Bi-Pass which you should check out because it is hilarious.
Now is as good a time as any to reflect on the success of Theater Hopper. Scott Kurtz just offered to put PvP into newspapers for free while Eric McCurdy and Tauhid Bondia announced their comic Suzie View is being looked at by United Feature Syndicate for placement on the Comics.com website – a stepping stone to syndication in print.
Reading things like this make me contemplate how far I’ve come with my rinky-dink operation.
Is syndication a goal of mine? No. But like Scott, Eric and Tauhid, it would be nice to gain a little recognition and maybe a little money for your effort. That’s not what motivates me, though.
Cami and I were actually just talking about this last night. Realizing that Theater Hopper is reaching more people now than it ever has before, it’s easy to slip into a pipe dream where someday the comic will become our sole source of income. It’s a nice thought, but I don’t ever want to force things that would send me racing to that ultimate conclusion.
I started Theater Hopper as a dare to myself. Just to see if I could do it. Once I established myself, I made a goal to remain consistent. Once I established a work pattern, I attempted to broaden my writing and drawing skills. I feel confident that these goals have been met and continue to be built upon to this day.
In order to get to this point, I don’t feel like I whored myself out excessively. People just started finding their way to the comic organically. Throughout this process I’ve met some really great people. Other creators that I would consider close friends as well as fans who I talk to daily in the THorum. All individuals that have enriched my life through the free exchange of ideas and interests.
I can count the number of hate mails I’ve received on one hand. And I would know how many pieces of hate mail I’ve gotten because I’m sensitive to that kind of thing. After 2 years in the game, I would say that’s an accomplishment all its own.
I guess I don’t know what the point of this is. I started out talking about the success of other creators and comparing it against my own. Is that even fair? I already feel like I’ve succeeded. I get to write and draw characters I love. I get to talk with interesting people every day. And hopefully, I’ve created something that will last another 2 years and beyond and bring a little bit of happiness to people willing to receive it.
Money, recognition and anything else is just icing on the cake at this point.
Thank you for reading Theater Hopper. Here’s to another 2 years and another 2 on top of that (if we’re lucky!).
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Tom cleans up pretty well in today’s incentive sketch. Click here to check it out and don’t forget to vote every day!
Still working on the storyline that I started last week regarding the opening of the Century 20 here in Iowa. I hope you’re enjoying it so far.
For those of you who are curious, yes – I did make it out to the new theater this weekend and christened the experience with a showing of Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. How was the movie? Not bad! Wasn’t a gut-buster, but I found it consistently clever. If I wasn’t laughing, I had a smile on my face throughout the whole thing. It’s definitely a step up from Dude, Where’s My Car for director Danny Leiner.
The theater itself was outstanding. I don’t think I could do it justice trying to put it in words. The seats were very comfortable and not only were there no television commercials in front of the movie, but no movie trailers either. I’m serious. It was lights out – MOVIE. I can’t remember the last time I had an experience like that!
Enough ranting. I have some site business to take care of.
First, be sure to visit our newest sponsor Digital Pimp Online. One of the artists there is Joerules from our very own THorum! You might remember that Joe did an awesome guest strip for me while I was away with Memphis with a little help from fellow THorumite, MadMup. If you want to check out a sample of his work, click here.
Second, Mitch Clem asked me to do this for him and I have no problem going out of my way to do so. To help raise awareness to his attendance at Wizard World Chicago, Mitch will be updating Nothing Nice to Say EVERY DAY this week. What are you waiting for? Check it out.
Mitch and I will be sharing booth 9131 A & B this Friday, Saturday and Sunday with Zach Miller from Joe & Monkey. Click here for more information about our joint appearance.
Which leads me to point number three… Check out Zach Miller’s Joe & Monkey. He’s been updating every day now for a couple of weeks and the comic is really good! Show him some support.
Fourth, congratulations to Jenny and Craig who got married this weekend. Thank you for inviting Cami and I to share in your day. Before I left their reception this weekend, Jenny said “I want to see us mentioned in your blog!” Truth is, I was already planning on it! We had a great time, guys. Many years of happiness to you both!
That’s all for shout-outs at the moment. This week is going to be really hectic in preparation of Wizard World. I’m leaving Thursday afternoon and hope to be in Chicago that night. The convention floor opens up at 10 A.M. on Friday, so I have to be ready to go!
I’m going to try and work ahead and have Friday’s comic ready for you before I leave town. I won’t have access to the internet while I’m away, so this is the best solution. I’ll probably draw next Monday’s strip while I’m at the convention and then post it once I get home Sunday night.
That’s it for now! Talk to you soon!
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