the type of post only an "at work and bored" nerd could write.
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You'd think that I was planning the Allied Invasion of Normandy or something...

Two trains of thought, 3 different theater options!

Do I sit outside in Dallas May 19th heat, at the theater where ALL my friends are going to be and where I see most of the movies that I watch, or do I sit inside (or under shade) at a place where I'm going to have easy access to a food court, access to the mall, and more of a good time waiting in line.

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Do I invade Stonebriar mall, Grapevine Mills, or my neighborhood Rave Motion Pictures?

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Mission: To see Episode III.

Invasion will take place: Wednesday May 18th, at approximately 1500 hours Or whatever time I get out of my top secret mission that day.

Destination: Unknown

The question is about the logistics of it. Logistics can be broken down into making sure the troops have bullets, beans, and bandaids.

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Bullets:

All three theaters have great sound and great seating. That's the most important thing ultimately, so I can't go wrong here.

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Beans:

Rave has a Chili's next to it, but I'm not going to go sit in a crowded restaurant when I could be waiting for my place in line.

Grapevine Mills and Stonebriar Mall both have great food courts. And they both have....drum roll....a CINNABON! Nothing makes a line more enjoyable than eating some Cinnabon.

Theater popcorn is theater popcorn, so no problems there.

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Bandaids

I'd say that the line will probably be different at each place. At Rave Motion Pictures, the audience will probably be a little bit older, since it's in a college town. College crowds can be pretty rambunctious (sp?) and I had a GREAT time seeing both "X-Men 2" and "Spiderman 2" at the Rave. But the line is outside, stretched around the big boxy frame of the theater. It will be mid-May, which definitely plays an important role. Do I see the movie sun burnt and tired?

I saw Episode II at Stonebriar mall. The line was pretty damn fun. For one, it's inside. That's a big deal. It's a nice carpeted area. The people are really geeky.

"Hello kettle, you're looking mighty black today."

No, but they're REALLY geeky in a "we don't get out much" type of way. Lots of people dressed up in costume, some had their lap tops playing the other Star Wars movies. Before the movie started, a couple of them staged a choreographed lightsaber duel in front of the theater. The crowd was responsive to the movie, which always makes it more fun. It is somewhat far away though, which is a major drawback when you're driving home at 230 in the morning.

I've been to Grapevine Mills often, and the theater is damn nice. I'm not sure how they organize their lines. I'm sure they're more than capable and ready for the masses. The crowd does tend to be younger (high school aged), but this is a 12:00 movie, so that might weed some of them out.

I'm sure they're just as geeky in Grapevine as they are in Frisco. They're definitely geeky in Denton. Most of my friends are going to be in Denton, watching it up there. So that plays into it. Because once the movie's over, I'm sure I'm going to want to rant and rave with my buds.

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Ultimately, this mission will be successful no matter where I see this movie. It's a movie that I've been waiting 20 years for. As soon as I became a SW addict as a child, I've always had this urge to see how the baddest villain in movie history came to be in his big, black suit. Episodes I and II were just the perfectly thrown baseball pitch to Jeff Bagwell's waiting bat.

Almost on par with the movie, is the movie experience. For me, movies can be just as fun, usually more so, than any baseball, football, or basketball game that I've ever been to. I get together with my friends weeks before time, we guess and speculate as to what will be in the movie, then we wait in line and build up that anticipation until the first frame of the movie comes on screen. In the best of scenarios, it can be a thrilling community activity.

And adding onto the geekdom aspect, my friend Brandon and I have seen each of the past two SW movies on opening night together. I can't wait to see the next one with him as well. It's funny that this geeky pledge that we made in Okinawa, Japan after Episode I has survived tens of thousands of miles, military service requirements, and little strokes of luck. It's going to be fun to complete this thing with one of my good friends.

with that....just under one month away. I'm not impatient. I have "Kung Fu Hustle," "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy," and "Kingdom of Heaven" to hold me over. ;-)

matt out