Going to the movies isn’t what it used to be. Or maybe it isn’t what I fondly remember it as being. The timing of our weekly trip to Manhattan this Saturday allowed me to take in the new Bond movie while Sibylle was teaching. The 1:45 show time fit neatly into our usual schedule so I went to the movies.
1:45 brought the start of eight solid minutes of commercials, including one overly patriotic National Guard recruitment piece. Commercials. After I’ve paid $6.50 for matinee.
From 1:53 until 2:12 we had previews. Obviously the previews are geared to the feature, so they are usually of interest to me. But 19 minutes of previews? The one for The Spirit, a graphic novel coming to the big screen, probably contained the entire story line in the several minutes it ran.
Finally at 2:12 or so we go to see the theaters self-promotion clip, filled with people happily consuming overpriced soda and popcorn.
The movie itself began around 2:16. A full 31 minutes after the advertised starting time. Unbelievable.
Oh. As Bond movies go this one was fair. I haven’t seen the previous one (or ones?) with Daniel Craig in the title role, so I didn’t have the back story for what is apparently a sequel. The new actor is cold-blooded and almost robotic. This is not your father’s sexy, double-entendre Sean Connery Bond by any stretch of the imagination.
Next time I think I’ll wait for the DVD and watch it at home.