I'm going to try something a little different with rundowns this year. First off, I'm going to try not to sound so monotonous when I write these things this time around. Secondly, there's really no point in writing these unless something worth writing about actually occurs. I'm pretty sure I've filled the gap of your average trip to the movies with over a year of theatrical rundowns. Plus who hasn't ever been to the movies? You pretty much know what one is like. All the details will still be in each article that's posted, but it just won't be posted unless it doesn't feel as redundant as the others. Interesting stuff or something I find entertaining has to transpire. Make sense? With that said, on with the first rundown of the year.
On Tuesday, January 31st, back to back screenings were held at the Edwards Grand Palace movie theater at 5pm and 7:00pm; Chronicle and The Woman in Black respectively. I believe this was my first back-to-back screening event that wasn't part of a festival, so that was interesting. I was also exhausted and felt like I was falling asleep on the way there. Thankfully, that feeling mostly passed once I arrived.
I arrived to Chronicle fairly early. They were still letting people in, but they were scanning everyone and making sure no one had a cell phone. I debated on running back to my car, but two older women had come up to see what the fuss about. "What's this for?" the overweight one asked. "Is this for something special? What is it?" She basically kept asking questions, so I chimed in. "Chronicle," I said. "Oh, so this is for The Houston Chronicle?" the one with the Betty White afro asked. "No, it's for a movie called Chronicle," I replied. "The Chronicle?" Afro woman asked again. "Chronicle. Just Chronicle." At this point, I turned around to avoid any more of their ignorance. So I ran back to my car to drop off my phone. As I came back in, I mostly just received dirty looks from security and nobody asked if I had a cell phone. I didn't even get scanned with that magical beeping wand thing. Feeling a little dejected, I found a few critics who had also made it. Most critics couldn't come because the screening was so early. Many are still at work, are just getting off work, or have other plans. The 7:30 screenings are more convenient for everyone, but this and another movie next week are both 5pm screenings. Needless to say, critics aren't happy. The ones that did make it were excited about seeing back-to-back movies, so it was a pretty fun environment.
The Woman in Black crowd was a completely different story. They had the nearest escalator blocked off or at least on the side that took people up from the first floor (where people from the first screening were). It was probably to avoid people sneaking into the other screening, but it was really inconvenient. So we walk over to the the other staircase/escalator and the line was all the way down the stairs, which is freaking bonkers. A fellow critic said people were fighting outside when he came in. They let us in about a half hour early, but after they did their little giveaway (people wearing black also received black veils from the film) they let in more people to fill in empty seats and that's where things got bad. it was like a busload of junior high students were let in at the last minute. Crowd reactions are one thing; gasping at creepy things or laughing at something in the movie adds to the overall atmosphere in the theater. Short instances of screaming during a scary movie can even be a plus. These little kids were just being stupid though. They'd yell at EVERYTHING. Any chance they had to scream or gasp or laugh at something they would before filling the theater with teeny bopper chatter. It was pretty awful. The movie wasn't great to begin with, but it would've been more enjoyable if the youngins had kept their damn mouths shut. If you have any interest in The Woman in Black, wait until the crowds die down to see it in theaters or rent it. Otherwise, you'll be beating off Harry Potter fans with a stick or punching little kids in the face just to be able to hear what's going on.
Both Chronicle and The Woman in Black will be released across the Houston area starting this Friday, February 3rd. Showtimes at the Edwards Grand Palace begin around 11:00am with the final showtime being around 10:30pm. Their parking garage has at least four stories and does cost $3 in addition to whatever you pay for ticket prices and the concession stand. Depending on where you're located, the biggest pain is actually just getting to the theater. Since it can take up to 20-30 minutes alone depending on how bad traffic is around 6:30pm. I'd recommend going to the matinee if you can. If you're willing to spend the extra money, the last showing of the day may be worthwhile as well since you'll more than likely dodge the heavy traffic from earlier on in the day. You can reach the Edwards Grand Palace 24 Theater at (713) 871-8955. It's located on 3839 Weslayan St here in Houston.
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