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The Weigh In

by Dana Place

I went out down to Houston this weekend for my niece’s 2nd birthday party and anyone who has ever been down there after April 1st knows that shorts are a must, unless of course you want to sweat like a virgin in a whorehouse and take 3 showers a day. So, I bought my first pair of shorts of the year, and good thing too. I came back to Dallas for our first 85 degree plus day. With the help of my keen detective skills and our local weather man, it dawned on me that summer is only a few excruciating workweeks away. This week seems to be the perfect time to reflect on my favorite traditions. We all have those little traditions that make summertime more than just another 3 months out of the year. Some of you spend Saturday afternoons at the ballpark watching the kids play t-ball, or a quiet Sunday afternoon at the park with your favorite person, watching the birds singing, picking flowers, or lounging against a tree with a good book. Heck, some of you even take that annual Summer vacation. I could go on and on about the wonderful outdoor activities that make Summer what it is, but, for those of us less acquainted with the sun, the pale and the pasty, a different type of tradition is upon us. The midnight showing. You have probably been to a midnight showing of “Rocky Horror Picture Show”, and maybe have even dressed up as your favorite character. You may even be lucky enough to have an art house theater that plays classic movies every weekend at midnight. All of those are fun when you are looking for something to do, but I am talking about a totally different animal entirely. In larger markets, movie theaters will run a showing of a big Hollywood blockbuster that usually either starts right after midnight on the day of the opening or will end just after midnight, technically still “opening” on the day promised by the studios. A small subculture of closet and basement dwellers stand in line, missing sleep to be the first to watch a movie that will run on three thousand screen for the next two months. Not just any movies, not just any big blockbuster summer movies. These are special movies. Movies that most people may enjoy, but we spend months perusing the internet looking for any little bit about it we can find. We flock to the smallest amount of information on the actors, directors, exclusive interviews, and even shots of the actors standing around the set. “George Lucas”, “Steven Spielberg”, and “super hero” are our buzzwords. My first experience with this unique group of people was almost six years ago, standing in front of the Galaxy theater, waiting for the midnight showing of Star Wars Episode One. We sat around playing board games and waiting for the movie to start. After that night, I started taking going to more and more midnight showings each year. So much so that hanging out with the group of people around me became as much an experience as the movie itself. And this year seems to be shaping up as a great Summer for the midnight movie. Star Wars Episode III being the biggest of the season, but expect to see me at most of these other movies: Fantastic Four, Batman Begins, War of the Worlds, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. So here is my formal invitation to you. Come and enjoy more than just a movie. Enjoy an experience. And you won’t regret it. And you know I wouldn’t steer you wrong. As always, for more of the moral guidance that only I can give, drop me a line at DPlace76@yahoo.com