Things you should know by now, but only just discovered

TheHipGamer wrote:
Gremlin wrote:
misplacedbravado wrote:

There may have to be a thread about old-school tabletop gaming. Or maybe about the experience of being into old-school tabletop games but not having enough similarly-minded friends to play them with.

I would participate in this thread.

http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/50831

I consider that to be more about new non-D&D roleplaying experience. I was thinking more along the lines of the experience of pouring over a Games Workshop catalog and having no one to play Warhammer with. Or reading the one Car Wars Adventure Gamebook that the library had. Or coming up with your own rules based on a third-hand account of D&D and a couple of computer RPGs. Or reading about Planescape online but having no idea where to buy the Player's Guide. Or reading Palladium equipment lists and having no game to use them in. Or wishing you had dice other than D6s, or wargaming rules that didn't call for d10s.

Or, I guess, a thread about actually playing the games back in the day.

Gremlin wrote:
TheHipGamer wrote:
Gremlin wrote:
misplacedbravado wrote:

There may have to be a thread about old-school tabletop gaming. Or maybe about the experience of being into old-school tabletop games but not having enough similarly-minded friends to play them with.

I would participate in this thread.

http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/50831

I consider that to be more about new non-D&D roleplaying experience. I was thinking more along the lines of the experience of pouring over a Games Workshop catalog and having no one to play Warhammer with. Or reading the one Car Wars Adventure Gamebook that the library had. Or coming up with your own rules based on a third-hand account of D&D and a couple of computer RPGs. Or reading about Planescape online but having no idea where to buy the Player's Guide. Or reading Palladium equipment lists and having no game to use them in. Or wishing you had dice other than D6s, or wargaming rules that didn't call for d10s.

Or, I guess, a thread about actually playing the games back in the day. :P

Perhaps, but it IS a catch-all. I'd think that's a good place to talk about this stuff. Some of us still play old-school games, even today -- Call of Cthulhu from my late-80s/early-90s sourcebooks is happening this weekend, for example, and I would happily contribute to a discussion of gaming from my youth!

A large movie popcorn is now $8. This is more than a movie ticket from five years ago.

Also, remember when projectors were "dark" before the show started? Now it's all commercials, all the time.

<---- hasn't been in a movie theater since Speed Racer in June 2008. (Kids and divorce will do that to you.)

Archangel wrote:

A large movie popcorn is now $8. This is more than a movie ticket from five years ago.

Which is why I always bring my own snacks and drinks into the theatre. People who work at theatres don't care enough to search your bags, and definitely won't pat you down. The worst thing they can do is take your food away, and that's only if you're terrible at hiding it.

If the venue has fast-food options, even better. What? I totally bought this Whopper from the kiosk outside.

Spoiler:

I hate the theatre experience, but that's another story for another time.

I remember working for a group home and putting microwave popcorn in little baggies for everyone. If anyone asked, I'd say it was medication for the residents. ;P

Actually, because of food allergies, a lot of movie theaters nowadays have no restrictions on bringing in outside food, or so I've been told.

Eh, if I'm going with the wife and roommate, we'll get a large popcorn for the three of us. What kills me is the 64 oz large soda for $6. But we're usually also sneaking stuff in.

Man, I love the theater experience though.

Archangel wrote:

...Also, remember when projectors were "dark" before the show started? Now it's all commercials, all the time.

<---- hasn't been in a movie theater since Speed Racer in June 2008. (Kids and divorce will do that to you.)

I hate to break it to you, but it's been that way a lot farther back than 2008.

If you dislike the standard movie theater experience, you're clearly going to the wrong theaters. Hit up the second run theaters that have pizza and beer. They don't jack up food/drink prices and the tickets are cheap (around $5).

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

If you dislike the standard movie theater experience, you're clearly going to the wrong theaters. Hit up the second run theaters that have pizza and beer. They don't jack up food/drink prices and the tickets are cheap (around $5).

I admit, living in an area that has both Studio Movie Grill and is slated to have an Alamo Drafthouse soon may have skewed my perceptions of the cinematic experience a bit.

Gremlin wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:

If you dislike the standard movie theater experience, you're clearly going to the wrong theaters. Hit up the second run theaters that have pizza and beer. They don't jack up food/drink prices and the tickets are cheap (around $5).

I admit, living in an area that has both Studio Movie Grill and is slated to have an Alamo Drafthouse soon may have skewed my perceptions of the cinematic experience a bit.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

If you dislike the standard movie theater experience, you're clearly going to the wrong theaters. Hit up the second run theaters that have pizza and beer. They don't jack up food/drink prices and the tickets are cheap (around $5).

I will not make the mistake of putting off a trip to the Baghdad theater in Portland again. Lived on the west side for 3 years, and never made it over for food, beer, and a show. I have an old friend who only lives a few blocks away, so there's no excuse when I'm visiting him.

There is a theater here that is "high end" with a 21 and over section (physically separated large balcony) which serves alcohol... Not quite Alamo drafthouse level, but it is my favorite theater experience so far even if I have to pay an extra $2 a ticket to drink.

The closest we come to anything like that here is a "family style dinner & movie" place. Sure, the chairs are comfy because they're ripped right out of Lincoln town cars, and the tickets are slightly cheaper, but you're still paying through the nose for drinks, and you're stuffed in a kinda crappy theater with birthday parties.

manta173 wrote:

There is a theater here that is "high end" with a 21 and over section (physically separated large balcony) which serves alcohol... Not quite Alamo drafthouse level, but it is my favorite theater experience so far even if I have to pay an extra $2 a ticket to drink.

That stuff is great, but the 100% assigned seating, reservable through the website for no extra charge is the winner for me. Not having to fight the crowds for a good seat because you bought your tickets days in advanced? Priceless.

McIrishJihad wrote:

What kills me is the 64 oz large soda for $6.

FTFY.

manta173 wrote:

There is a theater here that is "high end" with a 21 and over section (physically separated large balcony) which serves alcohol... Not quite Alamo drafthouse level, but it is my favorite theater experience so far even if I have to pay an extra $2 a ticket to drink.

Yea we have one like that. Warren Theaters. They have some of the worst preroll crap ever.

Gravey wrote:
McIrishJihad wrote:

What kills me is the 64 oz large soda for $6.

FTFY.

When its split across 3 people, and it's diet Sprite, and the only time I drink soda...

Don't get me started, I'm just as pissed that they won't fill it with water.

McIrishJihad wrote:
Gravey wrote:
McIrishJihad wrote:

What kills me is the 64 oz large soda for $6.

FTFY.

When its split across 3 people, and it's diet Sprite, and the only time I drink soda...

Don't get me started, I'm just as pissed that they won't fill it with water.

Heh, I wasn't passing judgement on you, but on the theatres that would sell 64 oz of pop. Who needs almost a whole 2 L of pop for two hours?

But if you're splitting it among three people, that's 21.3 oz (631 mL) for $2 each, which is a better deal than buying a 650 mL bottle from a vending machine for $2.25 (last I checked). (Even though, yes, that's over three times as much as a 2 L bottle would cost at a grocery store.)

Gravey wrote:
McIrishJihad wrote:

What kills me is the 64 oz large soda for $6.

FTFY.

Whoa, hold on Mayor Bloomberg!

sometimesdee wrote:
Gravey wrote:
McIrishJihad wrote:

What kills me is the 64 oz large soda for $6.

FTFY.

Whoa, hold on Mayor Bloomberg!

Ha, just reading about that, good for him.

Stilgar Black wrote:
manta173 wrote:

There is a theater here that is "high end" with a 21 and over section (physically separated large balcony) which serves alcohol... Not quite Alamo drafthouse level, but it is my favorite theater experience so far even if I have to pay an extra $2 a ticket to drink.

That stuff is great, but the 100% assigned seating, reservable through the website for no extra charge is the winner for me. Not having to fight the crowds for a good seat because you bought your tickets days in advanced? Priceless.

Nice comfy wide chairs with big armrests and cupholders. And they do fun showing like having Ironman 1 play before the midnight showing of Ironman 2. I actually drive the hour to get there more often than the 20 minutes to the local generic theater.

London has several cinemas, usually refurbed single screen buildings from back in the day, that feature 2 seater sofas, recliners, and to-your-seat food and alcohol service. Gonna miss those.

There's a theater near me that takes it even further. They have heated, reclining seats with pillows and blankets. You can order food and drinks to your assigned seat. I don't go there very often, because it's more expensive than other theaters, but it sure is nice when I do!

soonerjudd wrote:

There's a theater near me that takes it even further. They have heated, reclining seats with pillows and blankets. You can order food and drinks to your assigned seat. I don't go there very often, because it's more expensive than other theaters, but it sure is nice when I do!

Plus you have to be over 21 to even see a movie there, so it pre-weeds parents taking their 4-year-olds to see things that will probably scare the bejeezus out of them (loudly). For certain movies it's worth the premium.

And the food is pretty good!

Yeah, my wife pretty much insisted on seeing the Twilight movies (I know, I know...) at the Warren balcony (when we still lived in OKC) or at iPic to avoid all the screaming teenyboppers.

clover wrote:
soonerjudd wrote:

There's a theater near me that takes it even further. They have heated, reclining seats with pillows and blankets. You can order food and drinks to your assigned seat. I don't go there very often, because it's more expensive than other theaters, but it sure is nice when I do!

Plus you have to be over 21 to even see a movie there, so it pre-weeds parents taking their 4-year-olds to see things that will probably scare the bejeezus out of them (loudly). For certain movies it's worth the premium.

And the food is pretty good!

I thought that legislation didn't take effect yet.

S0LIDARITY wrote:
clover wrote:
soonerjudd wrote:

There's a theater near me that takes it even further. They have heated, reclining seats with pillows and blankets. You can order food and drinks to your assigned seat. I don't go there very often, because it's more expensive than other theaters, but it sure is nice when I do!

Plus you have to be over 21 to even see a movie there, so it pre-weeds parents taking their 4-year-olds to see things that will probably scare the bejeezus out of them (loudly). For certain movies it's worth the premium.

And the food is pretty good!

I thought that legislation didn't take effect yet.

It's legal to have it, just not legal to purchase yet (no distro chain). So as long as you don't tell the cop where you got it, you're ok.

Spoiler:

Notorious BIG’s interlude on Ready to Die of him getting a blow job was real audio of him getting a blow job in the recording studio.

Edwin wrote:
Spoiler:

Notorious BIG’s interlude on Ready to Die of him getting a blow job was real audio of him getting a blow job in the recording studio.

... I want to make an OSHA joke, but I'm tired and my head hurts.