To what are the movies coming?

I went to the movies last night to see Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, the new Will Ferrell movie. (Hilarious film. Also full of corporate advertising, but what is to be expected in a film about NASCAR? I have to wonder how much money they made of advertisements. There's even a blatat commercial in the middle of the film, but it fits into the plot and humor. I won't say who it is for, unless of course they pay me to plug their product. Advertisers are getting desperate in this post TiVo world. Just remember, if you skip the commercials, you're stealing TV.) The showing we were going to was sold out, (maybe we should have bought our tickets using your_ticket_website_could_be here.com) and the next one was in something called the Director's Hall. Of course, that costs more, so we went to the midnight showing instead.

Now what is the Director's Hall? Partially, I think it has better seats and reserved seating. They also have couches and comfortable chairs out in the lobby reserved for Director Hall ticket holders, but we sat there anyways. But more importantly, its an attempt to create a two-tier cinema system in the United States of America. Its what amounts to an initiation of class warfare. This "Director's Hall" is meant to make money by allowing people to feel superior to the people in the regular theaters by paying an extra $2. It's like first-class for the cinema.

If they are going to go about selling tickets for this by offering a sense of superiority and pride, they did it all wrong. Take a page from the airlines. Do you see planes with only first-class on them? Hell no! That would defeat the whole purpose. How would somebody feel better than all those people crammed into coach with screaming babies and low quality airplane food if there is no coach? They wouldn't. That's why first class, business, and coach are put together on the same plane. Why else would they make announcements to the whole plane that apply to first class if not to make those in first class feel superior, and likewise those in coach inferior. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are making are final descent. Please put your seats in the upright and locked position. Those of you in the first-class cabin, please put away your personal entertainment center, foot rest, champagne glasses, and personal masseuses. Thank you for flying (your airline name could be here if the price $$$ is right.)."

Likewise, the movie theater (Which will remain nameless ($?), but you know who you are.) should have mixed the special seating with the regular seating. Then those who paid more really would then feel superior. "Glad I'm not stuck in one of THOSE seats." Maybe like stadiums, they could even have suites. After all, they already have stadium seating. What they could really do to make money and offer a sense of superiority is sell the right to pause the film so one could go to the bathroom and get a refill of overpriced popcorn and soda without missing the movie, or even take a phone call. Actually, that brings me to another way the cinemas and airplanes are alike, you're not allowed to talk on cell phones. Hopefully that will stay the same.

*(By the way, I'm not being payed to plug any products in this blog. Although, I'm not above that if they offered. Hint, hint. Seriously.)