A Cinematic First!

  The movies have come a long way over
the years!
   Silent movies were replace by sound.
Black and White gave way to color.
There was Vista Vision, Cinemascope,
Cinerama, and some 3D thrown in here
and there from time to time.
   But yesterday, during our visit to
Cinemark we saw something totally new!
   NOTHING!
   We walked into our theater during that
pre preview, pre movie feature called
"First Look."
    For those of you who don't get out
much, "First Look" is a combination
of features about upcoming movies, public
service announcements, and a mess of
commercials, usually about Coke and
Diet Coke.
    It's something you usually view in
the background while you're getting
comfortable in your seat, sending out that
last text message, or deciding which hand
you'll use for your pop corn and which will
grab for the soda when needed.
     But yesterday...there was nothing to
view! The sound was coming through loud
and clear. But there was nothing on the
screen!
     Being a trained observer, not to mention
a guy who grew up in movie theaters, I
realized something was wrong.
     I made my way down the steps and
through the hall to the young lady who
had taken our tickets and let her know the
screen was dark!
     But I really didn't have too. She already
knew! The problem, she explained, was
limited to a technical glitch with "First
Look." She assured me we'd see plenty of
action on the screen as soon as the previews
began.
    A woman who saw me returning to my
seat asked if I had left to report the problem.
She was about to do so when she saw me leave
and assumed I had gone to report the problem.
    But I'm wondering how many other patrons
made the same effort as I over the course of
the day.....or for as many days as the problem
existed?
     The folks who collect your ticket stubs
tell you in which theater your feature is
playing. Might it be a good idea to let the
people know they'll be walking into a theater
with voices...but invisible people....up on the
screen?
     As promised, the picture appeared as soon
as the previews were started. It even lasted
through the main feature! Unfortunately my
pop corn only lasted through "First Look."
      Hope you "get the picture" and that all
your NEWS is good!