I did it! Finally! After three weeks of waiting and promising my friends Jess and Nick that I would not go without them, I finally saw the It sequel. And, well…IT was…no pun intended, about exactly what the critics have been describing for the last three weeks. Because the trouble with waiting for this long is that I have had the chance to read just about every review, blog, facebook post and over opinionated comment their is. Regardless, the sad and boring truth is, I agree with them all. And because most of you have probably beaten me to the punch at this point, let me just save you some trouble and jump to the ending right now…Yes the casting is STELLAR, YES the CGI is borderline Beetlejuice and at times almost laughable when it should have been scary, yes it is too long, but honestly I didn’t mind it. Stephen King’s little scene is superb and his best on screen moment to date. The kids flashback scenes are fantastic. The things they chose to cut were fine by me. The changes they chose to make were also fine by me. I could have used a little more of everything, thereby making a possible three-part movie but I suppose that would have too much to ask for. I think the first one was slightly better than this. And as far as where this sits in the pantheon on King movies? I’d say comfortably in the center.

Now, what I am really here to discuss is the state of one of our local movie theaters. When the Movie Tavern first came out I was as ecstatic as the rest of you I’m sure. But since it has changed hands I think we can all agree, it has gone spiraling down hill to the point where the only thing bringing me all the way out there is the promise of getting to lean back in those seats, and even that has its draw backs since last night my friend Jess wasn’t even able to do that! But I will get there.

My first experience with the Movie Tavern a couple of years ago was when my friend Jodi and I walked up to the counter and learned very quickly that you NEEDED to buy tckets in advance to this venue. Because even though the new all girls Ghostbusters movie had been out for a couple of weeks, it was nearly sold out and we were relegated to the front row. I had only ever sat in the front rrow of a movie once before in my life. Ironically enough it was for the original Ghostbusters movie back in 1984, I was 11 years old and much more capable of straining my neck at the time, but I had zero desire to do it now. Neither did Jodi. But we were there, we were determined, and we went in.

And then I discovered those magical seats. The front row ain’t so bad when you can recline all the way onto your back! Movie Tavern became my new favorite place to see movies! I couldn’t get there often, but when I did, it was an all and out fantastic experience!

Until…

No more host who walks you to your seat. Just menu handed to you, and you find your own merry way to your theater, just like you do in a regular theater. I am not really sure why I have to go through the trouble of getting my paper ticket at the front desk then standing in line to hand it to the menu person only to have to use it to find my own seat in the theater. I could have done that with my phone and avoided both lines!

No more over friendly wait staff: not that I need my waiters and waitresses to be Disney level but in addition to losing that perky Movie Tavern welcome you used to get from the staff, it is now taking forever to get your less than stellar food and you can pretty much forget about pushing that cute little blue button and receiving anything else during the movie. Its not going to happen. The wait staff just doesn’t have time. Through no fault of their own, it will take the wait staff the entire length of a movie to deliver all food and then process all checks, it is not in your best interest or theirs to ask for more so don’t do it Oliver! Those checks are getting passed back to you waaaay before the credits rolled so if you expect desert you best order it with dinner!

Has anyone else noticed their chairs breaking down? Last movie mine wasn’t working well and this time my friends didn’t work at all. UNNACCEPTABLE!! This is the crown jewel of the Movie Tavern experience in my opinion. My friend was too nice to complain but I felt that was a lost moment for a free ticket! Not that I am certain I wish to return because let me just commiserate about the bathrooms for a second. Is there really only one? I have been up and down that long hallway a dozen times and that always too crowded bathroom that reeks to high heaven is the only one I can find. It is absolutely never clean, at least stalls are broken and another four are plugged up or without toilet paper. The garbage is always full, and oh did I mention the smell??

That’s the last of my complaint section for the day folks. If you are in desperate need for a place to laydown in a really cool chair to see your film that I pray their is another option in our near futures cause I am not dragging my money all the way out there again anytime soon. Which is sad, because that leaves with literally two miserable choices….go to what is left of the desert that is Shoppingtown, which, while convenient, is dismal and empty and sad, or go over to the big bad only mall left in town…Destiny….where honestly…I don’t always feel the safest. So I maybe waiting for a lot of dvds unless things get better a whole lot faster.

Or unless you all want to start a homegrown protest with me…kind of a march to take back our theaters? What do you think?