Cess had the bright idea of buying advance tickets to the SPIDERMAN2 showing.

FLIM: “ Why? “

CESS: “ I don’t want to line up and then be late with the first few minutes of the movie because of the length of people queuing. Remember HARRY POTTER 3? “

FLIM: “ UGH How can I forget that terrible movie. Fine! “

So she goes over the ticket seller.

CESS: “ If we buy this ticket we wont have to fall in line to buy our tickets, right? We can go straight in.”

TICKET SELLER: “ Yes, mum. Its Hassle free.”

CESS: “ We want to watch it at …”

FLIM: “ Cinema 1. The projectors there are in good condition.”

Ever wonder why at certain parts of the movie the images are clear and then it goes hazy? Or when the images are very bright and then suddenly they go dark. That happens when the 2 projectors are not properly calibrated. Or they’re too old to be fixed. Or the projection lamp on projector 2 needs to be changed but they wont because it’s too expensive? Well those are the reasons. Choosing what theater to watch a movie in is very important.I already made a mental map of which theaters have very good projectors and those that don’t. I can remember how many times I turned down watching a film with friends because their choice in theaters are abysmal.

TICKET seller: “ YES YOU CAN WATCH AT CINEMA 1.”

FLIM: “ Great lets buy em! “

CESS: “ Now we wont have to line up with the hordes of people tomorrow when the film opens. Remember this is the only foreign film that will open against the sea of local films. ”

FLIM: “ Meaning? “

CESS: “ People are starved for good entertainment. You think they love watching those terrible Filipino films? Of course they will gorge themselves on SPIDERMAN 2 tomorrow.”

The following morning there is a huge typhoon. Even the weather hates the president whose oat taking is costing the nation, 5 MILLION PESOS!

FLIM: “ You know I was thinking. If there were a lot of people who bought the advance tickets so they wont line up then there will certainly be a line for them too.”

CESS: “ That won’t happen if the screening starts at 10. The mall opens at 10. But I’d better call them up and ask what time the screening starts.”

She comes back a few minutes later.

CESS: “ The screening is at 11:40.”

FLIM: “ By that time there will be a line for people who also bought the advance tickets.”

CESS: “ I think we better leave now.”

FLIM: “ Don’t you find this ironic? We bought the advance tickets so we wont have to line up with the rest of the rabble and now we have to hurry so we would be first in line with the people who don’t have to line up to get their tickets.”

CESS: “ Ohh, just get dress will you? “

We got to ROBINSONS at 10:15 and true enough there is a massive line outside the theater. I walk over the ticket seller and flash our tickets like a badge of courage.

FLIM: “ We don’t have to line up with these guys right? We can just walk in.”

TICKET SELLER: “ Oh yes sir.”

FLIM: So what time do you sell the tickets? “

TICKET SELLER: “ At 11 sir.”

So we hang out in front of the entrance. As the minutes tick I felt good that Cess came up with the plan. A group of ten people line up behind us. They too bought the advance tickets. The line of people buying tickets begun eyeing us with suspicion. Probably thinking why we don’t have to fall in line with them. When the usher comes in front of us, I show him the ticket

USHER: “ Sir this is only for cinemas 5 and 6. Not for cinema 1.”

Cess looks distraught.

CESS: “ Oh no.”

FLIM: “ So much for hassle free.”

Then I trained my guns on the usher. I love his cocky face as he delivered that news tidbit.I then drew a very deep breath.

And …

I let him have it.

FLIM: “ WHAT DO YOU MEAN CINEMA 5 AND 6? THE TICKET SELLER ASSURED US THAT THIS IS FOR CINEMA 1.”

USHER: “ Sorry sir this is for cinema 5 and 6.”

FLIM: “ I’M NOT GOING TO FALL IN LINE AGAIN! WE BOUGHT THIS TICKETS IN ADVANCE SO IT WONT BE HASSLE FREE. THAT WAS YOUR TAG LINE RIGHT?

Usher: “ Ok SIR. We will check with the manager.’

CESS: “ How can they do this? “

I turned around and looked at the line of advance ticket buyers.

FLIM: “ Can you believe this? They won’t let us in! THEY SAID our tickets are for CINEMA 5 AND 6.”

The crowd just looks at me. What a bunch of Zombies! I was expecting some kind of uproar. But all they did was scratch their heads and clenched their popcorns closer their breasts!
By this time the ticket booth started to sell tickets and the people who were lining up were coming in.

CESS: “ Look. They’re already letting people in. And we’re stuck here.”

FLIM: “ Hey! “

The usher comes back.

USHER: “ Sorry sir. They will let the two of you in. We just have to wait for our word from the manager.


FLIM: “ WERE NOT ONLY 2. HOW ABOUT THESE GUYS THEY BOUGHT THEIR TICKETS TOO! “

I then turned around and looked at the people behind me.

FLIM: “ COME ON GUYS! YOU SHOULD FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS AS CONSUMERS! “

But they just stood there quiet and scratching their heads while some ate their popcorns.

The usher comes back

USHER:” Sir can you go to the office and talk to the manager…

A guard in uniform started to postion himself in front of the usher and the entrance.

FLIM: IM NOT GOING TO THE OFFICE AND IM NOT GOING TO THE MANAGER. THIS ISNT OUR PROBLEM THIS IS A MANAGEMENT PROBLEM! COME ON CESS WERE GOING IN! “

Cess was hesitant to go in.But I grabbed her arm and I pushed the guard aside.WE then walked inside. i didn teven bother to give them a second look if they would follow us in to stop us

CESS: “ I can’t believe you just did that? They might arrest us!”

FLIM: “ The hell they will. They’re too flabbergasted to even react! We paid for our tickets! LET MANAGEMENT FIGURE IT OUT! “

CESS: “ We’re actually in! “

We picked the best seats in the house. Which is four rows in the back. Cess cannot watch if the seats are too near the screen. She has this eye problem. So whenever we watch we sometimes have to separate because seats in the back are very rare to come by.

After sitting. Cess starts to laugh on how we made a clean getaway.A 20 minutes later the film has not started yet and Someone from the the back chair leans forward and talks to me.

STUDENT: “ They finally let us in.”

He is one of the people who bought the advance tickets.

FLIM: “ Why did it take you that long to get in? “

STUDENT: “ After you came in, we tried to follow you but the guard started pushing us back. You are right. We should be more assertive with our rights as a consumer!”

Anyway there we were with a large cool drink and some ruffles cheese and garlic potatoes chips. Hoping that this movie is worth the aggravation.

CESS: “ When we exit can we just run past them.”

FLIM: “ Why are we going to run? We didn’t do anything wrong. In fact I’m going to go over the usher and have him stamp my arm! Just for fun! “


The film was worth the earlier skirmish. I love SPIDERMAN2. I didn’t like the first spidey flick. I thought it was blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. A BIG NOTHING! The green goblins mask was really bad and WILLIAM DAFOE was a big reject from the JACK NICHOLSON School for COMIC roles.

I also found the first one very bland for a SAM RAIMI film. Like he directed the film with two restraining bolts welded on his neck. I have been a fan since I saw the first EVIL DEAD film. Even CRIME WAVE, which was his follow up film, was still ok compared to SPIDERMAN1. There was nothing RAIMISH in his films after THE QUICK AND THE DEAD. FOR LOVE OF THE GAME was a COSTNER flick. But SPIDEY 2… SPIDEY 2 is amazing! RAIMI OF EVIL DEAD FAME RETURNS!

This is the second greatest COMIC BOOK FILM of ALL TIME.SUPERMAN 1 is still the film too beat. But it’s almost neck-to-neck. A Friend told me that XMEN 2 is till the sequel to beat!

PARDON MOI? Just because a sequel has more action beats and more explosions and you have the computer graphics running double time does NOT MAKE A FILM GOOD!XMEN 2 was just an excuse to see ADAMANTUIM CLAWS go click! BIG FUCKING DEAL!

SPIDEY2 has more fight scenes and more SPFX. But it also has more plot points and Charm to spare! I went thru a whole gamut of emotions when I saw the movie. I can remember even RETURN OF THE KING failed to do that for me.

DOCTOR OCTUPUS! Well Like I told Cess. He is the best spidey villain there is. He’s not too maniacal like NICOLSON or DAFOE. MOLINA is…well MOLINA.
Originally ARNULD SWAZ was DR OC. And LEONARDO DE CAPRI is PETER PARKER in the JAMES CAMERON version.

I think in the long run that we were lucky; CAMERON scuttled that project after winning the OSCAR. I don’t think ARNULD would have played it as effective as MOLINA. Every time I see arnuld I remember MR FREEZE and it …I just shudder.
Back or Molina, I like the Schizo like relationship he has with his four tentacles. Apparently all villains now have a schizo thing going on. Started with GOLLUM and then we have the GREEN GOBLIN.

Anyway the end shows DR OCTOPUS in the same league as ROY BATTY FROM BLADE RUNNER! Great villains who are larger than life and have the power to make their heroic opponents go,

“ OHHH…He did it. Wow! And I thought he was just a villain.”

CESS: “ How can they top DR OCTOPUS? Who are the other SPiDEY VILLAINS? “

FLIM: “ Well there’s the LIZARD… ELECTRO.”

CESS: “ Who’s ELCTRO? “

FLIM: “ Guy with electrical forks coming out of his head..”

CESS: “ Ugh…DR OC is the best.’

FLIM: “ There’s the vulture.”

CESS: “ What’s that?

FLIM: “ Old balding guy with feathers.”

CESS: “ Yuck.”

FIM: “ There’s the sandman…”

But I agree with her Nothing can top DOC OC. Even the new villain looming in the background doest seem so promising. I’m definitely going to see it again. Maybe in the same theater, I hope to see the same usher again. Maybe we will have a BOUT 2. Hehehehe