So let me tell you about my day so far.
Before I went to bed last night (by which I mean around 1:30 AM), I perused the MoviePass app to see what screenings it would be gracious enough to offer today, and was delighted to see The Meg on the list. Perfect. I was in the mood for something gloriously, unapologetically stupid. I set my alarm so that I would arrive early enough to snag a decent seat… only to discover that the film had been removed by the time I woke up.
I was disappointed, but resolved to get on with my life, venturing out to Union Square to deposit this week’s paycheck (my local bank is closed on Saturdays). On a whim, I decided to drop by the nearby Regal and see Searching, the new John Cho movie in which the narrative unfolds entirely from the perspective of laptop screens and smartphone cameras. I booted up MoviePass to load my card…
…and was met with a pop-up informing me that my account had been terminated. Fortunately, I would only need to pay a small fee for the privilege of continuing on with their revised (and greatly reduced) membership plan—give or take an hour for processing, of course.
Look, I knew this was coming. I keep up with the latest industry news (sometimes to the detriment of my blood pressure). I got the email warning me about the impending “changes.” I just didn’t expect I’d have to bend over and say “Thank you sir, may I have another?” as Mitch Lowe personally administered the paddling.
Refusing to accept was an extremely liberating experience. Freed from the pressure of having to justify a monthly expense, I purchased a ticket for RiffTrax Live: Krull, which delivered the exact flavor of kitsch I’d been craving, further seasoned with “professional jokes” (to quote the theme song) from the former hosts of MST3K. I honestly can’t recall when I last felt so thoroughly satisfied (a few minor technical hiccups notwithstanding).
[Originally written August 25, 2018.]