Times & Transcript
Published Monday January 11th, 2010
Going to the movies is one of the more popular weekend activities for residents of Metro Moncton.
There has been a renewed excitement detected lately since the release of ‘Avatar,’ ‘Sherlock Homes,’ and even ‘The Chipmunks Squeakquel’ has moviegoers of all ages lining up for a few hours of welcomed delight and escapism.
This is indeed the time of year when the major studios release films that they hope will benefit from colder nights and shorter days of winter. Moviegoers agree that there is a wonderful selection these days from musicals like ‘Nine’ to hard-to-remember titles such as ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.’
Avatar, in particular, seems to be the focus of most of the hoopla these days. The sheer volume of positive comments indicate this one to be a ‘sure thing.’ John recently indicated his satisfaction of Avatar by quickly updating his Facebook page with “I was blown away by Avatar. The story was Dances With Wolves in space. The effects were easily the best I’ve seen.
“Great epic battles and a nice tree-hugging message. Don’t wait to see this one at home. It’ll lose scope and impact not to mention the cool 3D effects.”
Janice and Jeffery were also generous with their praise. “You have to see this movie. It is flawless.”
OK, but with so many people hoping to see it at the same time, how many times have we heard this phrase or reasonable facsimile of since the release on Christmas day?
“The movie is sold out so I will try again tomorrow.”
There is a way to avoid this disappointment for anyone with a debit card. The first option is to plan ahead and stop by the theatre’s serve-yourself debit machines and purchase tickets in advance. The second option, and in my humble opinion the more convenient option, is available to people who are comfortable with online transactions.
Since all local ‘huge screen’ movie theatres in town are owned by the same company, all anybody needs to do is go to the Empire Theatres website, choose the location and film they want to see, follow the prompts and before you know it you are ready to print off your movie tickets in the comfort of your home or office.
Maybe you are thinking, “He must be referring to the ‘credit card’ option.” There is that option also, but trust me, take the time to read the information on the webpage, and you could save yourself a big pile of frustration. This sort of transaction is also popular with people who want the convenience of debit without the extra credit card interest charges.
Maybe one day the debit method will also be available for other events like concerts and sports events.
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Every year, local electronics geeks anxiously follow with ‘edge-of-your-seat’ anticipation the latest innovative launches from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Jake is probably one of the biggest ‘techno geek’ out there and, in case you are wondering, the word ‘geek’ in this case is considered a compliment. So Jake is all excited about something called a ‘boxeebox’ that was rolled out at this year’s show.
He has been following all these announcements online and the ‘Boxeebox’ appears to have become his new favorite thing “This is the ultimate,” cites Jake. “This device will let you watch all your Internet clips and stuff on your TV.”
Oh great another converter.
“Who needs another box on their tv?” I asked.
Jake rolls his eyes and stares at the sky before sighing and then shares, “Naah you’re missing it. This box will let you enjoy clips, music, photos, all that stuff without needing to use your computer. And, you’ll be able to share your stuff on Facebook and Twitter by pushing a button on a remote control.”
Jake does party quite a bit. Maybe he’s just delirious.