That pretty much sums it up in one sentence. But here’s all the deets. Me and my gf live 3 counties apart so we don’t get to see each other much. Doesn’t help that she lives in the sticks either. But we make time for the relationship to work. We see each other on weekends and one weekday. The weekday in particular this week woulda been Wednesday since that worked best for her schedule. Just so happens that was the last day that Ghostbusters was playing at AMC Loews Universal Cineplex 20. In other words, the movie theater at Universal CityWalk Orlando. We were supposed to hit up the 9p show but she got a little sick at her job the day before and it got worse so she couldn’t make it. At least she let me know with some advance notice rather than waiting till the last second. I hate that bullshit.
So I had time to call up some peeps to see if anyone wanted to hit up that flick with me. I was gonna see it alone if I had to cuz, as a kid, I never saw it on the big screen. I’ll be damned if I was gonna fuck up this once in a lifetime opp. I was gonna call one peep who was hardcore into Ghostbusters like me but he ain’t reliable worth a shit so I immediately passed on his ass. Plus he’s broke and I ain’t feel like footin’ the bill. Before you go talkin’ that shit, me and my girl go dutch! The way it should be when you’re starting out. We only been datin’ officially for bout a month. Started out as friends though.
There was only one other friend that came to mind: Dre. He got off at 11p and I knew he’d be down and awake for the flick. Texted him to let him know what was up and he said yeah. Cool. I planned on going right after work in my (clean) work clothes for the original plan with my gf. Since I had some time inbetween till the last midnight screening, I got home, did some shit online relating to the site, talked to her sick ass on the phone, and watched tv. I got a little 15 minute cat nap before I left at 11p in some regular clothes. Nothing fancy since I could care less what people think about me or how I dress.
On my way there, I got hungry. I texted him to let him know I was gonna hit Checkers to grab some grub. This particular one was located past my destination but it was right off the interstate and not far out of the way at all. I go to that bitch all the motherfucking time when I’m in that area (Sand Lake Rd. and I-drive). Got me a Philly Cheesesteak burger (good as fuck), small fries, and a hot dog. Checkers got that bomb ass shit! Typical fast food service but their food is the best of all the burger joints in my opinion. And them fries…oh SHIT, I fucking love ‘em! Paid with my credit card since it gives me cash back on every purchase. Then rolled outta that bitch like I’ve done countless times before. Made a u-turn at the light as always so I could get back on I-4. Nothing out of the ordinary right? Done it dozens of times. But this time a fucking cop lit my ass up!
I was going straight to get on the entrance ramp. Fucking cop was in a turn lane to my left and shined that fucking bright ass light on me and hit his sirens. I was like, “Are you fuckin’ serious? You pullin’ me over?” I have a very spotty driving record but I haven’t been pulled over for shit in a year and a half. And I’ve blatantly done some dumb shit right in front of cops to see what they’d do. Running red lights, speeding, driving on the wrong side of the street…they never do shit. My assumption is that I drive an ’04 Ford Taurus, widely used as a cop car or an undercover cop car, and they leave me alone because of it. And they have for a long time. This time, however, it was FHP and they caught me red handed. You’re probably saying that my dumb ass deserved it. Well, fuck you! I rolled into a gas station (had to go in reverse for a bit to do it but the cop didn’t mind) and when he walked up with the usual schpiel, I asked his ass straight up why I was being pulled over. Gave him what he asked for and he said that I made an illegal u-turn by not paying attention to the sign that was there.
I was a bit surprised as I’ve turned there multiple times and never saw no fucking sign. See other people make u’s all the time too. But I didn’t argue it. I just let him do his shit and I was bumpin’ some reggae and eatin’ my fries. Turned my ride off to save gas too. I was expecting to sit there for a good 10 to 20 minutes cuz in the past that’s how long it’s taken those fuckbags to write a ticket. 5 minutes later, chico (he was a spic) comes back with the ticket. A printed ticket, not that hard to read, sloppy handwriting, yellow carbon copy bullshit I was used to. I was impressed for all the wrong reasons I suppose. He told me I could go to court, pay it straight up, or elect driving school. Driving school wasn’t an option. I’ve exhausted all my 5 chances. Going to court was a complete waste cuz I figured the cop was right and it wasn’t worth fighting. It was gonna be 3 points and $118.50.
Now, a few years ago when I was piss poor and getting pulled over on what seemed like a daily basis, I would’ve flipped out on that motherfucker. I would’ve been an asshole to him. I would’ve went to court to prolong the payment, regardless of the extra fees. And I would’ve been pissed about getting more points and wasting time in a courthouse and wondering where I was gonna get the money from. But nowadays? Shit, I just shrugged that shit off. Told him I’d just pay the bullshit (which I’ll do online later today), signed my life away, and that was that. Of course my first stop was to see if there really was a sign there. Yep, it was there. I was in the wrong. Will I make a u there again? Fuck yeah! Bitch ass cop used the cover of night to stick me this time. I’ll just be more aware of my illegal nighttime maneuvering next time. Woulda helped if I was from another country. They always get a slap on the wrist in that area for obvious reasons. Lucky fuckers.
CityWalk wasn’t even 5 minutes from there. I parked in the Jurassic Park lot. I wasn’t done eating so I was chowin’ down on my burger while walking to the theater. Fucking security guard warned me that they wouldn’t let me into CityWalk with outside food. I was like, “Aight, whatever.” Got to the fucking entrance where the guards check your bags and shit. I stuffed my hot dog in my hoodie’s front pocket beforehand. Showed them my burger and they just waved me through. Inconsistent ass motherfuckers. I wish I woulda got some cell phone pics of some things that night but I wasn’t thinkin’ about it. Sorry. Left my Canon in the car cuz obviously they ain’t gonna let me bring that in the theater. The talent there was kinda weak. The place was a fucking ghost town believe it or not. I’d never seen CityWalk that empty before. Maybe it’s the economy takin’ a very visible toll, maybe it was just the day of the week. I don’t know. But the place was kinda dead.
I got to the box office first. Dre comes walkin’ up a little bit later. We went up to pay for our tix. 5 fuckin’ bucks. I thought that was the damn student id price and I told Dre. We was all happy and shit that we saved some bread. Damn cashier killed our buzz by saying that was the regular price for all the older movies that they show. Same price for everyone. We all got a good laugh out of it. Now that I know the price is right and they show older flicks on a weekly basis, I might make that a regular thing if they’re showing something I give a fuck to see. I took a piss first and then we went in. Empty. Except for one leggy chick sittin’ all the way at the top in the corner by her damn self. Found out later she was waiting on her bf. Showtime was getting closer and they actually showed current previews. Dre was surprised. Older movies usually just start without having to sit through 10 minutes of previews. Guess times have changed. I didn’t mind at all. I like previews and hadn’t been to the movies in months since there ain’t been shit worth payin’ for till now.
I’d say about 10 or 15 people ended up in the theater for that last showing. All of ‘em were white people. Me and Dre were the only nignogs up in the joint. Like we gave a flyin’ fuck. Movie started and I felt like a kid as I always do but even more so. I was still giggling my ass off from the Hamlet 2 preview but I eventually got over it. When the guy kicked the trash can and it hit his student in the face…that shit was just too funny! Video quality for Ghostbusters was a bit grainy but that was totally to be expected. There were times when certain scenes skipped or got cut by about a second or two but that was seldom. Other times, the audio was out of sync. But none of that ruined the cinematic experience. Not even the outdated special effects. Sigourney Weaver was lookin’ kinda hot too. Never thought that could happen.
I love the Ghostbusters franchise. Always have, always will. The movie still holds up due to its originality, something sorely lacking these days. I’m still holding out for Ghostbusters 3. It can happen. I don’t ever wanna see a remake, regardless of special effects quality these days. I would like to see a continuance though. I loved the cartoon but it’s not yet available as a season set on dvd. I’ve yet to read the 88mph comic either. This is a franchise that still has teeth and can return to prominence with the next generation of movie and animation fans if done properly. Right now, Gen X has all the props to the property. Generations after that probably have no clue what Ghostbusters is or its pop culture importance. But that’s fine though. There’s still hope. And I’m a true blue fan.
After being entertained, we left to an even emptier CityWalk. I’m fucking deadly serious too. The place is usually packed. Even coming in, the place had some people. Even leaving when they close, that’s when a massive horde is exiting the place. But not on this night. I can use my fingers and toes to count how many people we saw from the time we left the theater, to the time we were on the people mover, all the way to when I got to my car and still have some digits left over. It was pretty sad and kind of a buzzkill. Why would anyone wanna go to a dead ass place like that? I’d like to think it was just a bad night. I know it was for restaurant servers, that’s for sure.
Just checked to see if they’d show Ghostbusters 2 as a follow up and they’re not. Guess what the fuck these idiots are playing instead for their retro movie? Psycho. Not the black and white original version. Oh no, not the Hitchcock masterpiece. They’re playing that piece of fucking shit remake with Vince Vaughn. One of the worst fucking movies I’ve ever seen in my entire life…ever! Now that’s a sure fire way to guarantee an empty theater. So if you wanna fulfill your fantasy of getting that blowjob or eating that pussy or finger fucking your girl or just downright fucking the shit out of her in the theater, or trying out your new cam for a scene release that no one will want, it’ll be the perfect opportunity.
