Sean Patrick Kelly's Little Corner of the Web

In reflecting whether seeing The Woman in Black tonight for free at the Scotiabank theatre was worth it, I went through the steps I went to in order to reach this position (don’t know why I’m not writing this in my movie blog….guess it’s just because it’s a series of random thoughts).

1. Get a Pass - Entered about 5-6 contests to get mine.  Even after all that work, the pass points out that admission is NOT guaranteed.
2. Line-Up at Risk of Life - The line going into the Scotiabank turned into the parking garage and every few minutes a car would pass mere feet from me.  If this was a properly monitored line, the line should have stopped at the garage and started again on the other side.
3. Experienced the Worst Crowd Control Ever - So, they slowly let people into the theatre a few people at a time.  Good idea, however the line was stopped in an awkward area and people were blocking the entrance.  Some guy wanted us to clear the entrance by moving backwards (or be sent to the back of the line).  Gladly, it was time for me to go in.
4. Exchange Pass for Ticket AND stamp - Because apparently a ticket to the screening isn’t enough, I also had to get the back of my hand stamped.
5. Get Lost - After going up the escalator, I had no idea where to go.  Took me a couple minutes to work my way past the crowds waiting for the red (black) carpet and find the actual movie theatre line.
6. Check Phone - All devices had to be checked at the door.  Apparently the security seemed more concerned with people taking photos of Daniel Radcliffe than movie piracy.  Those who snuck their phones in, and were caught using them, were ejected with extreme prejudice.  A little harsh if I say so myself.
7. Leave Q&A to Use Washroom - I had to go pretty badly after the film finished, but I tried to hold on for as long as possible to watch Daniel Radcliffe’s Q&A.  Once I realized that the questions being asked were extremely lame (the first one was some girl asking Radcliffe for a hug), I decided to forget the rest of the Q&A and ran to the washroom.

Overall, I thought the whole night was a bittersweet experience.