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11 Jan 2002 A New Year, A New Chair 

The movie start times at the Mission continue to be before 7:00PM. "Ali" was actually scheduled to start at 06:30PM! Without heavy cloud cover to block the sun, I don't believe it is even dark enough now (nearly three weeks after the solstice) to show a movie at 06:30PM. Give the public a break! I'm sure that I'm not alone in having a hard time getting to the Mission this early in the evening. But enough of these complaints...

I arrived at the Mission at 06:30PM. The release schedule for new movies thins out after the holidays. That fact, plus my higher than normal rate of movie attendance, left me with few choices for the evening. Given my options, I chose "Imposter" as my movie selection for the evening.

I purchased my ticket without incident and headed into the Screen 3 lot. The air was chilly but I was determined to try out my new camp chair. I parked "tail-first" in the second row from the screen.

Leaving the car behind, I started out on my nightly patrol. I crossed over the sway bridge and moved at leisurely pace towards the concession stand.

Once inside, I purchased three hot dogs, popcorn and a Diet Coke. As money was being exchanged for goods, the cashier summoned up the courage to ask, "Do you come here every week"?

This is only the second time that I've actually been recognized, and acknowledged, as a frequent patron. I admitted that I did come every week. He didn't think that part was odd. What he thought was odd, is that I usually come alone. I made some vague reply and then hurried out into the Screen 1 lot. I really didn't want to discuss my inability to convince others to join me on these trips!

I swung through the Screen 4 lot and returned to my car.

Here are the initial car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Ali" / "Not Another Teen Movie" - 5
Screen 2 - "Lord Of The Rings" / "Jimmy Neutron" - 9
Screen 3 - "Imposter" / "Behind Enemy Lines" - 2
Screen 4 - "Vanilla Sky" / "Ocean's 11" - 4

Stacking my food on top of the car, I got out my new chair. I unfolded it with care. Before putting it down, I examined the pavement for potholes created when the speaker poles were removed. Finding a sturdy and level spot, I placed the chair on the ground. I didn't sit down immediately though. I leaned over and pushed gently on the seat of the chair. It took this force well. I began to push harder, and harder, and harder. The chair did not collapse. I then positioned myself over it and slowly eased myself down. I gradually relaxed my knees bringing more and more weight to bear on the fabric. The fabric didn't tear. The metal struts didn't buckle. The new chair had passed its first test! I then got up out of the chair. Although the frame flexed slightly, I had no difficulty reaching my feet. The new chair had passed its second test!

I gathered up my snacks from the roof of the car and positioned them around the chair. The popcorn on the left side. The drink on the right. The hot dogs inside the trunk.

I then sat back down. I moved from side to side, and forward and backward, until I reached a comfortable position in the chair. The new chair had passed its third test!

Just as I was reaching back into the trunk for a hot dog, the previews began. As I consumed the hot dog, the focus changed from preview to preview. As I watched, the quality of the image jumped all around from bad to good and all points in-between. Being a patient person, I decided to wait and evaluate the focus after it "settled down". The second hot dog was consumed just as the movie began. With two dogs down, and one to go, I decided the focus was not acceptable nor likely to improve any further. Picking up the third hot dog, I applied mustard to it and then began the walk back to the snack bar.

I knew the situation was better than my last visit, when I entered the snack bar and didn't have to search for an employee! I asked to have the focus on Screen 3 checked and then started walking back to my car. I could see that the number of cars in the Screen 2 lot had increased since my first patrol.

About the time I reached the foot of the sway bridge, I could see the focus changing on Screen 3. This process continued until just before I reached my car. The focus wasn't perfect but it was pretty close. It may be an optical illusion but it seems that an out of focus image appears dimmer than an in focus image.

About half way through the film, a red dot appeared on the screen. Yes, it was a laser pointer being wielded by an inconsiderate movie patron. Being in the second row, I couldn't readily identify the location of the miscreant.

When the movie was over, I put my things away in the trunk. Looking around, I could see that the number of cars in the lot had increased significantly during the movie.

Although I was cold, I decided to make a final patrol of the property. As I reached the last row in the Screen 3 lot, I discovered the location of the inconsiderate, pointer-wielding, patron. I briefly flirted with the idea of hostile action but rejected that thought given the large number of potential witnesses.

I completed my rounds without further incident. Here are updated car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - "Ali" / "Not Another Teen Movie" - 15
Screen 2 - "Lord Of The Rings" / "Jimmy Neutron" - 20
Screen 3 - "Imposter" / "Behind Enemy Lines" - 8
Screen 4 - "Vanilla Sky" / "Ocean's 11" - 13

Not a bad crowd given the weather.

I returned home without incident.

19 Jan 2002 A New Year, A New Food Selection -

Early movie start times continue at the Mission. Taking a cue from the Mission movie schedulers, I left Live Oak extra early and arrived at the Mission at 06:15PM.

As I came around the corner towards the ticket booths, I saw two lines of cars, four cars deep. As I drove closer, I noticed a new face. The security guard was a Schertz police offer! He looked somewhat nervous. Perhaps this was his first drive-in experience?

I had selected "Ali" as my movie for the evening. To be honest, I would not have seen this film if it were not for Rick Stivers' enthusiastic and eloquent discourse on the life of Muhammad Ali AKA Cassius Clay.

I purchased my ticket without incident and parked my car in the Screen 3 lot. Given the wind, the humidity and the temperature, I decided NOT to even attempt to sit outside the car.

Leaving my car behind, I headed off to the concession stand. The "sway bridge" gets more and more like a refugee from a fun house every week. Something will need to be done soon to keep this bridge from becoming impassable.

After crossing the bridge, I moved at a brisk pace through the Screen 2 lot to the concession stand. Before I even made it inside the building, I noticed a change in the patrons. Not only was the number of patrons greater than in weeks past, they also seemed to be new to the drive-in. Not just the Mission, but to any drive-in. I "overheard" quite a bit of conversation supporting this theory.

I also decided to do something new. I ordered a pizza. During the summer, it was not uncommon to see a couple of pizzas precooked and sitting inside a display case. During the winter, the pizzas are prepared "to order". I was given a red ticket (the ticket appeared to date from the "Cinemark period") and sent on down to the cashier. Business was brisk and I was forced to wait for about five minutes. After paying, I loitered near the end of the second serving island. At this point, I realized the advantage of waiting for pizza. It was if I had become invisible. I was able to study the staffers, the patrons and the concession stand in detail without anyone seeming to even notice I was there. Wow! The business level became so heavy that the manager radioed the ticket booths for assistance.

Finally, my pizza was delivered to me and I made ready to leave. The helpful employees opened the doors for me and I returned to the night!

Wanting to eat my pizza as quickly as possible before it grew cold, I rushed through the Screen 1 and 4 lots. As I did so, I noticed the number of cars seemed high for a winter night. This motivated me to recount the Screen 3 lot as I approached my car.

Here are the car counts for those that like them. Note that the counts for Screens 1, 3 and 4 were taken "post-pizza". The count for Screen 2 was taken "pre-pizza".

Screen 1 - "Black Hawk Down" / "Behind Enemy Lines" - 27
Screen 2 - "Lords Of The Rings" / "Jimmy Neutron" - 4
Screen 3 - "Ali" / "Not Another Teen Movie" - 12
Screen 4 - "Vanilla Sky" / "Ocean's 11" - 5

Once inside my car, I attacked the pizza. How was it? Last summer, a patron asked a security guard the same question. His response was "It ain't Pizza Hut". I agree. On the other hand, it was good and it stayed warm down to the last slice.

I'm sad to say that the focus problems persist. I was nearly ready to walk back to the concession stand when the focus jumped up in quality. Not perfect, but tolerable. To be fair, the Santikos management is aware of the problem and is preparing to take steps to fix it. More on that as it develops.

How was "Ali"? It was entertaining but overly long. I'm glad Michael Mann didn't attempt to cover Ali's entire life in this film. If he had, "Ali" would have been a one film "dusk 'til dawn" show! To make matters worse, "Ali" is one of those annoying films with a narrow "depth of focus". For example, we see a sharp close-up of the back of Ali's head as he is looking at a very, very blurry crowd sitting in a stadium. The focus then inverts and we get a very, very blurry view of the back of Ali's head and a sharp view of the crowd. Sometimes this technique can be used with great effect to assist in telling a story. For example, you might use it single out an item or an individual for the audience that is critical to the story. But this technique shouldn't be used in nearly every other scene! Worse, with the current focus problems on Screen 3, it was difficult to tell when the picture was meant to be blurry and went it wasn't!

I mentioned this was a long film. As the film neared the end of its second hour, I found I needed to take a "nature break". I exited my car to find the number of cars had increased greatly. Was I surprised? Not really. During my closing report for 2001, I mentioned improvements which needed to be made to the Mission. Here is one I forgot to list. As cars stop at the ticket booths, their headlights shine directly into the Screen 3 lot. This isn't even noticeable unless you happen to park along the "line of projection" from the ticket booths through the Screen 3 lot. To correct this problem, I would suggest either raising the fence height along that "line of projection" or planting some bushes along the outside of the fence. Had I been paying attention, I could have counted the total number of cars entering the property.

Regardless of that, I made a quick sweep of the lots, with a stop at the concession stand. The number of cars in the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots had increased to the point that it was difficult to count them without "walking the rows". I wasn't interested in that, so I can only say that I was pleased with the general level of attendance.

The cars in the Screen 3 and Screen 4 lots were more spread out and I was able to get better counts. I counted 24 cars in the Screen 4 lot and 32 in the Screen 3 lot. I'm hoping the level of business in all four lots will soon increase to the point that car counting becomes impossible.

I returned to my car for the remainder of the film and then left when the credits began to roll. I arrived home without incident.

I was reviewing my notes and noticed that I had forgot to mention that "open flame" has returned to the Mission. One family had a large fire going to keep them warm while they sat outside watching 'ALI'.

25 Jan 2002 - Worth The Wait

Ever since we first saw the preview for "Kung Pow: Enter The Fist", we knew this would be a "must see" film.

"Kung Pow" was originally scheduled for release on 18 Jan 2002. For reasons not made public, the film's premier was pushed back to 25 Jan 2002. You cannot imagine how disappointed we were! Another week! How dare they!

Finally, the big day arrived! I drove to the Mission with great expectations. When I arrived, my partner, Rick Stivers, was already on the scene. His daughter Stephanie never passes up a drive-in opportunity, so I was not surprised to see her sitting in the bed of Rick's yellow Willys truck. Now, you may be wondering why he took the truck. In all his previous drive-in adventures, he either rode with me or in his purple van. He took his truck in hopes of being "noticed by management". Given that I have the opposite goal, I parked just far enough away from him to send a subtle message to any onlookers -- "I'm not with him!".

As I got out of my car, Rick approached me. He looked at me with questioning eyes and asked, "Where is John Boy"? Where, indeed, was John Miller? As usual, I had arrived at the Mission just prior to the start of the previews. Even driving sixty miles per hour, John should have beaten me to the Mission. After a moment of introspection, I told Rick that I had absolutely no idea where John might be.

I pulled out my camp chair, set it up and headed off to the snack bar. On the way, I passed two trashcans sitting in the last row, wrapped in "caution" tape. Like John's whereabouts, I was clueless as to why they were sitting there.

Moving inside, I purchased my usual snacks. Although I was not the only patron in the snack bar, I was able to talk with the cashier. He was delighted to learn that I was not alone this evening.

I exited the snack bar and quickly made my way through screen lots 2, 3 and 4. As I was crossing back into the Screen 1 lot, I could see that "Kung Pow" had already begun.

Before we get into that, here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Kung Pow" / "Not Another Teen Movie" - 9
Screen 2 - "Black Hawk Down" / "Behind Enemy Lines" - 3
Screen 3 - "Mothman" / "Spygame" - 7
Screen 4 - "Lord Of The Rings" / "Jimmy Neutron" - 3

Nearing my car, I saw another truck had parked next to Rick. In the darkness, I could see a very tall man looking in my direction. Since my hands were full, I was fortunate that the tall man was John Miller.

Why had he been late arriving at the Mission? Had he simply gotten lost on the way? No, he stopped to buy a new stereo system for his truck. Odd behavior? Not really. If you recall the report for 7 Dec 2001, John's stereo was proven incapable of picking up the FM signal for "Behind Enemy Lines". Simply put, he purchased a new stereo system to prevent yet another embarrassing reception failure! Ladies, men take this kind of thing very seriously. No man wants to have his equipment fail on him!

With this question resolved, I hurried to my camp chair. I began eating my hot dogs with dispatch. Cold weather makes for cold dogs! How cold was it? I didn't have a thermometer with me but I was starting to go numb by the end of the movie. Part way through the film, John got up and went on a walkabout. Any adventures he may have had remain unrecorded.

After he returned, John asked Rick if he could hear a buzzing sound. I'd heard that sound for quite some time but I had been too caught up in the movie to say anything. Rick, who lost at least some of his hearing while working on airplanes, replied that he couldn't hear any buzzing. Rick seemed to pause for a moment and then said, "But I do smell something burning. It smells like insulation. John! Is your new stereo on fire?".

Call me cold. Call me heartless. My first thought was "If his stereo is on fire, I can write about it in the weekly report!".

John got up and inspected the interior of his truck. He was confident that his new stereo was not on fire. He did confirm that, he too, smelled burning insulation.

Rick's eyes grew big and he leaped to his feet. He exclaimed, "Oh, my God!", and ran towards the cab of his truck. He returned moments later, shaken. Stephanie had put the ignition in the "on" position instead of the "accessory" position. Rick was concerned, and rightly so, that his antiquated ignition system might have "burned up" as a result.

To his credit, Rick was able to remain calm through the remainder of "Kung Pow".

When the movie was over, he cautiously turned the ignition key. The Willys started right up. Rick had dodged a bullet!

I can't remember if he left it running or not as we walked over to the snack bar. We counted the cars in both the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots. Here are the updated figures. Due to the relentless cold, we decided not to recount the Screen 3 and 4 lots.

Screen 1 - "Kung Pow" / "Not Another Teen Movie" - 26
Screen 2 - "Black Hawk Down" / "Behind Enemy Lines" - 16

These numbers represent a considerable increase during the course of the evening. As an indicator of how car counts can be deceiving, I counted 25 people bunched up around the three cars behind us.

After Rick left, John considered staying to see "Not Another Teen Movie". Once again, he asked me if I thought the movie was suitable for younger teenagers (John had brought his son and one of his friends with him). Having no experience in making this type of judgment, I simply gave him a list of potentially objectionable topics portrayed in the film. Now, John knew he wanted to see the movie! Still, despite his humorous outlook on life, his is a very responsible person. He tried to use his cell phone to get in touch with the friend's mother to determine if she had a problem with her son staying out to see this movie. Several attempts were made. While this was going on, the previews came and went. "Not Another Teen Movie" started. During the first five minutes, nearly every objectionable element I had listed, made its appearance. Giving up on reaching the mother, John decided they needed to leave before they got too caught up in the movie.

I pulled out of the lot first. Concerned that John might not be able to find his way home in the dark, I drove very slowly, and with deliberate caution, nearly all the way to Loop 410. I knew John was on familiar ground when he passed me.

I arrived home without incident.

How was "Kung Pow"? I enjoyed it and I've put it on my "must buy" list. I consider it to be a "foolish film, well done". It was clearly worth the wait.

The next big "group outing" film will be "Eight-Legged Freaks" which should arrive in theaters in April.

If you see a yellow truck, you're welcome to join us!

2 Feb 2002   --   I Take it Back!

This afternoon I consulted the "Weekender" to find out what films are currently showing at the Mission. I was very gratified to find that the start times have been moved back a half hour.

I arrived at the Mission at 6:45PM. The previews had already begun on Screens 1 and 2. I selected "Orange County" as my film for the evening. I purchased my ticket without incident and drove into the Screen 4 lot.

I was not happy to find the lot empty. Making the best of the situation, I spent the next five minutes evaluating parking spots in a effort to find the "sweet spot" -- that location which minimizes the effect of the lights behind, and around, the screen. After testing over a dozen spaces, the "sweet spot" would be the area to the left of a line drawn between the entrance to the lot and the leftmost leg of the screen. This places the screen between the viewer and the apartment complex across the street.

My parking experiment concluded, I began my nightly patrol of the property. I crossed the Screen 3 and Screen 2 lots without incident. I entered the snack bar where I was the only patron.

I ordered a pizza. As I commented previously, everyone ignores patrons waiting to pick up pizzas. I noticed two thermos bottles of coffee sitting on the counter with straws, cream and sugar. Apparently, someone has figured out that hot coffee might sell well during cold spells. I suggest they also sell hot chocolate. Further, I also suggest they put up a sign advertising the availability of these products. If there was such a sign, I missed it.

As I was standing there, one of the offices opened up and three employees came out with a push cart. On top of the cart was a large ice chest. No, the manager wasn't inside the ice chest - a victim of a "palace coup". The push cart was yet another new idea. If people won't come to the snack bar, the snack bar will come to the people!

In the previous thirty-nine weekly reports, I've made an effort not to describe how people dress at the Mission. As a subscriber to the "drive-in code", I believe it is the right of every patron to "come as they are". In this report, I must make a break with the past and report my sighting of a patron dressed in the style of the artist formerly known as Prince. Or is he known as Prince again? But I digress.

Leaving the snack bar, I returned to the Screen 4 lot to find I was no longer alone.

Here are the car counts for those that like them. There are two sets of figures for Screen 4. My initial count and my return count.

Screen 1 - "Kung Pow" / "Not Another Teen Movie" - 6
Screen 2 - "Black Hawk Down" / "Behind Enemy Lines" - 16
Screen 3 - "Slackers" / "The Mothman Prophecies" - 7
Screen 4 - "Orange Count" / "How High" - 1 then 7

I decided to sit outside tonight despite the chill in the air.

As soon as I was seated, I began to eat my pizza. Cold air makes for cold pizza! Reaching into the box, I found the pizza was still hot but not well cut. Someone had clearly made an ineffective effort at slicing it. I don't know about you, but I feel that a civilized man shouldn't be forced to rend and tear his food into smaller pieces before placing it in his mouth. Noticing that the pizza was sitting on top of something, I lifted it out of the box. Was it a secret toy surprise? It wasn't a toy but it was a surprise. The cook had been in such a hurry that he hadn't removed the metal cooking tray from beneath the pizza. Fortunately for me, I don't eat pizza the way I eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Had I nibbled around the edge of that pizza, I'd have been looking for an all night dentist! Was there a work-around? Yes. I just kept sliding the pizza over the edge of the pan where I would then bite off the overhang. After finishing the pizza, I set the pan aside. I vowed to return it on my next patrol!

About halfway through the movie, the roving snack cart arrived. Let me be perfectly clear, I'm not happy with the idea of the roving snack cart. I'm not comfortable being approached in the dark by people I don't know and who aren't clearly employees of the theater. Yes, the employees have badges and the theater has uniforms. But dark uniforms and tiny badges don't make for instant recognition in the low light environment of a drive-in theater lot. It isn't a safe situation for the employees placed on this duty either. If arriving patrons have turned off their headlights to minimize glare on the screen, they would find it difficult to see the cart and its staff. The potential for someone to get hurt is, in my opinion, very high. If this practice continues, the employees sent out with the cart should wear some type of reflective vests and carry flashlights. I'd prefer the roving snack cart be retired. On the other hand, a snack cart positioned at the entrance to the Screen 4 lot or near the "sway bridge" in the Screen 3 lot, might do good business during the intermission periods. A lighted "Snack Bar" sign would be a necessity!

At the end of "Orange County", I performed a second patrol of the property. I stopped at the snack bar where I returned the pizza pan. The employee on duty told me, "I'm sorry. Someone didn't do their job properly. Thank you for returning the tray". This was my first good deed of the night. Moments later, I prevented the men's restroom from flooding by vigorously "working" the handle of urinal four. To be honest, I actually prevented the flooding from getting worse. This was my second good deed of the night.

As I turned to leave the bathroom, I saw the Prince "wanna be" again for the second time that night.

I started to get one of those eerie, creepy feelings. The pizza box had two round things in it -- a pizza and a pizza pan. I'd seen the Prince "wanna be" two times. I'd now been in the snack bar twice. I had talked to two different employees. I'd seen the roving snack cart two times. I'd just prevented a plumbing nightmare involving urinal four (2 times 2) and my car was parked in the Screen 4 (2 times 2) lot. I had just been sitting in my second camp chair before starting on my second patrol of the evening! Oh no! A pattern was emerging. This was my 40th (2 x 20) consecutive week at the Mission and my 42nd (2 x 21) visit to the Mission since it reopened! Did I say "reopened"? That means that the Mission has opened at least TWICE! Unnerved, I started walking back to my car on my two feet while rubbing my two hands together. A veritable plague of "twos". Why? I'm blaming it on the date - 2 Feb 2002. Regardless of the cause, I had second thoughts about staying for the second feature so I left as soon as the credits began to roll.

Here are the car counts from my second patrol for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Kung Pow" / "Not Another Teen Movie" - 12
Screen 2 - "Black Hawk Down" / "Behind Enemy Lines" - 32
Screen 3 - "Slackers" / "The Mothman Prophecies" - 18
Screen 4 - "Orange Count" / "How High" - 18

As I was driving away, I saw five cars waiting at the ticket booth.

I have to applaud the Santikos management for coming up with two (there it happened again!) new ideas -- seasonal menu items and the roving snack cart. Giving out coupons for a "free" cup of coffee or hot chocolate would be far more effective at getting people to go into the snack bar. For obvious reasons, at least some of them would end up making a second (two times in this paragraph alone!) trip back to snack bar to use the restrooms.

In the spirt of the evening, I've even got a second suggestion to improve the operation of the Mission. A common problem at the Mission is that many patrons forget the radio frequency by the time they get to the appropriate lot. I don't have this problem as I've programmed the second (one more time) bank of FM channels with the four (ditto) frequencies. Button 1 is Screen 1. Button 2 is Screen 2. Etc. Placing signs with these frequencies in the appropriate places would make it simpler on the customers. For example, at the entrance to the Screen 4 lot and at the base of Screen 4. A master diagram inside the concession stand would also be helpful. If the ticket system supports it, printing the frequency on each ticket would also be helpful. How was "Orange County"? It was okay. You'll like it if you've ever felt embarrassed by your friends and family while having every possible thing go wrong as you are working to achieve some important life goal.

Yet another good night at the Mission.

9 Feb 2002  -   Back To Summer?

I'll be breaking with recent tradition by keeping this report short, and to the extent possible, completely factual.

I arrived at the Mission at 6:45PM. I selected "Rollerball" as my movie for the evening. Why "Rollerball"? I had two reasons for making this choice. "Rollerball" is much more of a traditional "drive-in" film than the other offerings available that night. "Rollerball" was being presented on Screen 2 and I hadn't seen a film on Screen 2 for some time.

I purchased my ticket without incident and parked in row two slightly to the right of the screen centerline. At this point, I knew this would be a good night for the Mission. More on that later.

Given that I had arrived well in advance of the show time, I walked to the concession stand, made my purchase and then returned the items to my car. I then began my usual patrol of the property.

Attendance was up in every lot. The patron types appeared to be well represented. I saw young families, groups of kinds, couples that appeared to be 'dating' and larger, multi-generational gatherings. Having a good mix of patrons is critical to the future of Mission.

As I walked, I monitored the activity at the ticket booth. Business was brisk. There was always at least one car, either being serviced, or driving up for service during my entire patrol.

After completing my patrol, I returned to my car. I had initially parked "nose-forward" with the intention of sitting inside the car. After walking the grounds, I decided to try sitting outside. I turned the car around and unloaded my equipment just as the previews began.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - Collateral Damage / Ocean's 11 - 12
Screen 2 - Rollerball / Orange County - 20
Screen 3 - Slackers / The Mothman Prophecies - 13
Screen 4 - Black Hawk Down / Behind Enemy Lines - 24

While 69 cars doesn't sound that impressive, you would have to go back many weeks, perhaps months, to find an initial audience this large.

Two-thirds of the way through "Rollerball", I made a "quick" circuit of the property. As I was walking to the concession stand, I stopped counting cars when I reached 50. Screen 2 was just too packed for a "quick" count. Moving into the Screen 1 lot, I did not attempt to recount the cars. It was obvious that "Collateral Damage" just wasn't drawing as big a crowd as "Rollerball". As I crossed over to Screen 4, I noticed the action at the ticket booth had slowed, but there were still patrons arriving. I did perform a "quick" recount of the cars in the Screen 3 and Screen 4 lots. I counted 36 cars in the Screen 4 lot and 28 cars in the Screen 3 lot. I was happy to see such a good spread of patrons among the four screens.

Returning to the Screen 2 lot, I was forced to dodge incoming cars as I worked my way back to my car.

When "Rollerball" was over, there was scattered applause from the audience.

Having already seen "Orange County", I departed for home.

I did not see the roving snack cart. Hopefully, this practice has been discontinued. Coffee was also no longer available in the concession stand. Business in the concession stand could be described as "continuous". There were always seemed to be patrons inside but never more than a few at any given time.

In summary, I believe this was the best night the Mission has had in some time. It may have been the best night since Thanksgiving. If the February crowds are this strong, I have high hopes for this summer.

16 Feb 2002  --   Wrapped In A Blanket

Another Saturday, another trip to the Mission.

But this Saturday would be different from all other Saturdays, this Saturday I began the "Mission Mapping Project".

The "Mission Mapping Project" has been enabled by my purchase of a global positioning system (GPS) receiver. A GPS receiver uses signals from a constellation of orbiting satellites to calculate its current terrestrial position. In simple terms, "It knows where you are". The terrestrial position can be reported in a variety of formats but the most common format is in terms of latitude and longitude. By recording the latitude and longitude of any given point, it becomes possible to return to that point. A set of these points can be used to draw diagrams or to determine the distance between points of interest. Those of you involved with historical research know that it is much simpler to find a satellite photograph of a given point if you already know the latitude and longitude for that point.

I left early for the Mission with hopes of recording as many points as possible. I arrived at 6:40PM. I selected "Hart's War" as my movie for the evening. I purchased a ticket without incident and drove into the Screen 1 lot. While waiting for my change, I recorded the location of the left lane of ticket booth number 1.

After parking my car, I gathered my equipment and set off at a brisk pace. The sky was overcast and the light was fading fast. Sadly, I was only able to properly record one additional point, the location of the Screen 1 entrance sign. By the time I completed entering a description into the GPS database, it was too dark to continue mapping. Was I disappointed? Not really. After all, like Arnold, I'll be back!

I briskly made my rounds through the Screen 4, Screen 3 and Screen 2 lots. Entering the snack bar, my GPS receiver lost contact with the satellites in orbit. I ordered a pizza and stood back to monitor the patrons. As I've observed the last couple of weeks, the Mission continues to attract new patrons. I was approached several times by people seeking assistance. "Where do I get in line"? "What is the radio station for Screen 1"? Note to self: Never tell people you have programmed the Mission radio frequencies into your car stereo.

It was a good night for the snack bar. Several pizzas were sold while I was waiting for mine to be cooked. My general impression was that the snack bar staff was not prepared to service the level of patronage that night.

When my pizza was ready, I rushed back to my car. I just got setup when the movie started.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Hart's War"/"/Black Hawk Down" - 16 (pre-pizza)26 (post-pizza)
Screen 2 - "John Q"/"The Mothman Prophecies" - 12
Screen 3 - "Collateral Damage"/"Behind Enemy Lines" - 5
Screen 4 - "Rollerball"/"Orange County" - 6

About halfway through "Hart's War", the air turned cold. How cold? Cold enough to drive me to consider moving inside my car. Luckily, I had a blue blanket (given to me by Rick to replace another blanket - but I digress) inside the trunk. With the pizza consumed, I wrapped myself up in the blue blanket. Fortunately, I had parked in the first row of the lot and was not visible to the other patrons.

When the credits ended, I made a quick patrol of the property. Here are the revised car counts collected just as the first features were coming to an end.

Screen 1 - "Hart's War"/"Black Hawk Down" - 50+
Screen 2 - "John Q"/"The Mothman Prophecies" - Not Counted
Screen 3 - "Collateral Damage"/"Behind Enemy Lines" - 25
Screen 4 - "Rollerball"/"Orange County" - 36

Although I did not recount the Screen 2 lot, the number of cars had greatly increased. You'll note that "Rollerball", a true drive-in film, continues to beat out "Collateral Damage".

As soon as I completed my patrol, I returned home without incident.

I am forced to ask this again! When will the desperate cries of the Mission patrons be answered with better signage? I can't think of any other improvement that can be made to the Mission that would have as much of a positive impact! Signs are cheap! Post them!

Remember my continuing criticism regarding the placement of the soft drink dispenser? The recent surge in attendance has brought this problem to the attention of the staff. They are working to minimize this bottleneck by having a staff member walk up and down the serving line handing out cups. Just move the cups! Or better yet, just move the dispenser!

Even with these flaws, the Mission remains an exciting entertainment experience for the entire family!

Here are the first set of GPS coordinates. The coordinates were recorded using a Magellan Meridian Platinum hand-held receiver. The receiver had been turned on for over 30 minutes when mapping was initiated.

Mission Theater - Ticket Booth 1 - Left Lane:

29 degrees 21.926 minutes North, 098 degrees 28.807 minutes West

Mission Theater - Screen 1 Entrance - The "1" Sign:

29 degrees 21.907 minutes North, 098 degrees 28.785 minutes West

These numbers are currently unverified. As visits permit, we'll continue to record points and verify the previously recorded points.

23 Feb 2002  --  I Think I Killed It

I found myself driving through the darkness to the Mission in hopes of arriving in time for the second feature.

How did I find myself in this predicament?

I had agreed to pick Rick Stivers up at the airport at 4:50PM. I arrived there only to find his plane delayed. I left and returned only to find his plane delayed again. You can guess what happened next. I left and returned. Thankfully, I was not caught up in my own personal version of "Groundhog Day". As I walked into the terminal, I saw him standing at a pay phone.

His tale of woe is a terrible one but that story doesn't have anything to do with drive-ins. By the time I got him home, it was nearly 8:30PM. I then rushed home and headed off to the Mission.

As I was driving down White, I saw an object bounding out of the darkness and into my headlights. It was yet another of those "think fast" moments.

It absolutely wasn't a person. It certainly wasn't an animal. A bird would have been flying and fish have no reason to try to cross the road. It was too big to be a bug but then I don't care about bugs. Given the speed of its approach, I knew it wasn't very heavy. All of this reasoning took place in less time than you'll take to read about it. My decision? Given the traffic, road conditions and the my conclusions as to what the object "wasn't", I decided no evasive action was required.

Then I collided with the object.

There was a loud thud as it hit the car. As it was pulled under the wheels, I heard a loud "borf" sound.

I had hit a basketball and I think I killed it.

I was relieved that it was only a basketball. At first, anyway. The longer I thought about, the more distressed I became. What if that basketball belong to a child of "challenged means" who couldn't afford to get another one? What if it had been a cherished gift or expensive collectible? Had I just taken the only joy out of another person's life? I'll never know.

I arrived at the Mission to find several cars in front of me. The Mission continues to get by with just one open ticket booth. As I pulled to a stop, one of the assistant managers waved to me from inside the booth. Darn! I had been recognized. The runner seemed to know me. Darn! Recognized again! He handed me my ticket, my change and a flyer, the "Mission 4 U Review".

I've scanned it and will e-mail it to anyone who has an interest in reading it. Basically, it contains a public announcement of the new concession stand, the date of the summer grand opening and plans for such promotions as live bands. I had heard about all of this before from Sue, the Santikos Marketing Lady. I was surprised to see the announcement that on Fridays and Saturdays during the summer, the Mission would be repeating both films instead of just the first feature.

I had purchased a ticket to "Collateral Damage" and so moved on into the Screen 1 lot. Given that "Queen of the Damed" had received such savage reviews, I expected a small crowd. I was wrong but I wasn't disappointed. The lot was packed with cars. I parked in the third row near the left wall. The credits for "Queen of the Damned" had just started to roll. I hurried off for a quick patrol.

Although I didn't count the cars, I can tell you with confidence that attendance was higher than last week. I'd go so far as to say that it is the highest I've seen since the end of the summer season. Good job, Sue!

The patrons weren't just out in the lots. I found myself in a long, busy line inside the concession stand. Long lines make for good observation times. I noticed three new things this week.

1) Two types of pizza boxes were in evidence. The standard white box was being used but there were other boxes with a company logo on them. Unfortunately, I couldn't identify the logo but the words "franchises available" were printed on the side of each box.

2) There were two different types of small popcorn bags in use. One bag had the word "popcorn" on it. The other bag did not.

3) The Mission is now selling "Mission Round Tortilla Chips". I don't know where they found this brand but it is a good fit for this theater. I suppose if the Trail Drive-In were still around, the concession stand would sell Trail Mix.

Reaching the register, the cashier looked at me and said, "I was starting to worry about you". Darn! Recognized yet again! How can I maintain my journalistic integrity if everyone knows who I am? The guerilla journalist must remain anonymous to be effective!

Returning to my car, I got inside and settled in for some Arnold action. Yes, inside. Given my experience last week with the blanket, I expected that it might get too cold to sit outside. It turned out that even at 11:00PM when I left, it was still warm enough to have sat under the stars.

About halfway through the film, I noticed someone walking along the line of cars. The person would stop and talk to the occupants of each car and then move on to the next car. When person reached me, I was surprised to see it was the manager. He wanted to check my radio reception. There was some static in the signal but I had been ignoring it. He expressed regret over the quality of the signal. The only solution he could offer was that I move towards the middle of the lot where there had been no reported problems. This was a nice touch and I applaud him for going out to talk to the patrons personally. I'm also happy he had a flashlight to make him more visible to the patrons and drivers.

When the movie was over, I decided to head on home. I can't remember how long it has been since I had to wait in line at the exit to get out of the theater. I can't begin to express how relieved I am that the attendance drought is over. February has been very kind to the Mission Outdoor Theater.

Even though I didn't count the cars, the table below details which features were running on which screens.

Screen 1 - "Queen of the Damned"/"Collateral Damage"
Screen 2 - "John Q"/"The Mothman Prophecies"
Screen 3 - "Hart's War"/"Black Hawk Down"
Screen 4 - "Rollerball"/"Orange County"

Next week, I'll spend Friday at the season opening of the Crossroads Drive-In. That means the next Mission visit will be on Saturday.

2 Mar 2002 - I Freeze

I was once again running late, so I decided that I would head down to the Mission for the second feature. About halfway there, the "low fuel" light came on. I decided not to stop to get gas. I knew that I'd have enough fuel to get to a station after the movie was over.

Arriving at the Mission, I purchased a ticket for "The Mothman Prophecies" and headed into the Screen 4 lot. As I parked the car, the credits for "John Q" started to roll.

I made sure the windows were rolled up to hold in the warmth and started out on a quick patrol of the property. The night air was cold but I soon found out that the windchill was even colder. The winds blew across the lots chilling everything in their path.

I moved with dispatch through the Screen 3 and Screen 2 lots. Once inside the concession stand, I found business to be brisk. Purchasing popcorn and a Diet Coke, I exited into the frozen wasteland of the Screen 1 lot. Unburdened by hot dogs, I made an extensive survey of the Screen 1 lot. I was very surprised to see how many people had braved the cold weather.

Incoming traffic was also brisk as I was forced to dodge cars on my way back to Screen 4. Back in my car, I settled in for the movie. It may not many anything, but at the end of the preview for "Resident Evil", all the cars around me started honking their horns! Could this be the next big drive-in movie?

Here are the car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - "We Were Soldiers" / "Hart's War" - 43
Screen 2 - "40 Days and 40 Nights" / "Rollerball" - 19
Screen 3 - "Queen Of The Damned" / "Collateral Damage" - 29
Screen 4 - "John Q" / "The Mothman Prophecies" - 20

As "The Mothman Prophecies" began, there was a surge of cars into the Screen 4 lot. The number of cars easily doubled within ten minutes. The roar of engines on all sides of me left me with the feeling of being on a racetrack waiting for the flag to drop.

I kept wondering, "Why are these people running their engines?".

I found this to be quite annoying as a couple of the vehicles were generating interference on the Screen 4 frequency.

Had this many cars arrived just to see "The Mothman Prophecies"? I doubt it. Although there was a steady inflow of cars through the ticket booth lanes, the number of new arrivals in lot 4 far exceeded the number of cars I could see coming through the entrance lanes. I believe the vast majority of these cars were "lot switchers". I've seen this before but never to this extent.

As the movie progressed, the wind continued to strengthen. Many times, the entire car shuddered, the wind was so strong. Had "The Mothman Prophecies" actually been suspenseful, this might have been scary.

As time went by, I realized why people were running their engines. It was cold. And it grew colder. I reached for the key with the intention of starting my engine. Just as I was about to give it a twist, I remembered the "low fuel" light.

I released the key to ponder the question of how much fuel might remain in the tank. Beyond that, how much of that fuel would be consumed by idling the engine. Finding no easy answers to these questions, I decided to "tough it out". Just how cold could it get? As it turns out, that night broke the record for the lowest temperature on that date. How cold did I get? By the time the movie was over, my feet were numb. As you can imagine, this made driving difficult.

Reaching the intersection of New Braunfels and IH-37, I stopped for gas at an Exxon station. When fueling was complete, I learned that I still had a gallon and a half in the tank.

I made it home without further incident.

9 Mar 2002 - Phase II

I wasn't in a rush Saturday afternoon! Shocking, but true!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three new films were playing there this week. "The Time Machine", in its first week of release, was being exhibited as a first feature. "Crossroads" and "Super Troopers", out for several weeks at local theaters, were brought in as second features.

To many people, the appeal of the drive-in theater rests on the ability to see two films at a low price. The practice of moving films down from being "first features" to "second features" can lead to stale "double features". Stale "double features" turn off those patrons who have already seen one of the films. The Mission has combated this problem in the past by rotating the "second features" to create new "double features". On rare occasions, they have brought in new "second features". I'd like to see more of this practice in the future. I'm sure it saves the Mission money as well. By the second or third week of release, I'm sure the rental fees for most films decline.

Thanks to the big refresh in "second features", I had seen only 3 of the 8 films being exhibited that night. Choices! Choices! I love choices!

I arrived at Mission at 6:04PM. The box office had just opened. I counted 14 cars in line waiting to be served. Cars continued to arrive as I waited my turn. I noticed that the loose paint had been scrapped off the marquee. Yes, the wind has been strong lately, but I knew this had to be the work of man, not nature. I expect to see the marquee repainted soon.

I purchased a ticket for "The Time Machine" and proceed to the Screen 1 lot without incident. I parked in my traditional location on the left side of the screen in the second row.

I got out of my car and started walking towards the concession stand. I knew immediately that big changes had come to the Mission.

For the last few weeks, a concession cart has been sitting beside the concession stand. This week, that cart was in use! Why? The concession stand is now closed. In fact, you could consider it to be gone!

A demolish permit was posted on the now closed door. The cost to demolish the interior of the concession stand was listed at $4,600. And demolish it they had! Even the concrete risers on which the counters had rested were in the process of being broken up and removed. The old brown tile was also nearly completely ripped up.

I walked over to the concession cart and made a purchase. The item selection has declined greatly due to the closure of the concession stand. After my purchase was concluded, I walked around a bit checking for other changes. I spotted two major changes. The portable toilets have now been removed. Large speakers have been mounted on the exterior of the building on both the Screen 2 and Screen 1 sides.

Just as I was about to return to my car, I spotted the manager. I stopped him and we talked for nearly 10 minutes. He was extremely pleasant and very happy to tell me about the coming changes to the Mission.

The interior of the concession stand will be rebuilt with a 1950s theme in what should be a more productive format. The manager is confident that serving times will decline greatly. Hopefully, that means the drink dispensers will move away from the serving lines. The exterior speakers will be used primarily for music before the features begin. This makes more sense in light of plans to open the ticket booths earlier in the day. This may increase sales at the concession stand but more importantly it should help get cars off Roosevelt faster. No one is happy to see cars backed up for over a mile on a busy roadway! As I've reported previously, the security force was cut back due to a lack of security related incidents and as a means to save money during the slow winter period. Security will be back when the crowds get big enough. Mr Santikos, local movie tycoon, plays an active role in selecting and scheduling films. Mr Santikos is very fond of the Mission and wants it to succeed. He spent a lot of money on the Mission last year and he plans to do it again this year. In addition to the new concession stand, he is considering other improvements such as repaving and striping. He is even studying adding additional ticket booths to service the summer crowds. That won't be easy, given the proximity of the creek that runs through the property to the current ticket booths. The Mission is currently the "training" theater for all Santikos management trainees. Many of the regular employees also get their training at the Mission. The manager was extremely proud of this assignment even though it increases his workload. There are more plans to upgrade the projectors. Those plans were put off after a bulb exploded in a projector resulting in an unexpected repair bill. Thursday night is his "late" night. All of the features are built up on Thursday night, projected and inspected. He told me that the standard practice in the industry is that a damaged print is replaced at no cost if the damage is reported prior to the first paid exhibition. After that, the theater must "buy" the print. Some of these prints can cost up to $6,000. I commented to him that it was too bad the work on the concession stand hadn't started in January when attendance was low. He told that the original plan had called for the work to begin in January but that there had been delays getting the project started. No one had expected the upswing in attendance that started in February. It has already become apparent that one concession cart isn't enough to serve the larger than expected crowds. I'm sure you are thinking "Get another cart!". It isn't that simple though. All the carts in the area are already booked. The current cart must be returned by 15 April 2002. This means the work on the concession stand must be completed by then or some contingency plan will be required! Still, if the worst problem you have is better than expected attendance, can you really complain? We talked so long that "The Time Machine" had already started. As I was leaving, the manager told me that the Mission was the site of the first date his parents ever went on together. That's a real connection to the past!

Here are the car counts on my arrival at the Mission:

Screen 1 - "The Time Machine" / "Crossroads" - 15
Screen 2 - "We Were Soldiers" / "Super Troopers" - 10
Screen 3 - "Queen of the Damned" / "Collateral Damage" - 3
Screen 4 - "40 Days and 40 Nights" / "Rollerball" - 7

As the credits began to roll at the end of "The Time Machine", I started to make my usual patrol of the property. I was stunned when I looked up at Screen 1 to see an actual "visit the snack bar" intermission reel! This is the kind of thing the Mission has needed since it reopened!

The weather was mild so I made a detailed car count. Here are the counts immediately after the end of "The Time Machine".

Screen 1 - "The Time Machine" / "Crossroads" - 41
Screen 2 - "We Were Soldiers" / "Super Troopers" - 53
Screen 3 - "Queen of the Damned" / "Collateral Damage" - 29
Screen 4 - "40 Days and 40 Nights" / "Rollerball" - 35

The best thing about these counts is that the cars were fairly well distributed among the Screens.

Returning to my car, I stayed to watch "Crossroads". Yes, this was my first "double feature" of 2002. Rick Stivers wants me to comment more on the movies. Okay, just for you Rick, here are my thoughts on "Crossroads". Two things would have made this movie better - greater attention to geographic detail (West Texas, contrary to popular belief, doesn't border Louisiana) and some additional explosions. If you renamed the characters in "Crossroads" and then released it as "Josie and the Pussycats", it would have been a better movie than the film actually released under that title last year.

After "Crossroads" ended, I was once again forced to wait in line at the exit. I made it home without incident.

16 Mar 2002 - Bagged Popcorn!

For the second Saturday in a row, I wasn't in a rush! How long can this streak continue?

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. Both films, "Resident Evil" and "Showtime", were in their first week of release.

With the addition of these two new films, I had only seen 3 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

I left my apartment at 6:05PM and arrived at the Mission at 6:25PM. Lines were long even though both ticket booths and all four entry lanes were open. I noticed immediately that security had returned to the Mission! A female police officer stood, stone-faced, watching the cars and their passengers.

In an unusual assignment of job duties, one of the assistant managers was working as a ticket runner. We had a short conversation regarding the unexpectedly high level of attendance. It seems that the patronage on Friday night had nearly overwhelmed the staff! That's good to hear!

After purchasing my ticket, I drove into the Screen 1 lot and parked in my traditional location. I left my car and began my usual patrol by crossing the Screen 1 lot to the snack cart.

The snack cart was very busy. At least ten people were waiting in line when I arrived. Several menu changes have been made. Last week, hot dogs were available and the popcorn appeared to have been popped locally and then placed into small cardboard boxes. How small? Too small for my hand to reach inside without applying pressure to deform the shape of the box. Although the hot dogs were kept under heat lamps, it was not enough to keep them warm given the recent cooler temperatures. This week, the hot dogs were no longer available. Popcorn was still on the menu; however, it now comes in a bag and not a box. I was surprised at how good pre-popped bagged popcorn could be! I give most of the credit to the heat lamps hanging over the bags to warm the staff. The aluminized popcorn bags picked up the heat from the lamps and warmed up the popcorn. On tearing open the bag, the smell of warm popcorn flooded my nostrils! Aaah!

Although the lines were long, the crowd seemed energized by the nearby construction work. Many felt compelled to ask about the project or to tell stories about the last time they had been to the Mission. Nearly every week, I find someone who hasn't been there in years. A couple of weeks ago, I met a man that hadn't been there since 1978. When I asked what had changed, he declared, "Nothing. It looks exactly the same". Could the Mission really not have changed much in 24 years?

Leaving the snack cart behind, I made a quick loop through the remaining three lots. Cars continued to arrive at a brisk pace. I returned to my car and got out my chair.

Here are the car counts for those that like them. These counts were taken before the trailers began.

Screen 1 - "Resident Evil" / "Queen Of The Damned" - 14
Screen 2 - "We Were Soldiers" / "Super Troopers" - 9
Screen 3 - "Showtime" / "Collateral Damage" - 10
Screen 4 - "Time Machine" / "Crossroads" - 11

I found it interesting that "Showtime", a new movie, was being exhibited on Screen 3. For those that haven't been to the Mission, the Screen 3 lot is much, much smaller than either the Screen 1 or Screen 2 lots.

I had eaten approximately half a bag of popcorn when Matt walked up. Was this a chance meeting? No. Matt and Dave had come to the drive-in to see "We Were Soldiers". An avid reader of these writings, Matt knew where to look for my car. He almost didn't approach me though. He recognized my car but not me! The baseball cap I was wearing was apparently an effective enough disguise to render me unrecognizable even at a short distance! We chatted for a few minutes and then Matt returned to the Screen 2 lot.

As "Resident Evil" began, a gold van drove up into the center of the grassy area in front of the screen. Vehicles don't belong in this area. The driver then flaunted the rules even more by parking his van sideways.

My first thought was "What the hell"? The driver got out of the van and began walking around it with what appeared to be a radio. I considered the possibility that the driver of the van had been hired by the Mission to evaluate the signal strength of their FM transmitter. He certainly seemed fixated on the device he was carrying. I found his antics distracting and I considered seeking out management. Before I could do so, the driver climbed into the van and settled down. He was later joined by another man who left with him in the van at the conclusion of "Resident Evil". On further reflection, I think this is just another case of rude behavior.

After the van pulled away, I made another quick circuit of the property. The Screen 1 lot was far too crowded to even consider counting. I crossed over to Screen 4. I counted the cars there and then moved on to Screen 3 where I took another count.

Screen 3 - "Showtime" / "Collateral Damage" - 42
Screen 4 - "Time Machine" / "Crossroads" - 65

Crossing the sway bridge to the Screen 2 lot, I began searching for Matt and Dave. There were a fairly large number of cars in the lot. I'm guessing about the same as in the Screen 3 lot. Since Matt had told me what row they were parked in, I knew I'd find them.

Before I could even get close to them, I could see a figure waving its arms and calling my name. So much for being incognito!

I'm not really sure that Dave ever knew I was there. He seemed completely caught up in the movie. Matt relayed a story to me about his encounter with a woman, a pickup truck and seven kids. After visiting for a few minutes, I excused myself and returned to my car.

I was dismayed to find that "Queen of the Damned" had already begun. I'm naturally reluctant to drive out once a movie has started. Sometimes, subscribing to the "drive-in code" can be a burden! For the benefit of others, I decided to stay for my second double-feature in as many weeks.

When the credits started to roll, I started my car. I returned home without incident.

Addendum: San Antonio experienced a severe thunderstorm during the middle of the following week. John and his son went to the Mission the night after the storm. They saw "Resident Evil", half of "Queen of the Damned" and "Super Troopers". A long night indeed! John reports the Mission suffered only minor damage. Several sections of fence were knocked down by the winds. They made it home without incident.

I'm very pleased to report that more and more people in my office have at least begun to talk about visiting the Mission!

23 Mar 2002 -  Emergency Response!

For the third Saturday in a row, I wasn't in a rush! How long can this streak continue?

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three new films were playing at the Mission this week. These new films were "Blade 2", "All About The Benjamins" and "Dragonfly". This was the first week of release for "Blade 2". "All About The Benjamins" and "Dragonfly" had opened in San Antonio in previous weeks.

With the addition of these three new films, I had only seen 3 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. I think this statistic is an excellent measure of how "fresh" the films are at the Mission!

I left my apartment at 6:05PM. As I drove past the Sonic, I gave in to temptation and stopped to order 3 corn dogs. If the new Mission concession stand can have only one new food item, it should be the corn dog! Even after stopping for corn dogs, I arrived at the Mission only slightly later than in previous weeks. It was 6:35PM when I pulled into the entry lane.

Only one ticket booth was open. I could immediately see that "Blade 2" was going to be a big hit! The lines were long and the occupants of the cars seemed excited. Unlike last Saturday, there was no indication that security was on the property. Did management expect the forecasts of cold weather to have keep the crowds away? If so, they were wrong!

I purchased a ticket for "Blade 2". The computerized ticket system had been knocked out by the storm. In a flashback to earlier times, ticket sales were being recorded by hand and colored tickets were being dispensed from a variety of ticket rolls loaded onto a spindle. After receiving my ticket and change from the runner, I proceeded on into the Screen 1 lot.

On nights with big crowds, I pass on my traditional parking spot and move up to the front row. All it takes is one SUV to ruin an evening of movie viewing!

I left my car behind as I began my traditional patrol of the property. I quickly ran the gauntlet through Lots 1, 4, 3 and 2.

John reported last week that the Mission sustained wind damage to the fences that surround and divide the property. The entry lane signs for Screens 2 and 3 had also been knocked out by the wind.

Arriving back at the concession stand, I ordered a Diet Coke and a bag of popcorn. This time, the clerk grabbed a bag from the bottom of the rack. I can now confirm that it was the heat lamp that made the bagged popcorn taste so good last week!

Work continues on the new concession stand. The concrete "risers" which formerly supported serving islands have been removed. On the side nearest to Screen 1, the foundation has been broken through to a depth of four to six inches. I could see one row of reinforcing steel poking out through the sides of the trench. To me, this indicates plumbing work will soon begin.

I returned to my car just in time for the start of "Blade 2".

Here are the car counts for those that like them. The first number for Screen 1 is the count at the start of my patrol. The second number is the count at the end of my patrol as I was returning to my car from the concession stand.

Screen 1 - "Blade 2" / /"All About The Benjamins" - 24 --> 57
Screen 2 - "Resident Evil" / "Queen Of The Damned" - 14
Screen 3 - "Showtime" / "Dragonfly" - 1
Screen 4 - "The Time Machine" / "We Were Soldiers" - 10

How was "Blade 2"? It kept me interested all the way to the end. The repetitive use of "shock sticks" reminded me of my own story, "Alien Abduction".

The trend for cars to park in the "infield" area of the Screen 1 lot continues. This time, four cars made this area their own. Clearly, the drivers of these cars do not subscribe to the drive-in code.

Following the conclusion of "Blade 2", I started out on another patrol of the property. The crowd in the Screen 1 lot was so large that I abandoned any attempt to count the cars. I did count the cars in the Screen 4 and Screen 3 lots. I never got to attempt a count of the Screen 2 lot. Why? I'll tell you why.

As I was crossing over the sway bridge, I saw an EMS vehicle enter the property. Was it there for the movie? Nope. It was there on an emergency call. Lights flashing, the EMS unit turned into the Screen 1 lot.

Watching this drama unfold, I walked slowly across the Screen 2 lot. I remember seeing a large number of cars.

The EMS unit moved up to the front row and parked in the infield area.

Squinting my eyes, I realized that it had parked near my car! The biggest event of the night and I wasn't even there.

I slipped through an opening in the storm damaged fence and moved with dispatch across the Screen 1 lot.

As I crossed through the second row, I was shocked to see the EMS unit parked in front of my car and the technicians at work on someone in the car next to mine.

Putting safety first, I slowed my approach and began to study the situation.

Was it a shooting? Nope. A stabbing? Nope. A fist fight? Nope.

It was a child with a stomach ache. Yup. Young parents can over react. Here is a life lesson. A stomach ache can't be cured by the use of snack foods.

By the time "All About The Benjamins" started, everyone was happy and the EMS unit had departed.

Here are the counts I collected before my patrol was aborted.

Screen 3 - "Showtime" / "Dragonfly" - 25
Screen 4 - "The Time Machine" / "We Were Soldiers" - 39

Given that "All About The Benjamins" had already started, I decided to stay and watch it. This was my third double feature in as many weeks. How much longer can this trend continue?

After the second feature ended, I returned home without incident.

29 Mar 2002 - Shuttered!

For the fourth weekend in a row, I wasn't in a rush! Weekend? Not a Saturday? Yup. Rick and I had plans for yet another drive-in adventure on Saturday, 30 March 2002. Since these things can take all day, I decided to visit the Mission on Friday night.

Fortunately, I had taken the day off and had plenty of time to get ready for the trip. How much longer can the "not rushed this weekend" streak continue? Follow my adventures each week and you'll find out!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These new films were "Panic Room" and "Ice Age". This was the first week of release for "Panic Room". "Ice Age" had opened in San Antonio at least a week ago. Unlike other features which have previously opened and been brought to the Mission, "Ice Age" was added to the line-up in a headliner position.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 5 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. Yes, this is a big jump up from three films last week! Three straight weeks of "double features" have finally pushed me over the halfway mark. But the "double feature" streak would end this week! This tends to be a self-adjusting statistic. The more of the films on the schedule the viewer has seen, the less likely it will be that the viewer will have a "double feature" opportunity. This rule held true for me this weekend. I knew before I left home that I would only be seeing one movie.

I left my apartment at 6:30PM. I resisted the urge to stop at the Sonic for corn dogs. It was 7:05PM when I drove onto the Mission property.

Only one ticket booth was open. The lines of cars were long. Which movie of the night would be the big winner? Would "Blade 2" repeat as the top film? Was the "buzz" about "Panic Room" enough to make it the winner? I doubted "Ice Age" or "Showtime" had the potential to be the big film of the evening.

Most of you don't know it, but there has been a minor controversy regarding shutters that were added to the outside of the ticket booths. These shutters were apparently added to help protect the contents of the booths from blowing rain. It was just such a rain that "took out" the computer system a couple of weeks ago. Perhaps I missed something but I saw nothing controversial. Clearly, the raw wood shutters need to be painted before they ruined by the damp spring weather. I suggest the same color brown that was used for the ticket booth doors and trim boards. A Mission logo would be a nice touch as well. The shutters I observed where only on the sides of the ticket booths. I thought this to be odd as it is the front of the ticket booths that are most exposed to the weather. If front shutters are added, rails should be placed on them in such a manner that signs can be slide in and out of them. What type of signs? How about this one? "The Box Office Opens At XX:XXPM". Since drive-ins are one of the few aspects of modern life that are actually tied to the setting of the sun, a variety of signs would be required. But enough about this subject.

I purchased a ticket for "Panic Room". The computerized ticket system was still not working. As I drove to the Screen 2 lot, I could see that the entrance signs for Screens "2" and "3" had been replaced. I also saw signs of fence repair.

Entering the Screen 2 lot, I knew that "Panic Room" would be the biggest film of the night. I parked in the first row on the right side of the screen. I left my car behind as I began my traditional patrol of the property. I quickly ran the gauntlet through Lots 2, 1, 4 and 3.

Arriving back at the snack cart, I ordered a Diet Coke and a bag of popcorn. While waiting to be served, I counted the cars in the Screen 1 lot. Obviously, it isn't possible to get an accurate count from this position but I needed to stay occupied while I waited for my order. The staff was clearly determined to squeeze the last drop of Diet Coke syrup from the canister connected to the drink dispenser. Guys! Those last drops aren't worth the business you might lose while trying to extract them! Follow this rule. When a canister gets low, it must go!

Work continues on the new concession stand. Both concrete "risers" have now been removed. As I reported last week, the foundation has been "trenched out" beneath the level of the floor. This week, the reason for those trenches became obvious. Plumbing lines are being run to two different locations. The lines turn up out of the trenches in a 45 degree angle. These will almost certainly be the locations of the new serving islands. Each serving island will have at least one drain line. Another smaller line is also being installed. Could this be a water line? Follow my adventures each week and you'll find out!

I returned to my car just in time for the start of "Panic Room".

Here are the car counts for those that like them. Remember that the count for Screen 1 was conducted from the snack cart.

Screen 1 - "Blade 2" / "All About The Benjamins" - 24
Screen 2 - "Panic Room" / "Resident Evil" - 40
Screen 3 - "Ice Age" / "Time Machine" - 26
Screen 4 - "Showtime" / "Queen Of The Damned" - 4

How was "Panic Room"? Although it kept me interested all the way to the end, I think at least 5 to 10 minutes should be cut out. The film had only a few very minor plot flaws which could have been addressed by "toss off" lines.

Following the conclusion of "Panic Room", I started out on another patrol of the property. Due to the large number of cars in the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots, I didn't even attempt to count the cars. I did count the cars in the Screen 3 and Screen 4 lots.

Here are those counts:

Screen 3 - "Ice Age" / "Time Machine" - 35
Screen 4 - "Showtime" / "Queen Of The Damned" - 10

I think it is pretty clear that "Showtime" needs to be replaced next week.

By moving at top speed, I was able to complete my patrol before the trailers had even started on Screen 2. This is the best time to exit the theater. Started the car, I slowly worked my way over to the exit lane.

I returned home without incident.

Thus Ends the 1st Quarter of 2002

If you have any comments, corrections, or additions you can reach me Here.