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3 Oct 2003 - The Cost!

In one of the last communications ever received from Matt Cooper, he expressed a desire to know "the terrible cost" of attending the Mission on a weekly basis. While I take issue with his use of the word "terrible", I decided his request was a reasonable one. I vowed that I'd collect the necessary cost information on my next trip to the Mission!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Cold Creek Manor" and "Open Range". Both of these films had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 4 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

I left my apartment at 6:51PM. Getting into my car, I recorded the starting mileage. With that task complete, I started my journey to the Mission. No stops were made along the way. I arrived at the Mission at 7:51PM. The evening was warm and cloudy. For what seemed the first time in weeks, there was no threat of rain! Would the public respond to these excellent weather conditions? Only time would tell!

Although Rick Stivers is getting tired of reading this, I noted that the sign near the Mission entrance remains white, without lettering or symbols.

Beyond the white sign, I was surprised to see a veritable sea of cars sitting in front of the Mission! My earlier question had been answered! Good weather had led to good attendance!

I was clearly not alone in my surprise! This year, the Mission has opened the box offices early on nights when attendance was expected to be high. But not this night! During the next fifteen minutes, a line of cars slowly built up over the hill on Roosevelt. The line on VFW Boulevard appeared to be equally long, reaching back beyond the city park.

When the box offices finally opened, the lines of cars slowly began to move forward. By the time I rounded the screen tower, both ticket booths had been opened and all four entrance lanes were in use.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "The Rundown" and then proceeded into the Screen 4 lot without incident.

Crossing the lot towards my traditional parking space, I could hear the grass beating against the underside of my vehicle.

While these rains ever end? Will this grass ever stop growing? Only time will tell!

Reaching my desired parking space, I turned off my engine. Checking the odometer, I once again recorded the mileage.

How far is it from the parking lot at my apartment to my traditional parking space in the Screen 4 lot? Not far in Texas terms! The distance is a short 20.8 miles.

After adding the cost of my movie ticket to the night's tally, I exited my vehicle. Feeling just a bit stiff, I performed a series of stretching exercises before heading off to begin my patrol of the property!

I quickly counted the cars in the Screen 4 and Screen 3 lots. Crossing over the footbridge, I noted that despite the heavy rains we've received in the last few weeks, the footbridge remains steady. The repairs made to it this past summer have held up well!

Crossing over into the Screen 2 lot, I noted that the portable toilets have been removed. I'm guessing the contract period ran through the end of September.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed my usual order of a large Diet Coke, two hot dogs and a large popcorn. I was promptly served by the courteous counter staff. I would later record that the cost of these snacks was $12.75.

After hosing down my hot dogs with mustard, I exited into the Screen 1 lot. After a quick car count, I returned to the Screen 4 lot. Getting out my camp chair, I settled down to wait for the start of the movie.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Underworld" / "Cabin Fever" - 18
Screen 2 - "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" / "Jeepers Creepers 2" - 34
Screen 3 - "Cold Creek Manor" / "Open Range" - 8
Screen 4 - "The Rundown" / "Dickie Roberts" - 45

How was "The Rundown"? I was slightly disappointed by this film. It wasn't nearly as funny as the trailers made it appear to be. This film does get extra points for working the title into the movie.

As the credits began to roll, I decided to stay for the second feature. Needing a drink refill, I headed off towards the concession stand.

Arriving there, I ran into the current Mission manager, Mr. Kunert. We talked for about 15 minutes. He will be moving on to the Mayan Palace when it opens. He confirmed that the Mission will be getting new sound equipment by the end of the year. He has also heard the rumor that the upgrade MAY include new projectors.

When Mr Kunert was called away to deal with a management issue, I went inside the concession stand, secured a refill and then returned to my car. By the time I arrived there, "Dickie Roberts" was already in progress.

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

Screen 1 - "Underworld" / "Cabin Fever" - 88
Screen 2 - "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" / "Jeepers Creepers 2" - 30%
Screen 3 - "Cold Creek Manor" / "Open Range" - 27
Screen 4 - "The Rundown" / "Dickie Roberts" - 92

How was "Dickie Roberts"? This film was much better than I expected it to be. It was funny! And it had a moral too! As I've previously noted, no film gets extra points for working the title into the movie, if the title of the film is the same as the name of a character in the movie.

When the credits began to roll, I packed up my car and proceeded home without incident. No additional mileage figures were recorded.

How much does it cost for me to attend the Mission on a weekly basis?

The cost for a movie ticket is $6. The cost of snacks on this night was $12.75. The direct travel cost was $2.11 based on a round trip mileage of 41.6 (2 x 20.8) miles, average miles per gallon for my Escort of 28.39 and a gasoline cost of $1.44 per gallon.

The total cost for a night at the Mission? $20.86. The value of the drive-in experience? Priceless!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Box Office Report  2-4 October 2003

11 Oct 2003  -   Misled!

Since first seeing the trailer for "House of the Dead" several weeks ago, I had been eagerly awaiting the film's opening. After several disappointing zombie movies, this one appeared to take the threat of zombies seriously. How best to deal with zombies? I'd suggest flamethrowers and grenades! Based on the trailer, the makers of "House of the Dead" appeared to share my views. Could this movie live up to the trailer? Only time would tell!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being
"Kill Bill Vol 1" and "House of the Dead". This was the first week of release for both films.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 6 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

I left my apartment at 7:20PM. I made no stops along the way. I arrived at the Mission at 7:50PM. The weather wasn't quite perfect for a night at the drive-in. A "cool" front had moved through the area earlier in the day. The sky was overcast and there had been some drizzle earlier in the evening. Local weather forecasters were predicting rain all weekend. Would the threat of rain hold down attendance at the Mission? Only time would tell!

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I once again noted that the new sign near the entrance remains white, without lettering or symbols.

As I rounded the screen tower, I found only one ticket booth and a single entry lane were open. Not a positive sign!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "House of the Dead" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident.

Driving across the Screen 1 lot, I parked in my traditional location on the right side of the screen near the exit lane. Given that I had already seen the second feature, "Cabin Fever", I knew that I'd be leaving during the intermission. Concerned about the possibility of rain, and remembering what happened the last time I used the blue blanket in the rain, I parked my Escort "nose-forward" toward the screen.

Leaving my car behind, I headed directly to the concession stand. As I moved towards it, I performed a complete count of the Screen 1 lot.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed my usual order of a Diet Coke, large popcorn and two hot dogs. After hosing down the hot dogs with mustard, I headed outside to continue my patrol of the property.

Exiting into the Screen 2 lot, I counted the cars and then crossed the footbridge into the Screen 3 lot. The handrail on the bridge remains split. I quickly counted the cars before moving on to the Screen 4 lot. No changes were noted there and after counting the cars, I returned to the Screen 1 lot.

Reaching my car, I got out my camp chair and sat it down next to the driver's side window. My plan was a simple one. If it didn't rain, I'd sit outside and listen to the radio through the open windows of the car. If it did rain, I'd throw the chair in the trunk and then retreat inside the vehicle for the remainder of the film.

Settling down into my chair, I waited for the movie to start.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "House of the Dead" / "Cabin Fever" - 22
Screen 2 - "Kill Bill" / "Jeepers Creepers 2" - 10
Screen 3 - "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" / "Underworld" - 6
Screen 4 - "The Rundown" / "Dickie Robert" - 9

I was hoping for an uneventful evening at the drive-in, but that was not to be!

Was my evening disrupted by a violent rainstorm? No. Projection problems? No. Sound problems? No. The problem was one that was completely unexpected. My evening was disrupted several times by my fellow patrons. Was I threatened with violence? Nothing that exciting! No, these patrons were new to the drive-in and didn't have a clue how the Mission worked.

The first time they interrupted me, they wanted to know "how to get the sound". Okay, fine. I told them the radio frequency for Screen 1. They left. Minutes later, they returned. What now? Was that "AM or FM"? If you know radio dials, you know this was a dumb question. I confirmed that I had given them an "FM" frequency. They left. Minutes later, they returned yet again. "Are you sure the sound is on the radio? Didn't they give you a speaker at ticket booth"? Now, I was annoyed. I forcefully replied "YES" and "NO" to their questions. I invited them to examine the immediate area to prove that the only speakers were the speakers installed in the car at the factory. I even offered to turn up my radio for them if they wanted to park closer to my vehicle. They didn't want to do that! And then they left again. This time, they did not return. But was this the last I saw of them?

No!

Over and over during the movie, I saw them driving their truck around the lot. They moved from the front row to back row. They
moved from the left side to the right side. I can only imagine that, like John Miller, their stock truck radio was unable to pick up the Mission's transmission. Eventually, they grew tired and left the theater. Was I happy? No! These people had just had a negative drive-in experience. Sadly, I doubt they will ever try the Mission again.

How was "House of the Dead"?

This movie was a MAJOR disappointment. No flamethrowers were used in the movie. Why I thought there would be remains a mystery to me. Was I misled by the movie trailer? I'd check, but this movie is so bad that I don't ever want to see it, or it's
trailer, again! I must admit that grenades were used in the movie but only in a manner likely to get the user killed! With only a few exceptions, the characters in the movie simply pulled the pin out of the grenade, dropped it and then tried to run away as fast
as possible. This isn't the way to use a grenade! You throw them! You don't run from them!

And just why is this a bad strategy for killing zombies? You have to get way too close to them for this to work! Zombies aren't sprinters! They don't move fast at all! They shuffle along, barely moving. Grenades typically explode within seconds of begin activated. How far can a zombie move in a few seconds? Not far! For the blast to be effective, the user would need to literally drop the grenade at the zombies' feet! Who wants to get that close to zombies? Not me! That's why you throw the grenades at the zombies!

One character in the film learned this lesson the hard way.

Running from a group of zombies, the character stopped and whipped out a grenade. Pausing long enough for the zombies to move
closer, the character pulled the pin out of a grenade, dropped it, turned to run and then ran right into another group of zombies. The grenade exploded, blowing up both groups of zombies and the human character.

I laughed! This is the kind of poetic justice that we need more of in real life!

As the credits began to roll, I threw my chair into the trunk and then made a quick loop of the property. Returning to my car, I
proceeded home without incident.

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

Screen 1 - "House of the Dead" / "Cabin Fever" - 27
Screen 2 - "Kill Bill" / "Jeepers Creepers 2" - 19
Screen 3 - "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" / "Underworld" - 12
Screen 4 - "The Rundown" / "Dickie Robert" - 11

As you can see, the threat of rain once again held down attendance at the Mission.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only three of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Weekend Box Office Totals -  October 10 - 12, 2003

12 Oct 2003  -   Back to Back!

It rained nearly all day Sunday. By early evening, the flash flood warnings were scrolling across the bottom of my television screen. My reaction? Go to the Mission!

Why?

The Mission is clearly "on the bubble". Attendance varies with the weather and we've had too much bad weather lately! Too many nights of low attendance will lead to the Mission being shut down for the season, perhaps forever. While one man can't do much to save an entire theater, I plan to do all that I can! You should do the same!

After having seen "House of the Dead" the night before, only one film remained at the Mission that I hadn't already seen. That film being "Kill Bill".

I left my apartment at 7:18PM. I made no stops along the way. I arrived at the Mission at 7:44PM. Although it rained on me the entire trip, I had no difficulty reaching the theater.

Despite the rain and fog, I was able to confirm that the sign outside the Mission remains completely blank, without writing or symbols.

As I rounded the screen tower, I found only one ticket booth and a single entry lane were open. What a relief! Given the weather, I had suspected the Mission might have closed for the evening!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Kill Bill" and proceeded to the Screen 2 lot without major incident.

The sinkhole in the Screen 2 entrance lane has been partially filled in earth and other materials. Although a large pool of water had gathered in the area, I was able to drive through it without difficulty. Some water did seep inside the passenger cabin but that's to be expected!

Driving across the Screen 2 lot, I parked in my traditional location on the left side of the screen near the exit lane. Given that I had already seen the second feature, "Jeepers Creepers 2", I knew that I'd be leaving during the intermission.

Since it was already raining, I decided to park the car "nose-forward" towards the screen. I'd be watching the movie from inside the car tonight!

Leaving my car behind, I headed directly to the concession stand. As I moved towards it, I performed a complete count of the Screen 2 lot.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed my usual order of a Diet Coke, large popcorn and two hot dogs. After hosing down the hot dogs with mustard, I headed outside to continue my patrol of the property.

I exited into the Screen 1 lot. A quick look towards the Screen 1 entrance confirmed that I would be unable to cross over to the Screen 4 lot without getting my feet soaking wet. Not finding wet feet to be appealing, I mapped out another course of action. I quickly counted the cars in the Screen 1 lot and then headed through the breezeway back into the Screen 2 lot.

Turning right, I headed across the lot towards the footbridge. Working my way around a large pool of water, I crossed the footbridge into the Screen 3 lot. I quickly counted the cars before moving on to the Screen 4 lot. No changes were noted there and after counting the cars, I retraced my path back to the Screen 2 lot.

Reaching my car, I climbed inside and settled down to wait for the movie to start.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "House of the Dead" / "Cabin Fever" - 8
Screen 2 - "Kill Bill" / "Jeepers Creepers 2" - 13
Screen 3 - "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" / "Underworld" - 10
Screen 4 - "The Rundown" / "Dickie Roberts" - 12

From time to time during the presentation, I was forced to run my windshield wipers and even my defroster. I consumed my hot dogs with gusto and discovered to my surprise that the popcorn was some of the best that I've ever had at the Mission!

Despite the rain, cars continued to arrive on a regular basis.

How was "Kill Bill"?

One word comes to mind, "violent". Given the title, this can't be much of a surprise! The film gets bonus points for working the title into the movie. Wait! You're thinking bonus points shouldn't be allowed because "Bill" is the name of one of the characters. Normally, that would be the case; however, this time the name is being used as part of a plot summary. That's different, and besides, I make the rules here!

As the credits began to roll, I made another "modified" loop of the property. Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident.

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

Screen 1 - "House of the Dead" / "Cabin Fever" - 22
Screen 2 - "Kill Bill" / "Jeepers Creepers 2" - 24
Screen 3 - "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" / "Underworld" - 13
Screen 4 - "The Rundown" / "Dickie Roberts" - 20

In a bizarre twist, the attendance on Sunday night, with rain, was higher than the attendance on Saturday night, with only the threat of rain.

19 Oct 2003 - Defaulted

When I purchased my new Ford Escort in the summer of 1999, I knew that I would also need to purchase an extended warranty. I considered buying the Ford warranty, but rejected that option due to the high cost. Years ago, Ford would have been the only choice, but not anymore. Today, many third party companies provide this type of product. After extensive Internet research and feedback from friends and acquaintances, I purchased a policy from Warranty Gold. I selected the maximum coverage available - "bumper-to-bumper", seven years or 150,000 miles.

If you are a regular reader of these reports, you know that I had good success with this company. Who can forget my failed power windows and power door locks? That one claim recovered nearly a third of the cost of my policy! I was so confident in Warranty Gold that I drove my car with abandon! Miles began to pile up and the days began to past by. But I wasn't worried...

I should have been!

Without warning, I received a phone call from my mother. She had received an e-mail from Warranty Gold. With regret, they were notifying her that the company would no longer be honoring any contracts sold before June 2003!

What? Could this e-mail be a prank or perhaps even an attempt at sabotage by a rival company? Unfortunately, the e-mail was legitimate. Warranty Gold had defaulted on its policies!

Why had this happened? Warranty Gold had hired a company known as National Warranty to process claims and disburse payments to vendors. As part of this arrangement, Warranty Gold deposited funds with National Warranty for each contract to be serviced. In theory, the deposits went into an escrow account. National Warranty would then earn a portion of the amount in the account each month. As a hedge, Warranty Gold purchased an insurance policy to protect its customers if the trust company holding the escrow account went bankrupt.

This system worked well until National Warranty was forced into bankruptcy. The judge handling the case ordered all of National Warranty's assets be frozen, including the escrow accounts supporting Warranty Gold's customers. Without the payments from the escrow account, National Warranty couldn't make payments to vendors. Warranty Gold, having deposited the bulk of the revenue from its warranty sales into the escrow account, couldn't make payments to vendors either. Warranty Gold took the only way out. It defaulted on the policies. Almost certainly, Warranty Gold will also be forced into bankruptcy. Someday, the money in the escrow account will be released, but by then all the policies will most likely have expired. A sad state of affairs indeed!

Suddenly without warranty coverage, I was faced with the task of minimizing my mileage as much as possible. But where to cut?

If you recall my report from 3 Oct 2003, you know that a round trip to the Mission is 41.6 miles. That's the second longest drive that I make on a regular basis. The longest drive being to visit my family south of San Antonio.

And then it hit me! I could have my cake and eat it too! By combining my trip home with my trip to the Mission, I could eliminate 41.6 miles per week. But would it work out? Only time and a test visit would tell!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "School of Rock". This was the first week of release for "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". "School of Rock" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 6 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

Following my usual custom, I left my apartment around noon and drove down to visit my family. I spent most of the afternoon mowing my mother's yard. After a shower and dinner, I was ready to head to the Mission!

I left my mother's house at 6:00PM. I made no stops along the way. I arrived at the Mission at 6:53PM. Making a note of the travel time, I settled down to wait for the box office to open.

When I arrived, my car was the third car in line. By the time the box office opened at 7:18PM, 14 cars were waiting to enter the property. I knew at that point that it would be a good night for the Mission!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "School of Rock" and proceeded to the Screen 2 lot without incident.

Driving across the Screen 2 lot, I parked in my traditional location on the left side of the screen near the exit lane. Since I had already seen the second feature, "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star", I knew that I'd be leaving during the intermission.

The weather was perfect for a night at the drive-in! The sky was clear and the air was cool and dry. I parked "tail-forward" so that I could sit outside and take full advantage of the good weather.

Leaving my car behind, I headed directly to the concession stand. As I moved towards it, I performed a complete count of the Screen 2 lot.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed my usual order of a Diet Coke, large popcorn and two hot dogs. After hosing down the hot dogs with mustard, I headed outside to continue my patrol of the property.

I exited into the Screen 1 lot. Looking towards the ticket booths, I was excited to see a steady stream of cars entering the property. After counting the cars in the Screen 1 lot, I continued my patrol through the Screen 4 and Screen 3 lots.

Crossing the foot bridge, I returned to the Screen 2 lot. Looking across the fence into the Screen 1 lot, I was shocked to see the number of cars had increased dramatically! I slipped through a gap in the fence and recounted the cars. The number was far larger than I would have expected for any movie on a Sunday night in October. Little did I know that "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" would set an all-time attendance record that weekend!

Turning around, I noticed the trailers had begun to roll on Screen 2. Taking the more dignified route back through the breezeway, I returned to the Screen 2 lot. Winter nights are dark in these regions and I had some difficulty making my way back to car. When I finally reached it, I got out my camp chair and settled down to enjoy the feature presentation.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" / "The Rundown" - 52
Screen 2 - "School of Rock" / "Dickie Roberts" - 10
Screen 3 - "Kill Bill" / "Jeepers Creepers 2" - 8
Screen 4 - "House of the Dead" / "Cabin Fever" - 5

How was "School of Rock"?

One word comes to mind, "boring". The film spends way too much time attempting to convince the audience that the children in the film actually learned something while preparing to be a rock band.

The film does get bonus points for working the title into the movie.

As the credits began to roll, I recounted the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots. I skipped the Screen 3 and Screen 4 lots to save time. Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident. As it turned out, I arrived home with plenty of time to spare.

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

Screen 1 - "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" / "The Rundown" - 70
Screen 2 - "School of Rock" / "Dickie Roberts" - 21

Combining my visit home with my trip to the Mission was a complete success! Now that I have a good idea of the travel time between my mother's home and the Mission, I'll plan my departure so that I arrive just before the box office opens. The downside? Now I have to call my mother twice -- once when I get to the Mission and once when I get home. That's a small price to pay to save 41.6 miles per week. How long will this work? It won't work year round. Eventually, I'll be getting home too late to get enough sleep before going to work on Monday. At that point, I'll either have to split the one trip back into two trips or I'll have to shift my visit home to Saturday. But while I can save the miles, I will!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Weekend Box Office Totals  -  October 17 - 19, 2003

26 Oct 2003 - Chanting

If you recall, last week I decided to combine my trip to the Mission with my trip out of town to visit my family. Alas, this week I was forced to skip my family visit. Why? I work for a government agency. The last few weeks we've all been getting ready for an inspection. Others appeared to be ready. I wasn't confident that the same was true for me. I spent nearly every waking moment the weekend before the inspection making a final effort to put my programs right. By the time Sunday evening came around, I was feeling worn out, tired and generally exhausted. I needed a break and what better break than a trip to the drive-in!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "Scary Movie 3". This was the first week of release for this film.

With the addition of this new film, I had seen 7 of the 9 films being exhibited this week. Nine? Yes, nine! From time to time, the Mission "pluses up" with an additional movie. In this case, it appears the goal was to create a Halloween horror triple feature.

I left my office at 6:30PM. Stepping outside for the first time in hours, I found that it had begun to rain. Fortunately, it was no more than a drizzle. But even the threat of rain hurts the attendance at the Mission!

As I neared the Mission, I was startled by the sound of someone chanting. Yes, chanting! It wasn't the radio. I was sure of that! The chanting continued.

"Rain! Rain! Go Away! Come back to the Mission another day!"

And then it hit me! That was my voice! At some point during the drive, I had started chanting. I have no idea when or even why I started doing it. Those who know me, know that I get a little "loopy" when deprived of sleep. That's my explanation and I'm sticking to it!

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I once again noted that the new sign near the entrance remains white, without lettering or symbols. I want to apologize for not mentioning this in my last report. I know the fate of this sign is a high interest item among my more dedicated readers!

As I rounded the screen tower, I found only one ticket booth and a single entry lane were open. No cars were in line. Not a positive sign!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Scary Movie 3" and proceeded to the Screen 2 lot without incident.

Driving across the Screen 2 lot, I parked in my traditional location on the left side of the screen near the exit lane. Given that I had already seen the second feature, "Kill Bill", I knew that I'd be leaving during the intermission. More important, I still had work to do to get ready for the inspection!

Leaving my car behind, I headed directly to the concession stand. As I moved towards it, I performed a complete count of the Screen 2 lot.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed my usual order of a Diet Coke, large popcorn and two hot dogs. After hosing down the hot dogs with mustard, I headed outside to continue my patrol of the property.

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I counted the cars and then crossed over into the Screen 4 lot. No changes were noted there and after counting the cars, I proceeded with dispatch to the Screen 3 lot. The drizzle had turned into light rain and I was getting wetter and wetter with each passing moment!

Sadly, the rain had produced a low turn out and I was able to count the cars with only a single glance. Crossing the foot bridge, I returned to the Screen 2 lot. Last week, I had encountered trouble locating my car in the darkness. The rain made the situation this night even worse! There was only one thing to do! Even if I couldn't see my car, I knew where it should be! I set course for my usual parking space with confidence.

Reaching my car, I pulled off my wet jacket and tossed it into the back seat. After putting the snacks inside the car, I climbed inside to wait for the night's entertainment to begin!

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" / "The Rundown" - 7
Screen 2 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Kill Bill" - 5
Screen 3 - "School Of Rock" / "Dickie Roberts" - 3
Screen 4 - "House of the Dead" / "Jeepers Creepers 2" / "Cabin Fever"- 0

That isn't a misprint. There were NO CARS in the Screen 4 lot!

How was "Scary Movie 3"?

This had to be the funniest movie I've ever seen at the Mission! Many people are put off by these parody films because they feel they need to have seen the source movies to enjoy the parody version. Not true in this case! For those that don't know it, "Scary Movie 3" is a mix of "The Ring" and "8 Mile" with a few other film references thrown in as seasoning. I saw "The Ring" but never saw "8 Mile". I saw all the different trailers for "8 Mile" more times than I can count. That was all I needed to understand, and enjoy, the references to that film.

My favorite part of the film? Any scene in which Cody gets backed over by a car or is otherwise abused. This is my kind of humor!

As the credits began to roll, I made a quick recount of the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots.

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

Screen 1 - "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" / "The Rundown" - 21
Screen 2 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Kill Bill" - 11

Returning to my car, I proceeded back to work without incident.

Although the depth and breadth of the inspection didn't warrant the amount of work that I put into getting ready for it, I was relieved when our organization received the coveted rating of "Excellent".

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Weekend Box Office Totals  -  October 24 - 26, 2003

2 Nov 2003   -  Lights Out

With the inspection at work completed, I was able to return to my usual weekend routine. For the second time this year, I planned to visit the Mission on Sunday night following a visit home to see my family.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "Underworld". "Underworld" had previously opened in San Antonio. In fact, this film had been previously exhibited at the Mission!

With the addition of this new film, I had seen 8 of the 9 films being exhibited this week. Nine? Yes, nine! From time to time, the Mission "pluses up" with an additional movie. Obviously, "Underworld" had been brought back to the Mission to enhance their Halloween horror film line-up!

Following my usual custom, I left my apartment around noon and drove down to visit my family. For the first time in months, I didn't spend the afternoon mowing! Why? Had I grown lazy? No! A light rain started shortly after I arrived. I simply refuse to mow in the rain! I offer no explanation. That's just how it is!

We spent the afternoon watching television and chatting about current events. After a tasty meal, I was ready to head to the Mission!

I left my mother's house at 6:10PM. I made no stops along the way. I arrived at the Mission at 7:00PM.

As I turned from Roosevelt onto VFW Boulevard, I immediately noticed something was different about the white sign located near the entrance to the property. Was the sign no longer blank? Had it been covered with letters or symbols? No, nothing like that! This pristine white sign is normally illuminated by two large flood lights. Those lights had been extinguished for unknown reasons, leaving the sign cloaked in darkness!

Rounding the screen tower, I discovered that only a single ticket booth, and a single entrance lane, were open. No cars were waiting in line for service.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and proceeded to the Screen 2 lot without incident.

What of that sinkhole that I reported on several weeks ago? Efforts by management to fill the hole appeared to have been successful. Although some water had pooled up in the Screen 2 entrance lane, I had no difficulty making my way into the lot. More important, there was no water intrusion into the passenger compartment of my vehicle!

Driving across the Screen 2 lot, I parked in my traditional location on the left side of the screen near the exit lane. Since I had already seen the second feature, "The Rundown", I knew that I'd be leaving during the intermission.

As I mentioned earlier, a light rain had begun to fall across South Texas early in the afternoon. The rain had continued, on and off, throughout the evening. Remembering the blue blanket's inability to shield me from more than a heavy drizzle, I parked "nose-forward" and resigned myself to watching the movie from inside my vehicle.

Leaving my car behind, I headed directly to the concession stand. As I moved towards it, I performed a complete count of the Screen 2 lot.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed an order for a large Diet Coke and a large popcorn. Having just eaten a home-cooked meal, I had no room left for hot dogs!

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I performed a complete car count before continuing my patrol through the Screen 4 and Screen 3 lots. The large pools of standing water near the Screen 1 entrance hindered my progress but did not halt my advance!

Crossing the footbridge, I returned to the Screen 2 lot. As I walked towards my car, I noticed that the gap in the fence between the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots was gone. A section of fence now fills that gap. Was this section replaced because, with the sinkhole filled, it was no longer needed as emergency entrance into the Screen 2 lot? Or, had this gap in the fence served two purposes? One being the emergency entrance as I've described in the past and the other being a shortcut to allow easy servicing of the portable toilets that are located there during the summer? We may never know!

My inspection of the fence complete, I proceeded directly back to my vehicle. Climbing inside, I settled down to enjoy the feature presentation.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Kill Bill"- 17
Screen 2 - "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" / "The Rundown" - 16
Screen 3 - "School of Rock" / "Underworld" - 7
Screen 4 - "House of the Dead" / "Jeepers Creepers 2" / "Cabin Fever" - 2

How was "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"?

I really enjoyed this film. The cinematography was excellent. With only a single exception, this film looked great. If you see the film, look for a scene in which the character's faces can't be clearly made out because of the overwhelming "back light" effect from the sun directly behind them. That said, this may even have been an attempt to "dehumanize" the characters prior to the beginning of the massacre.

Like the best of the films of this genre, this remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is a morality play. Nearly everyone that dies has sinned. And given the time period for this movie, the essential sins are the abuse of illegal drugs, premarital sex and a devotion to rock and roll music.

Not wanting to spoil the film for anyone, I'll make only one more comment. Like "The Pirates of the Caribbean", this film appears to have at least one deleted scene. Watch for a segment in which the heroine is running through the woods. She stops for a moment to catch her breath, hears a sound and turns towards it. In the very next scene, she is running up to her friends waiting by their van. I'm certain there was at least one scene that was cut between these two scenes.

I take it back, I've got one more comment. Mariah Carey shouldn't have passed on this film to make 'Glitter'. This could have been her "star vehicle"!

As the credits began to roll, I recounted the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots. I skipped the Screen 3 and Screen 4 lots to save time. Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident. As it turned out, I arrived home with plenty of time to spare.

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

Screen 1 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Kill Bill"- 32
Screen 2 - "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" / "The Rundown" - 27

The core drive-in audience continues to come to the Mission even in the rain. But can the Mission survive on this level of attendance until the end of the current high school football season? Only time will tell!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Weekend Box Office Totals  -  October 31 - November 2, 2003

11 Nov 2003  -   Electrical Modifications!

Nearly since the start of my weekly visits to the Mission, Rick Stivers has wanted to install a switch in my trunk to allow me to control the trunk light. He looked with disdain on my aluminum foil light shield. Even though it was "hastily designed and poorly constructed", this shield has been extremely effective at controlling the light pollution generated by my trunk light. Rick was so enthusiastic about installing the switch that last year he bought one for me and put it in my trunk -- "where I wouldn't lose it".

After Rick bought a new truck, he installed a set of speaker jacks into the driver's side door to allow him to connect two large cabinet speaker units to his truck's sound system. How large are these cabinets? Each is nearly larger than the fabled "world's largest midget". His success with these external speaker cabinets led to an expansion in Rick's plans for upgrading my vehicle. A simple light switch was no longer enough. Now, I too, needed speaker jacks in my trunk!

Perhaps these plans would simply have remained plans except for the coincidental failure of every speaker in his daughter's car and a subsequent sale at Wal-Mart. Rick purchased a set of "truck" speakers at Wal-Mart for $14.97 and installed them in his daughter's car. He liked them. She liked them. The neighbors two blocks over liked them!

After intense lobbying by Rick, I agreed to purchase a set for my vehicle. Even at this point, these plans might have remained just plans, except that Rick will soon be leaving the San Antonio area. In the last few weeks, he has expressed an unspoken desire to "wrap up the loose ends" of his life here.

On Veteran's Day, I decided to give him the opportunity to do just that. I met him at his home at 10AM. After two trips to Radio Shack and more bodily contortions than you might see at a circus sideshow, the light switch and the speaker jacks were installed. After some "tweaking", both passed their initial tests. Later that night, I knew that I'd be giving them their first operational test at the drive-in!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that four new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Matrix: Revolutions", "Matrix: Reloaded", "Elf" and "Good Boy!". This was the first week of release for "Matrix: Revolutions" and "Elf". "Good Boy!" and "Matrix: Reloaded" had previously opened in San Antonio. In fact, "Matrix: Reloaded" had been previously exhibited at the Mission! Although it was exhibited at the Mission, I saw "Matrix: Reloaded" at the Blue Moon Drive-In Theater in Gu-Win, Alabama! If you get anywhere near Gu-Win, check out the Blue Moon!

With the addition of these four new films, I had seen 5 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

The modifications to my car had taken far longer than expected. By the time they were completed, it was too late to even consider a visit home to see my family. Instead, I decided to stay in San Antonio and head to the Mission from my apartment.

I left my apartment at 6:05PM. No stops were made along the way. I arrived at the Mission at 6:32PM. The weather was perfect for a night at the drive-in. The sky was clear with no threat of rain. The air was warm with only a trace of humidity.

As I neared the Mission entrance, I noted that for the second week in a row, the white sign near the entrance was cloaked in darkness! Even so, I was able to see that it remained completely blank without lettering or symbols!

Rounding the screen tower, I discovered that only a single ticket booth, and a single entrance lane, were open. No cars were waiting in line for service.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Matrix: Revolutions" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident.

Driving across the Screen 1 lot, I parked in my traditional location on the right side of the screen near the exit lane. Since I had already seen the second feature, "Matrix: Reloaded", I knew that I'd be leaving during the intermission.

Since I planned to give my new external speakers their first operational test, I took extra care in parking my vehicle. My plan was to park with the rear of my car just short of the top of the berm. I would then place my camp chair on the peak of the berm with the external speaker unit in front of the chair on the side of the berm. The result of placing the speakers in such a location would be to tilt the unit upwards toward my chair in hopes of directing the sound towards my ears and not my toes!

Leaving my car behind, I headed directly to the concession stand. As I moved towards it, I performed a complete count of the Screen 1 lot.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed an order for a large Diet Coke, two hot dogs and a large popcorn.

Exiting into the Screen 2 lot, I performed a complete car count before continuing my patrol through the Screen 3 and Screen 4 lots. The large pools of standing water near the Screen 1 entrance hindered my progress but did not halt my advance!

The only new development that I noted during my patrol was the addition of a second communications box on the front of the concession stand. This box is located next to the original box that was put in last year when a data link was installed between the Mission and the Santikos headquarters. The purpose of this second box remains unknown as of this writing.

As I was walking across the Screen 1 lot back towards my car, I stopped to talk to one of the assistant managers. He had a tale of woe to tell! Last weekend, while driving to work at the Mission, he had been in an automobile accident. He wasn't seriously injured although his car sustained moderate damage. Since then, he had repaired it enough himself to get the vehicle back on the road. He detailed his plans to me for further repairs in the near future. As I left him, I realized that he was exactly the kind of person that should be working at a drive-in. He possesses an amazing array of talents and is capable of employing them in challenging situations! And what situation could be more challenging than keeping a drive-in going?

Reaching my vehicle, I got out my chair and the external speaker unit. I deployed them as I have previously described and then settled down to enjoy the feature presentation.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Matrix: Revolutions" / "Matrix: Reloaded"- 3
Screen 2 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Kill Bill" - 1
Screen 3 - "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" / "The Rundown" - 0
Screen 4 - "Elf" / "Good Boy!" - 2

How was "Matrix: Revolutions"?

The film wrapped up the major loose ends from the second film, "Matrix: Reloaded", while leaving the possibility open for future sequels. The movie gets triple bonus points for working my favorite drive-in phrase - "Only time will tell!" - into the script.

How did the light switch and external speakers perform?

The test of light switch was a success! As you would expect, it provided me with control over the trunk light. I almost wrote "complete control" but the switch doesn't provide that capability. When the light is on, the aluminum light shield is still needed to prevent the light from annoying other patrons.

The test of the external speakers was only moderately successful. To get an adequate level of sound, I was forced to raise the volume on the sound system to a much higher level than is normally required. I also found it necessary to adjust the "fade" control to send all of the sound output to the rear speakers. What went wrong? The speakers worked fine. Walking around my vehicle, I learned that any other patrons parking in the row behind me would not have needed to use their sound systems. My conclusion is that the angle of the incline of the berm was insufficient to direct them sound up high enough for the majority of the sound to be directed at my ears. On my next trip to the Mission, I will re-test the speakers with them sitting inside my trunk, on top of my drive-in deployment kit. This should put the external speakers nearly at ear level.

As the credits began to roll, I recounted the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots. Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident.

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

Screen 1 - "Matrix: Revolutions" / "Matrix: Reloaded"- 9
Screen 2 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Kill Bill" - 6
Screen 3 - "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" / "The Rundown" - 4
Screen 4 - "Elf" / "Good Boy!" - 3

From these counts, it is obvious that Tuesday isn't a very busy night at the Mission. On the other hand, even this level of attendance remains higher than management expectations. My advice? If you have any interest in visiting the Mission this year, go soon! If last year is any indication, the Mission will close without warning leaving drive-in patrons frustrated.

All kidding aside, I appreciate Rick's efforts in modifying my vehicle to make it more drive-in friendly. He will be missed. With luck, I'll be able to celebrate his efforts each year on Veteran's Day, not in a parade, but at the drive-in!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Weekend Box Office Totals  -  November 7 - 9, 2003

16 Nov 2003 -   Already In Progress

Earlier in the week, I had tenatively agreed to join Rick Sambucini in a trip to the local in-door theater for a viewing of "Master and Commander". Why an in-door theater? Rick is engaged in various endeavors which leave him with insufficient free time for a trip to the Mission. Little did I know that the coming week would prove to me that some agreements were meant to be broken!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Master and Commander" and "Alien - The Director's Cut". This was the first week of release for "Master and Commander". "Alien - The Director's Cut" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 4 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

This Sunday, I had once again journeyed south to visit my family. After spending a few hours mowing, I showered and ate a meal of pot roast and macaroni and cheese. As I relaxed in front of the television set, I pondered my next trip to the Mission.

Last week, Rick Stivers had finally convinced his wife Patty to join him on a trip to the Mission. Taken in by the media hype, they selected "Elf" and "Good Boy!" as their evening's entertainment. Afterwards, I was unable to learn much about their outing. Rick refused to be quoted for this newsletter; however, he did agree that "Elf" was not "the new Christmas classic you'll want to watch every year" and that "Good Boy!" should have been put to sleep. Does this mean that Rick's streak of positive drive-in experiences has been broken? No! Rick and Patty did enjoy the Mission. They just didn't enjoy the movies.

Not wanting to repeat Rick Stivers' experience with "Elf" and "Good Boy!", I scratched these two films off the list. Having agreed to see "Master and Commander" with Rick Sambucini, I crossed it off the list as well. That left only "Alien - The Director's Cut" as a movie option.

Since "Alien - The Director's Cut" was showing as a second feature, I left about a half hour later than normal. My goal was to arrive at the Mission after the first features had begun, park the car and then perform an in-depth inspection on the theater.

I left my mother's house 6:45PM. No stops were made along the way. I arrived at the Mission at 7:40PM. The weather was perfect for a night at the drive-in. The sky was clear with no threat of rain. The air was warm with only a trace of humidity.

As I neared the Mission entrance, I noted that for the third week in a row, the white sign near the entrance was cloaked in darkness! Even so, I was able to see that it remained completely blank without lettering or symbols!

Rounding the screen tower, I discovered that only a single ticket booth, and a single entrance lane, were open. No cars were waiting in line for service.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Alien - The Director's Cut" and proceeded to the Screen 3 lot without incident.

Driving across the Screen 3 lot, I parked in my traditional location on the right side of the screen, in the second to the last row.

Getting out of my car, I noticed that "Master and Commander" was already in progress.

Leaving my car behind, I headed directly towards the footbridge. As I moved towards it, I performed a complete count of the Screen 3 lot.

Crossing the foot bridge, I performed a complete count of the Screen 2 lot. I was greatly annoyed to see that the lights on top of the concession stand had once again been turned "up" towards Screens 3 and 4.

These lights are so intense that they actually washout the images on these two screens. Months before, management had responded to customer complaints and turned the lights "down" towards the ground. Even in this configuration, so much light pollution was generated by these lights that they were normally left off, or turned on only during the intermissions. I'm speculating here but I suspect they had been turned on prior to the start of the movies and then left on by mistake.

In prior years, when daylight savings time expired, the movie start times were gradually moved up as the days became shorter. This year, the movie start times were moved up until they reached 7:00PM. What does that mean in practical terms? First, it is much easier to get to the Mission at 7:00PM than at 6:15PM. Second, it means that it is now well and truly dark by the time the movies begin. In the past, the movies have started at twilight making it difficult to see the trailers and sometimes the first five to ten minutes of the feature presentations.

Since it is now nearly dark when the box office opens, the various lights around the property have seen more use. That explains why the lights were turned on, but it doesn't explain why they had been repositioned. I made a mental note to mention the issue to management.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed an order for a large Diet Coke and a large popcorn. Having just eaten several helpings of macaroni and cheese, I had no room left for hot dogs!

As I was waiting for my order, I noticed a promotional sign sitting on the counter. Patrons purchasing a large drink and a large popcorn were eligible to receive a free box of movie candy. Of course, the candy selection was limited. Of the available choices, I opted for "Cookie Dough". Sadly, there is no real cookie dough in "Cookie Dough" candy. Hmmm.... Now that I think of it, maybe I should get a tube of cookie dough at HEB, freeze it and bring it with me the next time I go to the Mission! The idea of slicing off chunks of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough makes my mouth water! But I digress...

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I performed a complete car count before continuing my patrol through the Screen 4 lot. After counting the cars there, I returned to my vehicle in the Screen 3 lot.

"Master and Commander" was still in progress. Darn!

Opening my trunk, I got out my chair. Next I reached into the trunk and positioned the external speaker unit on top of my drive-in deployment kit. I plugged in the speaker jacks with little difficulty. Reaching inside the cabin, I activated the car radio and tuned it to the frequency for Screen 3. Returning to my chair, I settled down to evaluate this new speaker configuration.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" - 20
Screen 2 - "Elf" / "Good Boy!" - 12
Screen 3 - "Master and Commander" / "Alien - The Director's Cut" - 10
Screen 4 - "Matrix: Revolutions" / "Matrix: Reloaded" - 10

After just a few minutes, I confirmed that having the external speakers at ear level provided a superior level of sound without the need to increase the relative volume on the radio.

With my sound test completed, I decided to watch the remainder of "Master and Commander". Rick Sambucini need never know that I had already seen part of the film. Besides, how much longer could this movie last?

As it turns out, "Master and Commander" seemed to last for an eternity. How was it? Let's just say that you should only consider watching this "turkey" on Thanksgiving Day if you are starting to feel drowsy after overeating. You'll enjoy a wonderful nap and you'll miss having to sit through this film!

By the time it was over, I was so tired that I didn't even stay to see "Alien - The Director's Cut". I just packed up the car and went home. No second patrol. No drink refill. No updated car counts. I just went home. Truthfully, this was my worst night ever at the Mission. But I don't blame the Mission! I blame myself for arriving while "Master and Commander" was still in progress!

Thankfully, I wasn't forced to watch the entire movie later in the week at the in-door theater. Personal matters forced Rick Sambucini to cancel the trip. Hallelujah!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Weekend Box Office Totals  -  November 14 - 16, 2003

23 Nov 2003 - Winter's Kiss

Some might think that after last week's bad experience with "Master and Commander", that I might be tempted to avoid another movie encounter. Not true! And to be honest, I got enough fun out of "bashing" the film at work to make up for the agony of seeing it in the first place! Yes, I was looking forward to yet another weekend at the Mission!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "The Cat In The Hat", "Gothika" and "Radio". This was the first week of release for "The Cat In The Hat" and "Gothika". "Radio" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these three new films, I had seen 4 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

On Saturday, winter arrived in San Antonio. The night was cold with colder weather predicted for Sunday. I decided to skip my weekly trip home.

I left my apartment at 6:15PM. No stops were made along the way. I arrived at the Mission at 6:42PM. The weather was extremely cold although the wind had moderated slightly. A hard freeze was predicted before sunrise.

As I neared the Mission entrance, I noted that for the fourth week in a row, the white sign near the entrance was cloaked in darkness! Even so, I was able to see that it remained completely blank without lettering or symbols!

Rounding the screen tower, I discovered that only a single ticket booth, and a single entrance lane, were open. Five cars were waiting in line for service. The lone runner, bundled up like an Eskimo, worked the car line as fast as he could. Inside the ticket booth, the manager appeared shell-shocked. If I read his expression correctly, he was surprised that anyone would visit the Mission on such a wintry night, much less that a line of cars had been waiting for the box office to open! Mister Manager, never underestimate the drive and dedication of true drive-in fanatics!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Gothika" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident.

Driving across the Screen 1 lot, I parked in my traditional location on the right side of the screen near the exit. Having already seen "Matrix: Revolutions", I knew that I would be leaving during the intermission.

Given the weather conditions, I decided to sit inside my vehicle during the evening's performance.

Getting out of my car, I noticed that cars were continuing to arrive at the ticket booth. Just how good a night would it turn out to be? Only time would tell!

Leaving my car behind, I decided to make a quick patrol of the property before visiting the concession stand. I prefer my drive-in food to be hot when I eat it! Leaning into the wind, I made my way quickly through the four lots. Sadly, the winds and careless drivers had brought down several large sections of fence.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed an order for a large Diet Coke, a large popcorn and a pizza. That's right, a pizza! No hot dogs for me tonight! The candy promotion is still in progress at the Mission. I once again selected "Cookie Dough". Although reputed to have a good memory, it was only at this point that I remembered my desire to bring actual frozen cookie dough to the Mission. Darn! Maybe next week!

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I hurried back to my car. Thin cardboard boxes aren't very effective insulators and I feared my pizza would grow cold before I was able to sit down and enjoy it!

Reaching my vehicle, I climbed inside and settled down to wait for the start of the show.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Gothika" / "Matrix Revolutions" - 10
Screen 2 - "Cat In The Hat" / "Good Boy!" - 12
Screen 3 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" - 4
Screen 4 - "Master and Commander" / "Radio" - 5

How was "Gothika"? Of the four Dark Castle films that I've seen to date, this had to be the least entertaining. Not that "Gothika" is a bad film. It simply would have been better film had Halle Berry not been cast in the lead role. This type of film requires either an unknown actress or a true "B" movie actress. Halle Berry is simply "too far up the food chain" to work in movies like this. Later, when a guest shot on "The New Love Boat" is the only type of work she can get, she should consider doing this type of movie again.

How was the pizza? It was far better than the last one I had months ago. Perhaps the cold weather enhances the pizza eating experience? Regardless, hot dogs now have some serious competition for my fast food dollar!

As the credits began to roll on "Gothika", I made one more patrol of the property. Attendance had grown significantly throughout the evening. At least this night, the cold weather couldn't keep the true drive-in patrons away.

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

Screen 1 - "Gothika" / "Matrix Revolutions" - 40
Screen 2 - "Cat In The Hat" / "Good Boy!" - 15
Screen 3 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" - 10
Screen 4 - "Master and Commander" / "Radio" - 12

One final note, some people believe that is possible to predict which films will be showing on which screens at the Mission by studying the weekend Mission advertisement. Not true! Management has been known to move films around from screen to screen based on attendance. If you are one of these people, always have a backup movie selection ready in case "your screen" is showing a different film than you predicted.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Six of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week. This is the highest number of "top 10" films in some time.

Weekend Box Office Totals  -  November 21 - 23, 2003

27 Nov 2003 - A Drive-In Thanksgiving

As in previous years, I decided that I would stop by the Mission on my way home from having Thanksgiving dinner with my family. What better way to finish out a holiday than by watching a movie under the stars?

A study of the Thursday Mission advertisement revealed that no new films were playing at the Mission. Since several new movies had opened on Wednesday, this wasn't a very good sign for the future of the Mission! Could the 2003 season be drawing to a close? Only time would tell!

Without the addition of any new films, I had seen 5 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. I had seen all of the first features except for "The Cat In The Hat". A depressing thought indeed!

As I drove back to San Antonio, I found my thoughts consumed with mysterious fears and dark forebodings. Could the newspaper advertisement have been out of date? Was it possible that the Mission had already closed? Could the previous Sunday have been the last day the property was open? Given what happened last year, anything was possible!

As I neared the Mission entrance, I noted once again that the white sign near the entrance was cloaked in darkness! Even so, I was able to see that it remained completely blank without lettering or symbols!

Rounding the screen tower, I discovered that only a single ticket booth, and a single entrance lane, were open. Glancing up at the marquee, I verified that the movie schedule had remained unchanged since my last visit. Not a good sign! But the worst was still to come!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "The Cat In The Hat" and proceeded to the Screen 2 lot without incident.

Driving across the Screen 2 lot, I parked in my traditional location on the left side of the screen near the exit lane. Having no desire to see "Good Boy!", I knew that I'd be leaving during the intermission!

Given the weather conditions, I decided to sit inside my vehicle during the evening's performance.

Leaving my car behind, I headed directly to the concession stand.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed an order for a large Diet Coke and a large popcorn. Treats and currency were exchanged. As I was walking towards the exit, one of the assistant managers walked in. He moved towards me like some harbinger of doom. His pace was slow and deliberate. His face seemed darkened by some secret knowledge that he dreaded to share. When he reached me, he declared, "You know we are closing, don't you"? Although it was clearly a rhetorical question, I felt compelled to answer in the affirmative.

He seemed relieved by my subdued reaction to his news. He went on to express how happy he was to have been able to notify me of the closure in advance. He knew that I'd want to be there for the final performance of the season. I was grateful to be notified in advance about the closure. But I was more grateful that he had remembered how distressed I had been last year when the Mission had closed without warning. That he had remembered, and acted on that memory, is a perfect example of the kind of customer service that builds loyalty between a business and its patrons.

We talked for about 15 minutes before Mr Kunert, the former Mission manager arrived on the scene. He also went out of his way to let me know that the Mission was closing for the season. And he stressed that it was only for the season. Planning had already begun to reopen the Mission either the last week in February or the first week in March. We went on to talk about his new theater, the Mayan Palace. I promised to visit it soon.

A call on the radio ended our conversation. Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I made a quick patrol of the property before returning to the Screen 2 lot.

Reaching my vehicle, I climbed inside and proceeded home without incident. Any interest that I may have had in watching "The Cat In The Hat" had withered away in light of the evening's news.

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

Screen 1 - "Gothika" / "Matrix Revolutions" - 20
Screen 2 - "Cat In The Hat" / "Good Boy!" - 16
Screen 3 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" - 9
Screen 4 - "Master and Commander" / "Radio" - 9

Reaching home safely, I trudged up the stairs to my apartment. One thing was certain, I already had a title for next week's report. That title would simply be 'Season's End'.

30 Nov 2003  -  Season's End

This was it. The day had finally arrived. The 2003 Mission season was about to end. I left my apartment at 5:45PM. I stopped at the cash machine on Pat Booker for a wallet recharge. I finally arrived at the Mission at 6:18PM.

This late in the year, it was nearly dark with I arrived. As I neared the Mission entrance, I noted that for the fifth week in a row, the white sign near the entrance was cloaked in darkness! Even so, I was able to see that it remained completely blank without lettering or symbols! I also noticed something else. Cars were exiting the Mission. What had happened? Had the Mission closed early? Were potential patrons frustrated by the stale exhibition schedule?

Rounding the screen tower, I discovered the reason for the exodus of potential patrons. None of the exterior lights were turned on. The marquee, like the white sign near the entrance, was cloaked in darkness. The interiors of the ticket booths were barely visible. Strange shapes could be see inside them. Was it just a trick of the light or perhaps something else? At this point, I regretted not bringing Captain Chicken with me!

Parking my car several feet away from the nearest ticket booth, I exited my vehicle with some trepidation. What was going on here? I certainly needed to know! Walking over to the wall around the Screen 1 lot, I looked inside the property. The lot was empty but that was to be expected. Looking towards the concession stand, I saw that it too was cloaked in darkness! Words cannot express my disappointment. With a heavy heart, I turned back towards my car. It certainly seemed that the title of the night's report had just changed from "Season's End" to "Locked Out!".

The silence of the night was broken by the sound of brakes being harshly applied. As the sound of metal scrapping on metal filled the air, I turned and looked back over the wall. A car raced through the Screen 1 exit, narrowly missing a steel pole. The car continued at high speed across the lot. Just before it was too late, the brakes were again called into action! The car slide to a stop near the concession stand. Moments later, the driver's door opened. The interior light snapped on and I was able to see someone exiting the vehicle. The door closed and the light went out.

What was this all about? I could think of two explanations. The staff might have been horribly late to the theater and I had just seen the first one arrive or I was witnessing a crime in progress. You don't have to wear a "What would Captain Chicken do?" bracelet to know what to do in situations like this! I began moving along the wall towards the entrance to the lot. My plan was simple. Move close enough to the concession stand to determine the identity of the mysterious figure and then act accordingly. If it was a staff member, I'd simply retreat back into the darkness. If not, I'd use my handy cell phone to call the police before engaging in some vigilante action!

Just as I entered the lot, the interior lights of the concession stand came on. I could see a figure moving around inside the building. It was an employee! What a relief! Retreating back to my car, I slowly came down from my adrenaline high.

As I waited, other cars entered through the exit. The rest of the staff had arrived. Other cars pulled in behind me. Surprisingly, people got out and came over to talk to me. All of them wanted to know if the theater was closed. I pointed at the concession stand as proof that the theater was indeed open. I did explain that this was the last night the theater would be open. This fact inspired more discontent than I would have expected! To a man, everyone I talked with expressed outrage that the theater was closing without warning. Had they known this fact, they would have brought other people along for a final night of cinema under the stars! I suppose it was evil of me not to make it clear that this was simply the last night for the season and not the last night ever.

I found it interesting that it took only a single parked car to lure people into waiting patiently for the box office to open. Finally, about fifteen minutes before the movies were scheduled to start, two staff members began walking across the lot towards the ticket booths. I was greatly amused by the surprised looks on their faces when they exited the lot and discovered a dozen cars waiting for them in the darkness!

The lights were turned on and a single ticket booth was opened for business. The final night of the 2003 season had begun! Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Scary Movie 3" and proceeded to the Screen 3 lot without incident. Regular readers of this report know that I had already seen "Scary Movie 3" several weeks before at the Mission. Having already seen all four of the first features, I selected "Scary Movie 3" as the movie most likely to keep me entertained during a second viewing.

Driving across the Screen 3 lot, I parked in the second to the last row near the foot bridge. Getting out of my car, I noticed that cars were continuing to arrive at the ticket booth. Just how good a night would it turn out to be? Only time would tell!

Leaving my car behind, I headed across the foot bridge into the Screen 2 lot. Given that I was the first person to enter the theater, I knew that it would be pointless to waste time counting cars! No, my goal wasn't to count the cars. My goal was the purchase of tasty treats! Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed an order for a large Diet Coke, a large popcorn and a pizza. That's right, a pizza! No hot dogs for me tonight! The candy promotion is still in progress at the Mission. I once again selected "Cookie Dough". And yes, I once again realized that I had forgotten to bring my own frozen cookie dough to the Mission!

The staff member working the counter gave me the bad news. If I wanted a pizza, I'd have to wait ten minutes for it to cook. Okay, fine. I paid for all the items including the pizza. Clearly, this staff member knew me. He told me that I didn't need to wait inside for the pizza. In fact, he urged me to go on outside and "finish my walk". That seemed like a good idea to me.

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I walked across the lot to the far right side of the screen. The Screen 1 lot is unique at the Mission. As the original lot, it was enclosed not by a wooden fence but by a cinder block wall. One of the major sources of light pollution at the Mission is a car wash located across VFW Boulevard on Roosevelt. I've often wondered how high the wall would need to be raised to block the light coming into the lot from this location.

Since this was the original screen, there are actually two walls at the front of the lot. The interior wall is actually connected to the screen tower. Picture a "U". It the screen tower is the "trough" of the "U", then the interior walls would be the "legs" of the "U". The interior walls are actually quite high. The outside wall is approximately half the height of the interior wall. The outside wall does not connect directly to the screen tower. The outside wall extends back beyond the edges of the interior wall. The gaps between the two walls formed the original entrance and exit lanes for the property. These lanes are now closed.

The point to this architectural explanation is that the interior wall, being much higher than the outside wall, completely blocks all the light from the car wash. The interior wall appears to be six cinder blocks taller than the outside wall. Therefore, we know that raising the outside wall's height by six cinder blocks would have the same effect. But is that really necessary? I think not. I believe that the outside wall could be raised in height by three, perhaps even two, cinder blocks and still improve the viewing experience in the Screen 1 lot. Why? Sitting in a camp chair, the upper lights of the car wash are still visible over the current wall. This extra light is not only distracting, but it prevents the pupils from dilating beyond a certain point. If this extra light could be blocked, even if it were only blocked below the "seated" level, it would allow the patrons' eyes to dilate more, and thus increase the apparent brightness of the picture on Screen 1. My examination of the walls complete, I returned to the concession stand. Instead of heading directly inside, I stopped to visit with some of the staff members. All seemed disappointed that the season was over. Fortunately, nearly all the employees had been given the opportunity to work at other Santikos theaters until the Mission reopens. They had also heard that the theater would reopen on 1 March 2004. As it turns out, that is a Monday. Either the Mission will have a "soft" opening, or the opening date will need to be changed.

Concluding my visit with the staff, I headed inside the concession stand. I picked up my pizza and exited into the Screen 2 lot. In the distance, I noted that the trailers had begun to roll on Screen 3. Reaching my vehicle, I popped open the trunk and got out my camp chair. After setting it up, I reached inside the trunk and pulled out my external speaker unit. This trip, I sat the unit on the edge of the trunk. To keep it from tipping over, I pulled the truck lid down on top of it. Giving the unit a slight shake, I was satisfied that it would remain in position.

I should note here that I normally keep my truck lid propped open with a cardboard box. Why propped open? The trunk lid will stay open only if it is opened to its maximum height. That is unacceptable. At its maximum height, my trunk lid sticks up above the roof of my car. That extra height might prevent anyone parking behind me from being able to see the entire screen. As a subscriber to the "drive-in code", I can't allow this to happen! On the other hand, prior to having an external speaker unit, I couldn't allow the trunk lid to close either. If it closed, it would have cut me off from the car speakers mounted in the trunk. The cardboard box allowed me to adhere to the "drive-in code" and keep the trunk lid open enough for me to enjoy the sound of the movie. Turning on the car radio, I tuned to the frequency for Screen 3 and then settled down to watch the movie. How was "Scary Movie 3"? No matter how many times I see Cody backed over by a car, I still think its funny.

How was the pizza? This pizza was just as good as the one I had last Sunday. Will I ever return to eating hot dogs? Only time will tell! How was the sound from the external speakers? I seem to have finally found the ideal method for deploying the external speaker unit. Sitting on the edge of the trunk, the speakers are nearly at "ear-level" thus focusing the sound on the listener. I'll continue testing the speakers during future visits to drive-in theaters.
As the credits began to roll on "Scary Movie 3", I made a final patrol of the property.

Here are the updated car counts for those that like them.
Screen 1 - "Gothika" / "Matrix Revolutions" - 20
Screen 2 - "Cat In The Hat" / "Good Boy!" - 9
Screen 3 - "Scary Movie 3" / "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" - 9
Screen 4 - "Master and Commander" / "Radio" - 4

Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident. Looking back, the 2003 Season was extremely successful. The modern single night attendance record was broken this summer. I suspect overall attendance was slightly down from the prior year. That says less about the Mission than it does about the quality of this year's movies. Only time will tell if there will actually be a 2004 season. Many businesses have closed "temporarily" only to never reopen. If the Mission fails to reopen, I'll be sad, but I'll also know that I've done all I can do to keep the drive-in tradition alive in San Antonio!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only three of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Weekend Box Office Totals  -  November 28 - 30, 2003

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