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November 14, 2005
If it bleeds, it leads
Since it opened around 2000, my husband and I frequented the Loews theatre in the West Homestead Waterfront complex. Its palatial lobby, gourmet snack shop, plus its ice cream and cappuccino bar made it our movie house of choice. Last year, the day after Christmas we decided to see a movie. I noticed when we entered that the upholstered lobby furniture was gone and it seemed eerily empty. When we left the movie, the manager thanked us for attending which seemed somewhat strange. Then, the next day I heard a brief mention of a riot at the theatre on a Channel 2 newscast. I scoured the internet before learning that there had been a riot in the theatre on Christmas evening. Rowdy inner-city youths had to be removed from screenings and eventually a melee broke out in the lobby. I honestly wondered why it didn’t get any coverage; I would have liked to have known that.
This year on November 9, after a showing of “Get Rich or Die Tryin,” a man was fatally shot in the lobby. Four shots were fired. Chaos ensued as frantic patrons scrambled to exit the theatre or seek cover. These are two isolated incidents in this theatre’s five year history, but I think both stories deserved front page coverage. Although, I was not a patron during them, I don’t want to scour the internet for information about them.
Posted by NancyGregg at November 14, 2005 1:26 PM
Comments
Nancy...
What's sadly funny here (ironic?)is that a couple of weeks ago, my brother, his wife and I were all watching the Steelers game at my parents house. The previews for "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" came on, and for the next few minutes we were joking about going to see it opening night. In other words, HELL NO. I think my brother made a point of DEFINITELY NEVER seeing it at the Route 51 maxi-saver by Century III.
Lo and behold, the opening weekend, a guy gets shot. The article in the Trib yesterday confirmed that he left that movie, and.. AND was carrying a gun.
>SIGH< I just don't get it, but its absolutely appalling. I don't understand who would want to see this crap anyways, nor why "50 Cent" even deserves a movie, much less anything. The $$$ spent making this film could have been put towards something really special like "The Pianist," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or "Million Dollar Baby." Instead, it gets wasted on violent garbage for the lowest common denominator.
I din't know about the riot last year; I just know that you can't see a movie at Carmike behind the mall, unless its the middle of the afternoon on like.. a Tuesday, because of endless lines during weekend screenings, and small auditoriums packed with cell phone talkers, food throwing teenagers and people that have never been in public before.
However, I never had any problems at Destinta, in N. Versailles, except that I don't like parking my nice Honda there, so I use the old beat one... I'm paranoid about the nice one.
TTYL
Mike
Posted by: mike at November 14, 2005 3:55 PM