The Dark Knight Rises

We went to see "The Dark Knight Rises" yesterday.  Actually we found a pretty decent little theater that sells tickets before 5:00pm at the ridiculous sum of $4.00 each.  We will be attending more movies this summer, I think!

Anyway, we arrived, grabbed our tickets and headed in to the sparsely attended movie.  That's why I go when I do- I hate crowds.  The rustling of food containers, the slurping of nearly empty drinks- the inevitable talker, nose-blower and small child who won't hush and really shouldn't have been in the movie anyway- yes, that's why I attend weekday matinees.

We settled in and I noticed it- the cracks of light showing around the door of the theater that exits to the outside.  I won't lie and pretend it didn't make me uncomfortable.  I'm not one of those folks that immediately thought "oh no, there was a shooting in Aurora, so it will happen if I go see the movie too", but let's be real.  There are copycats out there and people are clearly crazy.

I noticed myself paying more attention to people who got up to leave during the movie, whether it was for a quick potty break or to get a refill of one of their snacks.  I ran my eyes across them to make sure they looked the same as they had when they left.  I watched a movie attendant come in not once, not twice, but three times during the 2 hour and 45 minute movie to check that door I mentioned earlier- the one that leads to the outside.

It's sad.  A harmless pastime, a way to beat the heat and escape the real world for a while is no longer the safe haven it was.  We find ourselves on high alert, even if you know the odds of the same thing happening that happened in Aurora are very, very low.

This insecurity will last for a while. Then we'll find ourselves slipping back in to complacency- at least until the next big, horrible tragedy.  Who knows what form it will take?  At least for a while, we'll be able to pretend the violence is only something we see on the big screen.

Incidentally, the Dark Knight Rises was excellent.  I really recommend seeing it in a theater.  Just don't be surprised if you find yourself tracking the movements of those around you. 

-Kristen