Wednesday, May 18, 2005The LineI feel compelled to share this. Check it out: a panoramic photograph of the line for "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith" that has been in place in front of Grauman's/Mann's Chinese Theatre since the beginning of April.My guess is that you read that and thought, yeah, so what? (Especially if you live in L.A.) What's so freaking interesting about a line for a movie that's been in place for 6 and a half weeks? The first thing that's so interesting about it... is that we no longer really think it's that interesting. Here we are in 2005 and we totally take for granted human behavior that is willing to sit in line for six weeks for a movie. But here's what's really interesting: They've been sitting for six and a half weeks in front of Grauman's.... and it's not even playing there. Is that cool or what? Here we have a group of people sitting in line outside a theatre... for a movie... for over six weeks... and the movie isn't even playing at that theatre. They have a web site where you can read some informational things: the rules for how to accrue hours for standing in line, for instance. And the breaking news that there are now two Chinese lines in which you can stand and accrue hours --- one in front of the Chinese theatre, and one in front of the Vista theatre. The Vista theatre is interesting because, well, they are actually showing the movie there. Hence, I guess, the idea that standing in front of it might be somewhat productive. Go figure. The Chinese line (the one actually in front of Grauman's, as opposed to the Chinese line in front of the Vista) was slated to move earlier this evening down to the Cinerama Dome/Arclight where some of the line members will see the 12:01 a.m. showing. What's beautiful about the Arclight -- besides killer popcorn, amazing projection, pitch black theatres and pristine sound ---is that the Arclight takes reservations online. So the people sitting in line in front of Graumans probably bought their tickets, using their Bluetooth-enabled laptops, for the movie down the street. Where the movie is playing. Without losing their line hours, which will accrue to get them a more advantageous place in line in front of the Chinese. Where it isn't. There is something so beautifully whimsical and downright demented about this. I can't get over how much I love this manifestation of human eccentricity. As much as we assume these people don't have lives... ya know, let's be charitable: they probably do. They actually probably do have something resembling a life. At the very least they have hygiene and nourishment needs, which means that they are going through a certain amount of effort and discomfort to be doing this thing. So why are they doing it? I think they're doing it because Star Wars should be at Graumans. These people met in line for Episodes 1 and 2 and dammit, they're going to recreate that magic time if it kills them. They will withstand ridicule and boredom. They will tough it out. Beause they are making a stand for a life experience they hold dear. In their minds it simply should be at Graumans. Even if there is no way it'll ever happen, it still should be there. They are standing in tribute to what should be in the world, and not what is. These people are believers in the Force. (As am I, perhaps less literally). These people are sitting in front of a theatre willing reality to change. Expecting reality to change. Knowing reality will change. Except it won't. It just won't. From what I can tell, the movie is just not going to manifest on a screen at Graumans. However... it is going to manifest somewhere else. And these people are going to see it. After waiting for six and a half weeks, in front of a theatre not showing the movie, they have reserved their tickets online, and are going to walk down the block and see the opening trailers in approximately 53 minutes from when I'm typing this. The whole thing is so weird and so L.A. and so 2005. And I'm all for it. May we stand up for what should be, even in the face of obvious absurdity. May we stand in line waiting for life to be fair, for politicians to honorable and the world to be a better place. May we stand in line for honesty in our dealings and joy in our hearts. May we camp out and commit to things that are silly and whimsical and completely unrealistic. May our blind belief in what should be give us reason to live, the spirit to engage in new adventures and a memory of things magical. May our human ability to be utterly demented serve to send us down new rivers of experience. May our wisdom fail us from time to time. May our instincts guide. And may the Force be with us all. # posted by Katherine Doughtie Nolan @ 10:48 PM  
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