Ramblings # 0021 – OKC Drive In Movie Theatre reviews

I have now visited  the three drive-in movie theatres that are either in or relatively close to the Oklahoma City area and I am ready to review them.  First off let me say that if you have a drive-in theatre near you then be grateful. They are a dying breed and an experience you should try to share with your family if you can.  Thus any drive in movie theatre is a gem.  Having said that let me get to my reviews of The Winchester in south Oklahoma City, The Chief in Ninnekah (just immediately south of Chickasha), and The Beacon in Guthrie.  I will rate them on price, food, restrooms, other, and overall movie experience.

On price The Beacon wins…sort of.  The cost to enter the theatre area was $5.  However the Beacon only shows one movie.  The Winchester and The Chief both show at least two movies and on Fridays and Saturdays The Winchester shows 3!  Cost to enter the theatre area at The Winchester is $6 and for The Chief is $7.  So The Winchester really wins on value with the cost per movie either being $3 or $2 depending on when you go and what you watch.

On food we have a tie between The Winchester and The Chief.  All of the theatres have reasonable prices and if you go to drive in movies you should buy from the concessions if you want food because this is where they make their money.  (Most of the ticket money goes back to the movie distributors so they don’t really profit there.)  The Chief has a sign in front that states that no outside food is allowed.  The Winchester does not and I don’t remember seeing anything like that at The Beacon either but there was a gentleman passing out flying discs at the ticket booth so he may have been blocking the sign.  For my taste both The Winchester and The Chief have very good food and plenty of selection.  The Beacon had less selection and they were out of cola when I went.  The nachos I had at The Beacon were not very good.  Had it not been for the peppers on the side the cheese would have had almost no flavor whatsoever.  (Hint: Put just a drop of the jalapeno juice in the Cheese Whiz.)

Restrooms are the next category and here the Chief is the clear winner.  The restrooms at The Chief are located just inside their concession stand.  Thus they have visibility to who is going in and out and they are air conditioned (nice).  They are also kept clean.  The Beacon’s restroom felt like I was in a broom closet.  Not a pleasant relief experience at all.  The Winchester has the largest restrooms but they are in the back of their concession stand and not closely monitored.  How do I know this?  There is graffitti (from one of the local gangs?) in the men’s room.  (We’ll talk about that later.)

In the category of ‘other’ I will talk about things that I liked or disliked about each that affect the drive-in movie experience.

First The Winchester: A good experience of what it felt like to visit the movies in the late sixties and early seventies.  They run the cheesy intermission clocks in between their movies which believe it or not still make you want to visit the refreshment stand.  The movies are said to be broadcast on both AM and FM but I could never get the AM to work.  The FM signal is fine.  (In fact we continued to get the signal of the theatre all the way to our house about five miles away…so maybe a bit too clear if you want to avoid possible broadcasting issues.)  While waiting for movies the Winchester rebroadcasts a local radio station that plays contemporary country.  While this might fit the ‘western’ theme a bit overall I feel it detracts from the experience.  There are still some speakers attached to poles…the kind you used to roll down your windows and put in your car to hear the sound…but none of them seem to work that I can find so they appear to be just for show.  The picture quality has been blurry on my last visits and until I went to the other two theatres I thought maybe that was normal…it’s not.  The Winchester’s projectionist needs to work on that.  The Winchester allows customers to smoke and if they want to drink alcoholic beverages they can in their cars.  Of the three theaters the Winchester feels the least safe (I mentioned graffitti earlier).  They do have a golf cart that rides around but for the most part there are too many areas where mischief can take place.  Also because it is south Oklahoma City…not known for being the friendly part of town.  To improve this The Winchester needs to consider adding some lighting in certain areas to avoid shadow dealings and possibly up the security presence.

Next The Beacon: I have to say I was kind of disappointed.  The one positive was that they did still have some of the speakers on poles and they did work.  Again the people running the facility were very nice.  The picture was clear.  At first I parked near the concession stand.  No problems there, but I decided to find out what the experience was like further back so I went to the east side of the theatre area.  I don’t know if it was just that night or if it was a common occurance but there was a nasty stench which is not comforting if you are trying to save on the AC.  The music they played before the movie was eclectic.  It wasn’t a local station, it didn’t seem themed at all.  The other thing I was disappointed in was that The Beacon ran commercials before their movie.  These were not the Intermission clocks or movie previews.  They were ads for Axe body spray, Levi’s jeans, and something else I can’t remember.  Tip: If you aren’t being paid to run these stop it!  I go to movies to get away from this type of thing.  Regarding security…I felt safe enough at The Beacon although I don’t recall seeing any security personnel.  I didn’t see any signage prohibiting smoking and alcohol but again…the guy passing out the flying discs may have been blocking it.

Finally The Chief:  The movie picture is very clear.  They have no speakers but don’t need them as they broadcast on FM stereo within the theatre area which is clear in the area but fades out quickly once you leave it (no problems with the FCC there).  There is an annoying delay between their broadcast and some outdoor speakers they have set up so you have to make up your mind what you want to listen to.  The Chief has seating outdoors near their concession stand that is covered and confortable if you decide you don’t want to stay in your car but didn’t bring a lawn chair.  (The Beacon also had outdoor seating but it isn’t really worth mentioning when compared to The Chief.)  The music before the movies takes you back to the heyday of the drive in…the ’50’s!  (I was born in the ’60’s but I like ’50’s music!)  The only thing that bothers me is that the tape (or CD) they play is not long enough.  If you come early you will hear the same songs at least 3 times before the movie starts.  The Chief has a miniature golf course in front of the screen tower.  It’s not Putt Putt, but it’s something that the other two don’t have.  ($5 to play though.)  Signs are posted up front at The Chief that there is no smoking but it doesn’t seem to be enforced that well.  Regarding alcohol…well you’re not supposed to bring in outside food or drink so that would include booze.  At first I didn’t think there was any security at The Chief but that was fine because I felt very safe.  However during the movie I noticed that there were personnel walking around with walkie talkies so I’m assuming these guys were on patrol which made me feel even safer.

One final category I will throw in since we are in the age of the internet is E-coverage.  Each theatre has a web presence.  The Winchester and The Chief have the better web designs giving information about the theatres.  The Beacon has a page but it’s not that great.  One thing The Beacon is doing right however is using Twitter to communicate with their patrons.  (Good Job Beacon!)  The other two should pick up on this immediately.  The Chief has a MySpace page but I wasn’t really impressed with it and it was hard to read due to the background. Some of the comments on the MySpace page also didn’t really make sense.  The Chief does have a newsletter you can sign up for but I haven’t seen one yet so I don’t know how good it is.

Going back to my first statement: Go to whichever drive in is in your area.  BUT IF YOU WANT THE BEST EXPERIENCE IN THE OKLAHOMA CITY AREA then visit The Chief.  This is quite an accomplishment since this is the oldest of the three (opened in 1949?).  The Beacon opened in 1950 (?) but shows it’s age.  The Winchester is the youngest of the three having opened in 1968.  Each of these theatres is a labor of love since Drive In movie theatres don’t really make a lot of money.  It appears that all three of these are family owned and operated.

My two cents.

Ramblings #0020 – The Job Hunt

In case you haven’t read my earlier postings I am currently an unemployed programmer and I am looking for another job.

Now the last time I was unemployed was in 1992. Things have changed a lot during the last 17 years.  The biggest change is the internet.  I remember having to go to the unemployment office, file various papers, and take a battery of tests designed to tell you what you already know…that you shouldn’t be working on an assembly line…at least for me anyway.  Then you would have to mail various papers weekly to provide evidence that you were indeed looking for employment and therefore worthy of the money received for unemployment.

It’s different today.  I filled out my form online.  I file my weekly claims online.  I did mail out three resumes, but all of the others were done online.  I have better access to know who is hiring and what the qualifications are.  And my skills are more valuable than they were back in 1992.  So why does it seem like it’s harder?

Besides the advance in age there is the fact that it is an employer’s market right now.  So many people are out of work that they can pick and choose from the best of the best.  So if I have all the qualifications except for C# training, then they can be sure that someone will come along shortly who does have C# training and employ them.  (Note to self: Learn C#)

So here is my advice if you are possibly on the verge of unemployment.  Begin working on skills that you can apply to your resume.  Sign up on the major job sites now and begin to familiarize yourself with what employers are asking for.  Tidy up your resume.  And hold on for dear life.

Ramblings #0019: Bing vs. Google round 2

I’ve been trying to see if I can get used to using Bing.  I’ve been ‘binging’ stuff left and right and found the results to be…insufficient.  I ‘googled’ the same items and found the results to be much more substantial.  Google wins the war.

I wanted to give ‘Bing’ a chance in the hopes of getting really good focused results.  The problem is that ‘Bing’ give so much focus that it often excludes the very things you need to see.  I’ve reset my default search engine in my browser to ‘Google’.  I’m only going to ‘Bing’ it if I can’t ‘Google’ it.

Ramblings #0018 – Michael Jackson R.I.P. Already (sheesh)

Michael Jackson died last week.  He’s still dead by the way.  I expected there to be coverage including the various Biography, Headlines & Legends, and of course The Jacksons movie.  I did not expect minute by minute coverage of whether or not Michael’s ex-wife is going to try to get custody of the first two kids.  Nor did I expect images of Joe Jackson (Michael’s dad) telling the world how good he felt (now that he was back in the spotlight thanks to his son’s untimely death).

But this is what happens to those who have reached high pinnacles of fame.  They rise, we praise them, then we find ways of belittling them, then they fall and we make fun of them, then they die and we raise them to the status of demigod.  I have already posted my homage to Michael.  I found him to be an extremely talent ecentric person.  He had allegations made against him for which the California court stated that he was ‘not guilty’ and it would appear that he had four different doctors, at least one of which were providing him with drugs he should not have had.

I thought the fanfare would have been over by now but no…now we have the Michael Jackson memorial lottery where X amount of lucky fans will get to take a guest to pay their last respects.  Those who weren’t favored enough to get a ticket must watch via television or local movie theater.

Of course with voyeuristic tastes of the American public today it will be some time before all of this wears off.  When we finally see who controls his assets, his children, and his legacy we’ll yawn, grow tired, and wait until the next big celebrity dies.  When the networks discover there is no more money to be made in viewship then they’ll find some other piece of news to chew on.

I am sad that a popular and talented entertainer has died.  I am disgusted by the response of the American public and the news media.  Let the man rest in peace.

Ramblings #0017 – At the drive in (again)

As I mentioned in a previous posting I enjoy visiting the Drive In theater when I’m really stressed out. Normally I visit a local theater called the Winchester. However this weekend I decided to try another theater located about 30 miles away just south of Chickasha, OK. The name of the drive in is The Chief. It costs a little bit more than the Winchester to get in ($7 for adults as to $6) and they do not allow you to bring in your own food or smoke (although there were some that did both anyway). The screen was not as large as the Winchester’s and it only shows two movies instead of three on weekends.

So you might be stunned to read that I enjoyed the experience even more! The drive in appears to be operated by a local family. Since most of the box office receipts go toward the movie distributors, it is very understandable that they ask you to purchase concessions there instead of bringing in outside food. (After all, you can’t bring your own food to an indoor picture!) The prices were very reasonable and the food was good.

The screen faces west instead of east like it does at the Winchester. As a result I thought there was going to be more interference from the sunset, especially as they began showing some of the first previews and they were hard to see. But by the time the movie started the picture was very clear and easily seen. This improved throughout the evening as the Chief’s location is far enough away from the metropolitan area that the sky is actually dark stars instead of the typical orange haze.

The other thing I appreciated about the Chief was the sense of nostolgia. On arrival we were greated, not with a local radio station, but with music from the time period that drive in movies were in their heyday…the ’50’s.

Another nice feature of the Chief was the option to watch the movie under a sheltered area in theater style seating. My son and I watched from this area while my wife and other children watched in our lawnchairs near our van. A good time was had by all.

If you live in the South Oklahoma City, Moore, Norman, Tuttle, Newcastle, or Blanchard areas (or other towns too numerous to mention) you should definitely give the Chief a try. It’s a great experience.

I’m hoping to visit The Beacon in Guthrie at some point in the near future pending my ability to find a new job.

Ramblings #0016 – Comic books

Before sixth grade I really could have cared less about comic books.  Now my Grandma used to have a big stack of comics that she would bring home from her job (she worked for a company called TG&Y…those in Oklahoma City will understand the significance of that).  I would casually glance at them occasionally but I had no real interest in them.  I had watched Superman, Batman, Aquaman, and other members of the Justice League on the Saturday morning cartoons.  I even vaguely remembered the Hanna Barbara Fantastic Four and the old Spiderman cartoon show.  (It’s hard not remember that show’s theme song…Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can…)  But none of these things made me want to go out and buy a comic book.

It was a cleverly designed school folder made by Mead that made me want to buy a comic book.  The one which intrigued me most was one with a super hero team called The Avengers.  (Here is what it looked like.)  I don’t know what it was but when I bought it and opened it up it made me want to buy a real comic book.  So when my mother took us to the drug store (for reasons that I don’t really care about) I put down my 25 cents (plus tax) for a copy of The Avengers #146.  After that I couldn’t get enough.  Of course some of the Avengers had their own series which I also began to collect; Iron Man, Thor, and my all time favorite…Captain America.

I don’t really know why I liked Cap so much.  Maybe it was his costume (very patriotic).  Maybe it was the cool way he handled his shield because he knew how to throw it so it would always come back to him (unlike Thor whose hammer [Mjolnir] always came back due to an enchantment).  But I think it was mostly because he really wasn’t a superhero the way everyone else was.  True he had been frail Steve Rogers in the 1940’s wanting to serve his country during World War II, injected with the super soldier formula and bathed in Vita rays.  But the most this did was to turn him into a speciman of physical perfection.  Before he became Captain America he had believed certain values and had a love for his country from which the true spirit of his heroism came.  He was an example to me (fictional yes) of trying to be the best you can be.

From here I went to the Fantastic Four, and X-Men (just before the Phoenix saga), and Spiderman.  Although Spiderman was okay I didn’t really follow him religiously like I did Cap.  Pretty soon I was reading almost any comic if it had the Marvel logo on it.

Which brings up the question…what about DC comics?  I was very familiar with the DC characters.  Superman was boring to me because the only limitations he had were krytonite and magic.  He was too strong and nothing really challenged him.  Aquaman…he talked with fish.  (His Marvel counterpart…the Submariner…now there was an anti-hero!)  The Flash…too fast.  The Atom…too small.  Green Lantern…too green (speaking about the Hal Jordan version).  Hawkman…hah!  Wonder Woman…meh.  And Captain Marvel had just come into the DC universe and they were still drawing him like it was the ’40’s.  The only DC character that I enjoyed was the Batman.

Now there had been a lot of changes in the Batman since his creation by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1938 (or 1939?).  He went from dark, mysterious detective to a duly deputized agent of the law and pretty much remained that way until the novelty of the 1960’s campy television show wore off.  His comic book…dying a slow death…was given new life when Neal Adams was tasked to take over the art.  As a result Batman became “the” Batman again.  The Batman like Captain America had no special powers but was an example of physical and mental perfection.

I would collect comics for a while, read them, and then sell them to collector stores. I would come in and out of storylines. I would witness events that would forever alter or change continuities. But I could never lose my fascination with the characters.

Today’s comics are much more ’sophisticated’ than they were when I was a kid. They ‘killed’ Captain America in 2007 just as he had found out that his World War II sidekick Bucky Barnes (who he thought had died) was indeed alive. Bucky had taken his place as a new Captain America. But now they are about to release a new series of comics called Captain America Rebirth in which Steve Rogers, who they thought had died just after the Superhero Civil War, will come back to life. But will the penalty for bringing back the old Cap be that they will kill off Bucky again…who knows?

Comics aren’t like they used to be. The art and the story lines are geared more toward the adults in the 30 to 50 range than to kids. They are also more expensive (almost $3.00 for a typical copy). I’ve tried several times not to care about comic books anymore but for one reason or another I always seem to be draw back into their universe. (It didn’t help when X-Men, Spiderman, Hulk, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man were made into movies. The Batman movies were awesome too…I’m talking about the Christoper Nolan reboots, not the Joel Shumacher catastrophies.)

So what is there to say about comic books? Only this…If you aren’t reading them, don’t start. If you are reading them you’re probably going to be hooked for life. Excelsior! (Homage to Stan Lee.)

Quick Observation #0004 – The Right to Free Speech

I have often heard conservative commentators say that the U.S. Constitution grants a person the right to say what they want, but it doesn’t guarantee them an audience to say it to.

With blogging you have the ability to fulfill your right to say whatever you want to anyone in the world with an internet connection and yet nobody has to listen to you.

The American dream is still alive.

Just another quick observation.

Ramblings #0015 – Karl Malden (1912-2009)

He was probably best known to my generation for his American Express commercials – Don’t leave home without it. To the generation before mine he was Mike Stone on The Streets of San Francisco with a then unknown actor named Michael Douglas. He also played the role of General Omar Bradley in the Acadamy Award winning film Patton.

Karl’s most endearing feature was his nose, often the butt of various jokes related to snorting illegal substances (as evidenced in an episode of Family Guy…which sadly is probably how the current generation knows of him). But this was only an unfortunate characature that to my knowledge has absolutely no validity.

So why am I blogging about Karl? Well other than the fact that I enjoyed his acting in Patton, he is kind of an underdog at this time…and I like sticking up for the underdog. Celebrities are dropping like flies this year. David Carradine, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Billy Mayes, Fred Travalena, and now Karl. Karl doesn’t currently have the star power that he did back in the 20th century although if you look up his filmography on IMDB it is pretty impressive. He’s barely getting any coverage right now because the media is too concerned over who is going to get Blanket (one of Michael Jackson’s children). Therefore I felt it important to provide an homage to this great actor and I am celebrating his life tonight by watching Patton.

Ramblings #0014 – Yet another post about Microsoft

If you have been reading my posts you’ll find that I have spent what could be an inordinate amount of time discussing things related to Microsoft and their various competitors. Some of you may get the idea that I have ‘Mac envy’ (which is partially true…see Ramblings #0011). Others may think I hate Microsoft (which is not true). Still others may think that I absolutely adore Microsoft (which while I don’t absolutely adore them, I do like the fact that I’ve been able to make a living for the past twelve years using their software products).

I would have loved to have had a Mac back in the late ’80’s but I couldn’t afford one. I was able to afford a PC with Windows software in the early ’90’s. I learned how to use spreadsheets and word processors on a PC running Windows. I learned how to automate many of the repetitive processes my team was doing at work on a PC. I created both static and dynamic websites on a PC. I’ve played with Macs and they are really cool…but I’m a PC for now.

Microsoft is every techie’s favorite punching bag. In the tech world there are three stereotypes: the labcoats, the ponytails, and everyone else. I’ve worked with some labcoats who were adamant UNIX/Linux aficionados. They were nice enough guys until you mentioned Microsoft. Then the jokes came out and you discovered new words describing how lame you were for using Microsoft. I never really spent much time around the ‘ponytails’ (the creative types that haven’t yet realized that Woodstock ended in 1969…a stereotype to be sure) but I’m guessing its about the same. The only people that are pleasant about Microsoft product are the ones that are out there doing rapid application development to meet the constantly changing needs of the business.

And that is where Microsoft has not been given the credit it is due. Think about it…Before Windows was released what word processing or spreadsheet programs were being used on a massive scale. There weren’t any. You had some users lucky enough to have makes that were doing some graphical computing, but everyone else using a speadsheet was typically an accounting person or had some other job that required number crunching. Spreadsheets generally were not used for non-mathematical projects. Word Processors were either stand alone systems (remember Wang?) or bulky clunky programs where the only way you could preview your result was to print it. And what about Harvard Graphics? Remember them? And what about dBase?

Microsoft and their software products put spreadsheets, word processors, presentations, and databases within the reach of average people using intuitive software. The productivity gains of the last half of the ’90’s were due in large part to the fact that ordinary people were doing jobs that used to be extraordinary. We take it for granted today but the truth is that we would not be where we are today were it not for Microsoft.

As I mentioned earlier in this post (and several others) I am a programmer. I have made my living creating business solutions using Microsoft product. And unless this blog miraculously provides me with wealth beyond my wildest dreams (yeah right) I will continue in this direction.

Ramblings #0013 – Hijack Marketing

What makes a good commercial? It’s one that has a memorable script AND one where you remember the product being sold. I’m thinking of one in particular…

The add was for a battery company. The battery in question was placed into a toy rabbit which caused the rabbit to play a drum. Can you guess which company first did this commercial?

If you answered ‘Eveready Energizer’ you are wrong. The first company to use this was Duracell (click here for video). The toy rabbit was holding a snare drum and didn’t wear sunglasses. The rabbit was actually one among many that were each given a different type of battery. The commercial showed at the end that it was the Duracell battery that lasted the longest among the others.

Then Eveready employed ‘hijack marketing’. Take what your competition is doing and turn it around on them. Eveready created a commercial that looked almost exactly like the Duracell commercial except that in the end they said “Guess who wasn’t invited to their playoffs?” At that moment the Energizer bunny appeared carrying a big bass drum wearing sunglasses. (click here for video) This is the commercial that we most remember and when we think of pink bunnies and batteries, we now think of Energizer and not Duracell. (A quick note here that this ‘hijack marketing’ only took place in the U.S.  In other parts of the world Duracell was able to hold on to their image of the pink bunny.)

Attempts are made every so often at this technique but I can’t think of any that has had the success of the Energizer bunny. A recent attempt was made by Microsoft. Apple had been producing commercials with two men standing next to each other. One of the men was a frumpy, stuffy, dweeb who wore glasses. The other guy is a ‘hip’ young guy that looks like he just walked out of a Starbucks in Seattle having just consumed his morning fracolactolatte. The ‘hip’ guy says “I’m a Mac” and the frumpy guy says “And I’m a PC” (click to view some of these ads). Then the Mac guy stands there and acts cool while the PC guy says and does things to make him look stupid. The message, “If you use a PC you’re an idiot.”

Microsoft first made an attempt to counter this by paying Jerry Seinfeld an obscene amount of money to appear with Bill Gates in a commercial that had no informational or entertainment value whatsoever. (Everybody knew Jerry was a ‘Mac’ and was just doing it for the cash. Notice you never saw him actually using a PC.) And it wasn’t funny. (click here to view)

So instead Microsoft took one of it’s employees and dressed him up to resemble the PC guy from the Mac ads. He comes on and says, “I’m a PC”. Then a whole host of other people are shown from all areas of global society who weren’t frumpy or dweeby that used Windows software. The message: Apple is a snob and they are making fun of you. (click to view)

The commercial was only partially successful. I thought it was good, but not great. It didn’t really hijack the theme from Apple. In fact Apple has since come out with other Mac and PC commercials that were just as clever and derogatory toward PC users.

Why did Energizer’s marketing work and why didn’t Microsoft’s? The truth of the matter is that no amount of clever marketing is going to overcome the value of your product and how it is perceived by the public. (Please provide a comment if you have a successful example of this.) While Duracell had a good battery, Energizer had a better one. (I have to admit that I prefer to buy Energizers over Duracells primarily because of the marketing employed AND because they are good batteries.) But unlike the Eveready Energizer, Microsoft has had years of bad public perception through takeovers, bullying tactics, and issues with software quality. While we aren’t particularly crazy about Apple calling we PC users ‘idiots’, we also aren’t stupid enough to believe that Microsoft has a superior product. (And the ape-like chearleading of Steve Ballmer isn’t enough to convince me either.) But we also aren’t stupid enough to buy a Mac just so we can feel superior to PC users. If I buy a Mac it will be because it’s a cool product (which it is) and it does what I need it to do for me (which it only partially does).

Here’s the secret: Have a good product, have a good marketing team, and hijack your competition’s marketing if you can. Marketing 101.