AMC Rosedale 14 delivers fun, relaxed environment

On Monday night, I took my girl out to see "The Mist" at the AMC Rosedale 14 in Roseville, MN. Ushers everywhere you looked. Everyone was very friendly--the box office kid was upbeat and friendly, and we both had a great time. It was a major contrast to the AMC Mayfair in Milwaukee.

The AMC Rosedale 14 theatre is also the end of a bus line into Minneapolis and Saint Paul, it also has a very "racially diverse" crowd (whatever that means), but has no security guards and no lingering air of threat. The patrons were respectful and quiet during the show, the place was clean, I loved it. You can lift up the seat dividers, which is great for date nights.

Also, as a point of pride, the Rosedale AMC's 3D Beowulf glasses were far more high-tech than the ones at Marcus Ridge (not curved and colorless, so no odd color artifacts on important gradual shaded surfaces such as faces and arms), and we got to keep them when the movie was over. I hope Beowulf has 3D mode when it comes out on DVD.

Finally, The Mist was the dog's bollocks. A tragically realistic portrayal of human pride and hubris, and a profound commentary on society, "Elmer Gantry" style evangelical religion, and the WASP-ish obsession over environmental and societal control. It brought out a wealth of conflicts that lie just beneath the surface: race, gender, sex, age, class, intelligence, education, religion, the use of force, politics. . . . An utterly brilliant film, and worthy homage to Lovecraft on King's part. Horror cinema at its best.