In the Life of a Rose

April 27, 2019

In the Life of a Rose...

I entered Harkins Theater, the place filled with people since it had just been released in-theaters the other day. People were even wearing suits, cosplaying their favorite Avenger. I wasn't as cool as them. I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, a black and white flannel on top. I even had a backpack full of snacks from the Dollar Tree run I made but, obviously, I was still going to buy a bag of popcorn.

Standing in line, I scrolled through my Instagram feed, trying to swipe over the people who've already seen the movie. I was supposed to see it on premiere night because I was invited, but I had some things to take care of. But now, I had to watch it.

When I reached the front of the line, a worker called me to the counter and I just asked for a medium-sized popcorn and she gave it to me. Going to the side, I pumped butter and grabbed some napkins. I looked at my ticket to find the theater number and started heading towards the auditorium, my Vans stomping against the carpet.

I entered along with a dozen other people and found my seat in the front where I knew no one else would sit so I could be alone. I wasn't because a man had come to sit right next to me. He was in my personal space and I assumed he tried to get away from the people by taking a seat in the front as well. I then got up and sat in the next seat so there was a space between us.

The commercials were still rolling and I was already eating my popcorn, finding the ads captivating. Once the Marvel credits began rolling, the lights went dark and everyone went quiet for the start of Avengers: Endgame.

I put the popcorn in the seat that separated the stranger and me and reached into my backpack, pulling out a bottle of Sprite. I used hand sanitizer to clean my hands before grabbing a clipboard to jot down some notes that I was later going to overview.

I did that while eating some HARIBO Gummy Bears and simultaneously watching the movie, perfectly understanding the arch and plot. I thought it was well made but some of the acting was a little tricky to critic on.  I had seen all the movies prior and knew all of the little treats in them. I'd still watch the movies regardless if it was for my job. My job in the film industry was to criticize movies or short films and publish a review online on why I thought they were amazing, substandard, or terrible, and the rest was the view of fans. The Marvel franchise was massive but there always has to be someone to balance out its ratings: me.

Sometimes, it gets to the point where I agree to have the movie or actors nominated for awards. Not Oscar-worthy, though, just regular awards. Even if they were open to the Oscars, it wouldn't be the whole movie, just a minor category they fit best in. Either way, comic-based movies and Academy Awards didn't mix well.

I was in the part of the movie where Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton were fighting on Vormir on the edge of a cliff for the Soul Stone. Everyone in the theater was watching intently as they gruesomely fought, each of them wanting to die. I, honestly, was on the edge of my seat, my recliner down, holding popcorn against my open mouth.

In the blink of an eye, I jolted when Natasha forced her hand out of his and she began falling. I really liked the sudden music they played to reach this moment and it was silent when she hit the bottom. When the camera switched back to Clint, his voice faded when he screamed, cried, and banged against the rock until he was teleported into water. He finally got the Soul Stone.

I leaned back into my seat, getting comfortable again and this time, I decided to finish the movie before making any more notes. As I was watching, I saw a bag of Skittles come into my view. I glance over to frown at the man but that expression didn't show when I saw that it was Chris Evans, his hat hiding the top of his head. I broke a smile and gladly accepted the candy and he poured some into my hands.