@LexG_III That is the thing! The seats aren’t great but I live with them to trade for quiet (and fully free parking). These prices easily sneak up. I was AMC A-List but now a Regal Unlimited member as I worked out I get better options in my area between this place, La Cañada, and Pasadena.
@LexG_III Have you ever tried Regal North Hollywood? This is my new go-to for avoiding people. Not always a full guarantee but most showings I’ve been to in the daytime are quiet, and nobody else in the front section.
This is honestly getting ridiculous.
Like, in the best of ways.
Legendary run for OBSESSION.
FIFTH WEEKEND is HIGHER THAN THE FIRST WEEKEND. This simply does not happen.
Will be a long while before it happens again!
Blumhouse-Atomic Monster has the #1 and #2 movies in the country this weekend, both made for almost no money. Theaters are packed. What a time to be making scary movies.
So OBSESSION is about to make MORE in its third weekend than it did in its first weekend or its second weekend. While facing massive direct horror competition from BACKROOMS. This kind of thing just doesn't happen. MAY 2026 has truly become a historic month for the horror genre.
@JeromeAdamsMD Best of luck with your prep and procedure! I had my first last year and it's definitely not as bad as I'd pictured. The prep is manageable (especially if you have an early AM appointment), and you get a nice little nap during the procedure. :)
I am once again thinking of William Shatner going through a profound existential crisis after being in space, trying to explain the terrifying emptiness he felt whilst Jeff Bezos sprayed champagne in his face and interrupted him to say 'WAZZUUP' whilst dabbing to Barenaked Ladies
Dems in Power: “We wanted to pass the Clean Drinking Water For Toddlers Act, but the Senate Parliamentarian said no so we gave up immediately.”
GOP in Power: “We’re building a fucking Thunderdome on the White House lawn for an old pedophile’s birthday party, no one can stop us.”
Important caveat: the above explanation applies to 2020 policy. By 2021 we had much broader testing capacity- we just didn’t use it as effectively as we could have. We also saw Covid precautions and restrictions evolve into a political cudgel and litmus test.
Lack of testing followed by politicization doomed us- and public trust. But the root problem never was public health policy/ ‘mandates.”
Even GBD supporters - who’s entire argument was that we should protect the vulnerable (though they did/ endorsed little to accomplish this) and “leave the healthy alone,” would have to admit that becomes impossible if you can’t identify who is actually infected!🤷🏽♂️
Teachable moment: Most people - even fierce critics of COVID policies - agree that truly sick people (or high-risk exposures) should isolate to protect the public (by law if needed).
The rub with COVID? A ~50% asymptomatic rate meant half of infected people felt (and looked) totally fine. No one knew they were “sick.” In most of 2020, the core problem wasn’t about policy. It was the lack of rapid, widespread testing, so we could truly identify the healthy vs the infected. 🤔
it’s so fucking crazy all the time… like one thing after another, so I mostly don’t react to it and let it wash over me. But every once in a while I have these moments of clarity where I’m like damn… what the fuck.
🚨 We’re in a teachable moment - and we’re blowing it.
The same voices who said “no mandates” and “we will not comply” are suddenly fine with hantavirus quarantines and Ebola travel bans.
This proves: people support public health measures… when they feel threatened by someone else’s “freedom.”
So let’s have some real, nuanced conversation about the value of public health measures (including “mandates”) vs individual freedom trade offs, instead of mindlessly repeating “we will not comply,” or conversely denying that many covid measures in fact went too far…
Also, I don’t know who needs to hear this, but a travel ban, compulsory testing in airports, and forced quarantines for those deemed at higher risk… are ALL public health mandates.
The fact that our current HHS Secretary felt the need to send out a tweet strongly clarifying he does NOT support rapid & innovative vaccine development as a response to a global public health crisis says a lot about where we are as a society right now, and who is determining US health policy… 😩