A mid-week treat at the Embassy.

Wednesday, September 10

The school week seemed to drag by. I had assignments to work on, but wasn’t motivated (seems to be a trend over here…). The essay I’m most excited to work on is the one that’s due the latest. Ha, go figure! But it’s about NZ film, which means I can talk about Lord of the Rings and have it be relevant. So I suppose me looking forward to it is understandable.

On Wednesday after class, Jamie and I ran into town for a short hour of shopping. She was looking for a pencil skirt for her “sexy librarian look.” But due to Jamie needing to work out and run errands before we left, we didn’t leave until after 4, which didn’t really leave much time for shopping. Plus, it was raining.

We shopped until the stores closed, but neither one of us bought anything (aren’t you proud, mom?). We made our way back to Courtenay Place for dinner, and decided to try the Sports Café. We were both hungry, but didn’t feel like spending a fortune, so we just split two appetizers. It still ended up being too much food though. Oh well.

After dinner, I made my way down to the end of Courtenay Place to pick up my ticket for the 8:30 showing of “The Dark Knight” at the Embassy Theater. I’ve been dying to see this movie, but it never seemed to work out that anyone wanted to go see it with me when I had time. So I finally just decided to go by myself. And the fact that it was showing at the Embassy (and cheaper than a ticket at Reading) only made it seem like a better idea.

Jamie and I went back to my place so she could grab her stuff, and then I headed back into town. The rain had stopped, at least, which was good. But even before 8:30 the drunkies were already out in town. I got a “Hey baby” from some short dude walking down the street with a bottle of beer. Do guys really think that kind of thing works? It’s sad, really.

I got to the Embassy before they started seating, which was okay with me, because it meant I got to look around a little. For those of you who don’t know, the Embassy Theater is where the world premiere of “The Return of the King” was held back in 2003. Kind of a big deal.

The theater was originally built in the 1920s (then being called “de Lux”), and underwent a major renovation in 2003 in order to host Peter Jackson’s premiere. The theater was updated, yet also returned to its “former glory,” and, walking in, you can tell.

The lobby of the Embassy is large, with curving staircases of plush red carpet on either end. Going up the impressive stairs you find a very posh-looking area with a concession stand, a fancy bar, café seating and Blondini’s, a jazz club. A chandelier ties everything together. It feels very ritzy, and I was surprised to only pay $10 for my ticket.

Even just being in the theater was a treat. There are large plush seats in stadium seating (much better than any seats I’ve ever sat in at a movie), and two rows of leather ones that you can pay extra to sit in. Eat seat bears a little plaque with the name of someone who donated money to the renovation project. I know that the names of a few hobbits and a certain elf are in there somewhere, and I can’t lie and say I wasn’t tempted to have a look…

But I didn’t. I went to my seat (which was assigned, because that’s how they do things here), and sat down to take in the scene. The inside of the theater looked modern, but with a few touches that hinted at its age and history. For example, the blue-green patterned carpet didn’t exactly look like something you find in a contemporary art house. The ceiling was high, and a large teal stage curtain hid the movie screen from view.

As the lights dimmed, I got a little chill thinking about all the famous people who had, at some point, experienced the same thing in the same room. Yeah, I’m a dork, I know.

I wasn’t disappointed by the film, either. “The Dark Knight” was everything that everyone said it would be. It was exciting, suspenseful, intriguing and really well-acted. Heath Ledger was just… wow, amazing! He was so creepy, but in an absolutely brilliant way. I really liked it a lot.

Though, let’s face it, it’s no “Return of the King.” ;^)





P.S. - The photo here is of the sculpture at the end of Courtenay Place that Weta designed to commemorate Wellington's film industry (it's an old camera on a tripod). The Embassy is the cream-colored building directly behind it.