Waiting for Gal Gadot
Trip Report - Wonder Woman 1984 vouchers win.

Thanks to all who clicked through the Big Bang Theory “Wonder Woman 1984” sweepstakes, bonus entries always help. Last week I reported the win. I wanted to wait until I saw the film in theaters before I redeemed the HBO Max month (via FireTV HDMI dongle). This is the Fandango experience.
No indoor theaters because…covid. Of the two drive-ins Fandango listed for Wonder Woman 1984, one in SF Valley on Van Nuys I’d been to before and didn’t like, the other, theater #7 Directors Cut at Cinemark Laguna Niguel is the parking lot of a six theater building. There are sign after you pass the box office directing the way to an usher who checks your print at home who didn’t have a QR code reader, it seems to me to be easy to forge a ticket for a future visit, just save that web page, alter the date and print from memory. The usher hands you a welcome packet with a card of instructions mostly Covid and what radio to tune FM for the soundtrack and in this case a promotional bandana promo Walker, Texas Ranger film, and a voucher for popcorn bucket inside. Restrooms behind nearest door. I arrived 6:30 as per recommendation by Fandango, 1/2 hour of “Tune radio to” screen followed by ads then previews 7:35 Roll film, I stuck around for the credits there were two Easter eggs one with an astonishing cameo by Linda Carter, an amazing babealicious hottie, even more-so as we consider her age, she looks more attractive than when she played Diana Prince in the TV series. Ah, empowered women, did you know she has degree in math from UCLA?
PLOT
After Amazonian Diana backstory established, good guy Max Gold turns bad to heist “wishing stone” from other bad guys so his business endeavors are no longer false promises and dates the Smithsonian petrospecialist nerdy chick to get it when the FBI drops the evidence with her to identify what they recovered from Wonder Woman thwarting the robbery. Diana translates “One wish, one touch” and chick wants to be like Diana. Max wishes “I wish to BE the stone” as it blows to dust then climbs to ultimate power granting wishes. MonkeyPaw Apocalypse ensues. Can Diana convince the world to recant each of their wises and restore order while being attacked by Cheetah, the archvillain created when Max grants “I want to be the apex predictor.” to Diane’s new equal, nerdy chick?
I’m glad it’s a fantasy, I’m not cleaning up that mess.
Unlike Batman, whose secret identity is Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince is always Diana in or out of hero costume. Just a woman well bred of astronomic Amazonian standards. I like empowered women. I enjoyed the film tremendously but fear it won’t make back its investment because … Covid.
ON COVID Drive-In theater tix redemption.
Fandango limits $15 to the voucher. Any single vehicle admission $35 +service fee. My passenger was a beer keg, I snuck a fish head in to see the move, didn’t have to pay to get it in. So with fuel & mileage, the credit card was charged $24 to see a 'Free Movie" with the privilege of waking with a painful persistent crick in my shoulder - not a value for the single occupant and I was in the Front row next to the projector. Nor would a good value be a fifteen passenger van as the bottom of the screen is far above the roofline and viewers seated in the second row scrunching down might see the bottom half of the screen - maybe they’ll let you park it crosswise and the vanfull get a right shoulder crick out the side windows. Cars facing forward were encouraged to angle toward the screen In the driver’s seat I had to scrunch down, adjust the rear view to point like a gunsight to minimize blockage, place my left ear on my shoulder and still lost the top edge of screen. Rent a '65 Chrysler Convertible with 4 belts on each of two bench seats for all to enjoy your juke-box money, it seats about 20 or show up in a hydraulic lowrider, as there are not provided mounds to position the front elevated. Also, cars nowadays give off light just for starting them. Even if you turn off automatic daytime running lights it disturbs the show. But hazard lights are encouraged to alert ushers of your assistance, go figure. Engines must be off during the screening, so air-conditioning was out for me. No tailgating, but there were SUVs reversed in with the back opened. I suppose each occupant could utilize a wired headset to their mobile phone FM radio app, bring a battery boombox perhaps, but if you want to start your car after the show, locate and learn to FM radio with the accessory position, avoid the ignition position as 2 1/2 hours of heating the ignition coils will certainly drain your Amps flat and may even melt the coils, whereas just running the radio on accessory for several days will still leave an opportunity or two to crank the starter. Maximum Light Pollution: The design of the screen at the East meant lingering sunset competed with starbucks and adjacent lots was bass-acwards. Shoulda let the hill behind the double-stack of containers supporting the city water tanks and faux-forest to hide them be behind the cars and face the cars West into the backlights of the mall so to minimize light pollution and increase contrast.
The Reverend Doctor Wizard prays blessings upon your journeys with successful QUARAN-TEAM http://safe.wiza.fun/