You know it's time to leave a city when you can't find anyone to go with you to a free movie. Of course, I shouldn't wonder that it would be the same situation in any city ("so I blame this town, this job, these friends, the truth is it's myself" - Modest Mouse). I got a free pass to see a pre-screening of Jackie Chan's new movie, "Around the World in 80 Days". It was idiotic. Breaking into Hollywood is probably the worst decision Jackie could have made. <bored voice>Why, Jackie, why?</bored voice> He should have just retired in Hong Kong as the biggest movie star in the world. It's the U.S.'s loss (and industry racism) that Hollywood never recognized him when he was in his prime.

Still, as far as awful Hollywood stuff goes, it was watchable. I didn't leave. I even cracked a grin two or three times. It had at least one good sight gag. The audience was fascinating. Laughing at funny bits that weren't even remotely funny, or were questionably funny. Gasping at action or predictable plot twists that don't take a high school diploma to figure out how things will turn out. But these are the same people who would wonder what the hell is the crap I watch. We just get sucked into different things. For them, it's this vapid, bland, meaningless entertainment that is accessible to them. They can come up with their own derogatory description of the films I watch.