When Brad and I want to see a movie we usually go to the Palms. It is near our home and we can use our comp points both for the admission tickets and for the popcorn and/or hot dogs we like to snack on while we are watching a movie.   Since those points can’t be used to get cashback, we consider our movie recreation free.

But sometimes there is a movie we want to see that is not showing at the Palms theater. We always have plenty of points for a movie and snacks at a Station casino, but we don’t consider that exactly “free” because we can (and do) use our points to pay for airline tickets, which is a “cash equivalent” for us.

Therefore, when we wanted to see No Country for Old Men last Monday, we decided to check out Southpoint’s Senior Movie Day. These special days for seniors are Mondays and Thursdays and admission is only $3. The senior rate there is usually for those 65 and older, but our clerk says that on Senior Days they give the $3 rate to those who are at least 55. There is another perk until 6 p.m. on those days. They serve complimentary hot tea, coffee, and cookies.

I had considered using our points for the tickets when I remember there was no premium for using them for comps instead of taking cash and besides, you would have to make a trip to the slot club for a written comp. And the clerk told me another useful piece of information, that if you went to the players club to get a comp, they would take $6.25 worth of points for the usual senior rate, even if you told them you were going when it was $3 Senior Day.

Another hint if you decide to go on Senior Day – go early to get a good seat, especially if it is a popular and/or Oscar-nominated movie. Seniors, from my generation anyway, love a bargain and there wasn’t an open seat when the previews started.

I would give a review of No Country for Old Men but I am still too let down to discuss it. I am a writer, as you know, and naturally I appreciate well-delineated characters, richly detailed scenery, believable action even if it is violent, and deep thoughtful themes. But I don't like storytellers that play tricks on their readers and listeners. I don’t require a they-lived-happily-ever-after ending, but I do like some kind of “closure.” And when the whole audience gives a collective groan when the credits start rolling, I want to kill the screenwriters. No artsy-fartsy endings for me!  

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