Gone to see Newark showing of "Land of the Lost"

I decided to accept Mayor Cory Booker's invite to go see "Land of the Lost," the new film version of the classic Saturday morning, kid's TV show, starring comedian Will Ferrell, at the Newark Screens Friday night. I left the Star-Ledger about 10 minutes before six, and arrived at the theater to find former police chief, now special adviser to the mayor on public safety, Anthony Campos, and a small crowd already there. The chief seems to be a movie-loving guy, like myself. We last saw each other at the mayor's Star Trek outing in May (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hopeful_in_nj/3522381829/).
The screens are a decent place for being the only major movie theater in town (<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="). The place is clean and well-staffed. But it does look like it was built on the cheap. Plain walls, neon signs and worn carpet. Newark native and basketball pro Shaquille O'Neal (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/newark_theater_and_cityowned_l.html) bought the screens earlier this year with some partners, and plans to replace it with a new theater/entertainment complex, which also serves dinner. That should fit nicely on Springfield Avenue, which is one of the best, redeveloped sections of Newark. It already has an Applebee's and Home Depot, Duane Reade pharmacy, and a drive-thru Dunkin' Donuts/Baskin Robbins. Plus, there's a lot of new development in the area too, including an apartment building named after Sharpe James. The former mayor just asked an appellate court have his conviction thrown out (http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/sharpe_james_lawyer_asks_appea.html).
Mayor Booker arrived in his black SUV, trailed by a Time magazine reporter who said he's writing an update on Booker and Newark. The mayor shook hands and stood for photos with the crowd, which included several young people. Booker said he had some reservations about seeing, "Lost," (http://www.nj.com/movies/index.ssf?/movies/render.do?finder=njo&movieId=63950) when he realized he could have opted for Disney/Pixar's "Up," (http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/05/up_movie_review_disney_pixars.html). But it already was too late to change the film selection. He promised the children with us, that if the movie was disappointing, he'd take them all out again. The mayor said he covers the cost of tickets, popcorn and soda through his campaign, and does a fair amount of mingling with constituents while he's there. He sat in the theater with the kids, as he did for Star Trek, and stayed till the last credit, hoping to see one of those surprise add-on endings.
There was one, and it was pretty forgettable, like the movie too. The mayor left somewhat unsatisfied, but the crowd was happy. After all, it was a Will Ferrell film, and not a true remake of the classic TV show. It felt almost like watching one of those Scooby Doo, live action movies, just not as painful.
I told Campos going in, that, "Lost," would be worth the price of admission, if Ferrell sang the show's cheesy theme song. He did, during a disgusting scene with a prehistoric mosquito. Overall, not a bad time.