Why I never see the movies I want to see

I mentioned on the air today that I really wanted to see the movie Drag Me To Hell when it comes out this weekend, and that I haven't seen X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator: Salvation or Star Trek yet, even though I really want to. But I did see Angels & Demons this week.

Then I got this email from listener Adam in Green Bay:
So, you chose to go to "Angels and Demons" over "Wolverine" or "Star Trek"? I think you lost some man points there. I've seen the two latter movies, and may see the former on disc. Not to sure, I was a huge fan of the book, and normally find it disappointing to watch the movies. Wolverine and Star Trek were awesome. You should really see them.

Thanks Adam. Yeah, I've lost some man points. But any guy who's married has probably had the same conversation that my wife and I had earlier this week:

Me: "Hey, let's see a movie tonight"
Her: "Sure, what's out"
Me: "What about Wolverine?"
Her: "Uh, no."
Me: "Star Trek is really supposed to be awesome."
Her: "I have no desire to see that."
Me: "Terminator Salvation?"
Her: [rolls her eyes]
Me: "How about Dance Flick?"
Her: "What??"
Me: "Just kidding. Angels and Demons?"
Her: "OK."

This is why my Netflix queue has over 200 movies in it. And why I probably won't actually see Drag Me To Hell this weekend. Oh well.

Terminator: Evolution of a Franchise

Credit to: Wired.com

Here's how a killing machine evolved into a killer franchise.

1984

The Terminator debuts in 1984, directed by James Cameron. Starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was only known as Conan at the time. The film pulls in $78 million worldwide. Meanwhile, the first wave of novelizations hits bookstores, and a franchise is born.

1990

The first Terminator videogame for PCs hits the streets, sparking more than two dozen iterations across a wide array of consoles. Flush with Rambo dough, indie film studio Carolco Pictures acquires Hemdale's rights for a film follow-up. Cameron signs on to direct.

1991

Terminator 2: Judgment Day—at $100 million, then the most expensive production in Hollywood history—is the top-grossing movie of the year, eclipsing $200 million in the US and $520 million worldwide.

1992

T2-mania is in full swing. Metallic T-800 skulls show up on backpacks, boxer shorts, lunch boxes, and cubicle walls as licensees like Kenner and MacFarlane Toys see total sales for Terminator-related merchandise climb into the nine-digit range.

1996

T2 3-D: Battle Across Time, a 12-minute theme-park attraction, opens at Universal Studios in Orlando. One of the priciest ($60 million) and most complex attractions ever, it's codirected and written by Cameron and features original performances by all of T2's principal actors.

2003

Director Jonathan Mostow spends a whopping $187 million to make Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. It makes a modest $44 million on opening weekend, but its ultimate box-office gross lifts the film franchise's total to $1 billion worldwide.

2008

Fox's The Sarah Connor Chronicles, starring Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker, and Summer Glau, debuts to 18.3 million viewers. It's a critical darling but struggles for ratings and is hobbled by the Writers Guild strike. Nonetheless, Fox renews the series for another season.

2009

Warner Bros. is set to release the $200 million, postapocalyptic Terminator Salvation, starring Christian Bale, in nearly 4,000 theaters on Memorial Day weekend. A battalion of next-gen videogames is in the works, and a $10 million, 2,850-foot-long Terminator roller coaster opens at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

Illustrations: John Ritter; Photos: 1984: Everett; 1992: Allen Shope/Treasure-cove; 1995: Getty; Furlong: Everett; 1997: Getty; 2003: Warner Bros/Everett; 2008: Michael Desmond/Fox

See the whole evolution list at Wired.com