To The Movies

I don't seem to go to the movie theater terribly often- certainly not as often as I would like to. That I recently did so seems like reason enough to contemplate the process. It used to begin by consulting the morning's newspaper. Each theater in town had its listings together on the same couple of pages in the entertainment section, and it was kind of like some big commando operation in a war movie, all the concerned parties leaned over the table it was spread out on and pointing at things while making their respective cases for what to do. The fact that we might even being going was exciting in itself, and the feeling reminds me of that particular scene in 'Annie'. Of course, it's not quite like that now. I could make a tired point about prices at this point, but feel like there's no need. We now go to a website to check the listings, sometimes buying tickets then and there. I tend not to do that.

I also usually shy away from snacks, excepting for where it's possible to engage in subterfuge and enjoy something from home. I remember one day going to see either 'Episode One' or 'The Matrix' and attempting to brazenly bring in hot, buttered toast. The theater staff was not accommodating, failing to relent even when I made the point that they did not sell toast. Another day, a theater-bought ice cream treat impaired my ability to watch 'The Empire Strikes Back' during its re-release. Plenty of other times, my focus was disrupted by a need to visit the bathroom. I don't do that, as I can't bear to miss any part of the movie. It seems like all I can think about are distractions like those, many of which are unrelated to food. During Peter Jackson's 'King Kong' my contacts were bothering me. During a forgettable DeNiro thriller, I experienced discomfort having my arm around my date's shoulder.

There have been plenty of good times too, of course- maybe even more than the bad if I rack my brain thinking. I always used to enjoy going to Saturday matinees back in Scottsdale. The ticket taker at that theater then was an old, somewhat heavyset man with an eye patch. I enjoyed saying hello to him. Somehow that got me into movie-watching mood. I guess it's weird things like that. Some fond memories pertain to auditoriums almost completely empty. I saw Charlie Sheen in 'Terminal Velocity', and there was no one there but myself and a reviewer for a newspaper. I saw one of the lesser Star Trek sequels with no one there but myself and a friend. We took advantage of our solitude to loudly razz the movie. Many memories like that.

Perhaps I'll get into more consistent attendance as my personality begins to shift towards extroversion. certainly was tired of going to movies alone. That's certainly no way to go about it. God willing, I shall also begin to prosper enough to fund such an extravagant lifestyle of often attending movies. That would have the benefit of allowing me to experience more of them in the absence of spoilers. I enjoy just the idea of it all. We'll just see how it goes.