So, I really like
movies. It’s almost an addiction, and
probably something that I should get checked out, but I really, really do. And
while I own plenty of DVDs, and more often than not will be found watching
something in the dark of my room, nothing compares to going to the movie
theater and watching a movie on the big screen.
This is a point that a lot
of people will argue with me, actually.
I have heard arguments that range all over the board as to why going to
the movies isn’t actually an enjoyable experience. The most popular argument is that they are
too expensive. If I insist on being
legal, I can be patient and see the exact same movie for a dollar and change at
a Redbox in a couple months. If I’m not
worried about legality, I can see the same movie for free anytime I want. (Just
for the record, I do insist on being legal if there is any way possible to get
my hands on it legally.) But for me, I’m
not just paying to see the movie. I’m
paying to go and sit in a dark room, where I can’t do anything else, so I don’t
have to worry about feeling guilty that I’m not multi-tasking. I get to sink back into a comfy chair, and
watch the story unfold, literally larger than life, surrounded by some of the
best audio equipment that I will probably ever have access to, and get so
wrapped up in the story that I lean so far forward in my chair that friends are
afraid I’ll topple right out onto the floor. The whole package is something that I can’t
get for a dollar and some change out of the Redbox.
The second most popular argument
is the one that I can agree with. Other
people ruin the experience. In my own
living room, bedroom, wherever I take a laptop with DVD capabilities, etc, I
know who I am watching the movie with, and I have very few qualms about telling
most of them to shut up or go away so I can see my movie. You don’t have that luxury in a theater,
where other paying guests might be rude, and theater employees might be too
lazy to do anything about it. Good ol’
Firefly taught us that there is a special level of hell for those who talk in
the theater, and I would like to say, I think that texting is included in
that. My personal favorite “What are you
doing?” moment was when a guy got a call from a friend, and answered the call
without getting out of his seat. After
telling the friend on the other end of the line what movie he was seeing, he
then preceded to describe what was happening in the movie with a running
commentary for the next twenty minutes, not just at a normal speaking volume,
but actually bordering on shouting. Normally,
I’m the first to be a pain when my movie experience is ruined, (a side effect
of really enjoying those good experiences) but with this guy, I was just so
stunned that was actually happening, I just started at the back of his head
with my mouth open. Luckily, that was when I was working at the theater and
could go and see the movie again for free, or else I would have been one very
annoyed Rebekah.
But movie theaters when done
right and not filled with annoying people, are a magic that in some ways, I can’t
believe actually exists. Want a sure
fire way to make me a happy camper? Take
me to a movie theater.
<3
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