Let's all go to the lobby

I love movies. Sometimes a good black and white classic is a great escape from a fast paced world. Just sit back with the remote, turn on the DVD, and enjoy the magic in comfortable surroundings. The trip to the Malco is made on occasion. Star Wars, Revenge of the Sith, was seen on the first day it was shown and so were the three Lord of the Rings films.

Going to the theater can be troublesome. Nowadays many parents do not teach their children manners. During the first LOTR film, I had to get up, go out and find the manager to stop some 15 year old brat from kicking the back my seat. This was after giving serious thought to jerking him up and dragging him with me. I have that technology. How rude for this ill-mannered urchin to come between Frodo and me?!?!

On the other hand, during the second LOTR classic we saw a young man get down on his knee and propose to a young lady. She accepted. He had put up a series of pictures interlaced with the ads that ran before the previews. This ended with an onscreen, "Will you marry me?" There was a spotlight on him as he proposed. Everyone stood up and applauded. Very warm and refreshing. There were tears of joy in some eyes. Smiles were abundant.

The outrageous price of popcorn and soft drinks also dampens the spirit of a night out at the cinema. This is covered by Ken "Caesar" Fisher in a very insightful article at ArsTechnica titled Hollywood faces the music: bad movies mean bad ticket sales. There are some interesting comments; just click the "Discuss" button at the bottom.

Now I must work up the courage to go see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A friend emailed several weeks ago and highly recommended this Johnny Depp vehicle. Hopefully, there won't be any rude monsters at the late showing.

"For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake."
-Alfred Hitchcock