I love going to the movie theater.
Don't get me wrong, watching a movie at home is great but the
experience of going to the movies is like nothing else. When I was
younger it wasn't often that I got to go but when I did, it was a
memorable experience. I loved pulling into the parking lot and seeing
the marquee up in lights with all of the movie titles in big letters.
The smell of popcorn as I walked into the lobby still permeates my
senses. Even when the usher tears my ticket and directs me to the
correct theater brings good feelings inside. Just everything about
going to the movies send tremors of excitement down my spine.
The first movie I remember actually going to see in the theater was.....wait for it...wait for it. Care Bears 2: A New Generation. You might think, wow, he must have been really young, he has a great memory. Well I wasn't that young as it turns out. I say that because before this article I didn't realize exactly how old I was when I saw it. I looked at the release only to realize that I was eight when I saw this in the theater back in 1986. Now, in my defense I loved the care bears. They were marketed as much to boys as they were to girls. At least that's what I tell myself.
So from there my movie going experience
only got better. I remember a friend of mine having a birthday party
where his parents said we could pick the movie and they would take
us. So what did a bunch of ten year olds pick you ask? The Naked Gun.
Looking back at that movie I probably didn't understand half of the
jokes but I laughed anyway. I also remember seeing Joe Vs The Volcano
which if you haven't seen it, don't. It's a terrible Tom Hanks movie.
Also my mom would sometimes drag me to
see movies that she wanted to see so I have this horrifying memory of
seeing Steel Magnolias, which had some intense plot lines for an
eleven year old to witness. Another one I probably shouldn't have
seen was Parenthood but to this day it is one of my favorite
comedy/dramas and does everything perfectly. Even though chances are
I didn't get the “ear cleaner” joke but laughed anyway because
everyone else was.
As I got into my teenage years the
movies got progressively better. My Dad didn't take me to too many
movies but when he did it was something special. Days Of Thunder
stands out in my mind. I was twelve when we went to see it, only for
some reason we were late to the movie and missed our opportunity to
see the seven o clock showing which was optimal for it was a school
night. Well, in a very unexpected move my Dad bought tickets to the
ten o clock showing which blew my mind because it meant I would be
able to stay up late even with school the next day. I'm not a parent
but if I was I would try to make more memories like this for my
children.
Next, were two movies that set the bar
of what a movie should be, in my opinion. To this day I am not sure
if there are two that I find better for an overall experience where
most everyone is sure to have a good time watching them no matter
what their likes are.
The first one is Terminator 2:
Judgement Day. I was only able to see the first one on VHS and loved
it although I wasn't allowed to watch it much because it was rated R.
This was mostly due to the brief love scene that included nudity from
Linda Hamilton that my father did not realize was part of the movie
until it was too late. So, I'm sure when the sequel came out he was
much more hesitant but I was a few years older so maybe that was in
my favor. Well, the movie was released and due to finances we were
unable to go. I understood but still annoyingly brought it up on a
weekly basis. Back then movies were in the theater for much longer
than they are these days. For popular movies six months wasn't an
unusual stay (which is unthinkable now) so luckily this one fell into
that category.
For most of its run in the theater we
had car trouble that seemingly wouldn't go away. So on payday my Dad
said we were going to pick up the car. Once the car was picked up we
started to head in the other direction of going home, so I put two
and two together and realized we were not headed home. I ask and
asked but for some reason he wouldn't tell me. That is until we
pulled into the movie theater parking lot and I finally got to see
Terminator 2. It was even better than I could have ever imagined it.
Everything about that movie is near perfect to me. The music, the
acting, the violence, everything was so brilliantly done. It also
helped that John Conner was my age so I had someone to root for. To
this day it is one of my favorite films and it saddens me that the
franchise has been treated the way it has been over the years.
The second film doesn't have the same
“behind the scenes” story as I saw it on opening weekend. When I
was little, like most little boys, I was fascinated by dinosaurs. So
it's no surprise that Jurassic Park makes the list of memorable movie
experiences. I sat there in awe as to what I was seeing. There wasn't
a moment that I did not believe that the dinosaurs on the screen were
not actual dinosaurs. If you had told me that they got them by going
back to prehistoric times using a time machine I probably would have
believed you. The story was awesome with some great characters.
Everything is somewhat simple about this movie except the actual
making of it. To me the stars of the movie were the raptors. I also
believe the thing that made this movie special is that each dinosaur
had their own personality which to me is an amazing feat in itself.
Action movies are probably my favorite
of all the genres to see in the theater. The movie Speed still ranks
as one of the most fun movies I've seen in the theater alongside
Snakes On A Plane. Two action movies as of late that I love actually
have come out in the last five years and they were really fun to
watch on the big screen. Those would be The Expendables 2 & 3.
Both of them rank in possibly my top ten or twenty action movies of
all time. The first one was enjoyable but they really tightened
everything up with the sequels.
Another action franchise that has
become a personal favorite is Fast and the Furious. Ever since it got
a sorta reboot with part four it has been a tradition among my
friends that we get together and go see this action packed, fun
franchise. That's where movies, especially in the theater get really
fun, when you see them with a large group. I wonder where the
franchise will go now that Paul Walker is gone but never the less I
am still excited to see the next installment.
If you asked me what was the last movie
that blew me away in theaters, the answer would probably surprise
you. Most nerdy people would think that Avatar is the clear winner of
being a phenomenal movie to see in the theaters. I do agree that it
was visually stunning to see on the big screen but the story and
characters were just so week that they had me rolling my eyes for
half the movie. No, The movie that captivated me more than anything
and the one that was completely worth the outrageous ticket prices
was Gravity. I am really glad I saw that one before it made its way
onto home viewing platforms. It reminded me of when I watched
Jurassic Park and how I felt sitting in awe of what I was seeing. The
argument can be made that Gravity did not have much of a story but it
was the characters that won me over. Sandra Bullock proved in that
movie that she isn't the same actress as we saw in Speed. As a bonus,
this movie also has the distinct honor of being the best 3D movie I
have ever seen.
To me there is just something about the
big screen that really brings the magic out of movies. I think most
people would agree with me but in a world where tickets are
ridiculously priced, especially if you count IMAX & 3D prices, it
saddens me that other people don't share the same opinion. I have to
admit that sometimes I am disappointed at how much money I spend on
the latest blockbuster, only to not really care for the movie that
much. But for every movie that I am disappointed in, there are the
gems that make it worth going to the cinema.
-R.T.
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