I’ve been a movie lover my whole life. From Disney’s “The Lion King” to the
hilarious "Zoolander," to the poignant “To Kill a Mockingbird,” I have loved my
movies and more so I have loved watching them over and over again to recapture
that feeling I get when the credits roll.
But not all of us get to see these movies in the theater. Not all of us get to experience the thrill of
grabbing food and drink, sitting with your best friend, excited for the
previews, and watching the film. I
didn’t get the privilege of being in a theater when Jimmy Stewart and Donna
Reed graced the theater screens in It’s a
Wonderful Life. I didn’t get to be
there, in a theater filled with people, moved by the storyline and crying at
the realization that really, “no man is a failure who has friends.”
Now, whether it be ticket prices or the fact that technology
has allowed us to stay at home for just about everything, I don’t see many,
myself included, going to the theater anymore unless a box office installment
of vampires and werewolves comes our way.
Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a good box office extravaganza as well,
but to go and see a movie just for the sake of seeing a movie, I miss
that.
This past Thursday I was able to remember that exciting feeling
of walking into a theater and really experiencing a movie; roaming the aisles,
rocking in the seats, talking to my friend before it all began, and finishing
the popcorn way before the movie even started.
December 6th was the 20th anniversary showing of Pulp Fiction, one of my all time
favorite movies. It also happened to be
one of my best friend’s birthdays, which presented a dilemma. Could I convince him to go? Could I convince him that, before we head to
the bar and toast to another year of him being alive, we spend 168 minutes of
pure genius in an actual theater and not on the couch with the DVD player?
Yes, yes I could. I
thought perhaps I’d find a struggle, but what I found meant so much more. He’d never seen the movie! Can you believe
that? A person who has not seen Pulp
Fiction; I always thought that was akin to the likelihood of finding a unicorn
but yet here we are and in the holiday season no less! The fact that it’s right around the holidays
just made it that much more beautiful to go see a movie filled with such
meaning, blood, and violence. It was a
Christmas miracle and by the end of the movie I just knew my friend would be
moved to say, a la Tiny Tim, “God bless us everyone.”
We arrived at the AMC theater and waited on line for about 45
minutes. I’m not a fan of lines nor am I
a fan of waiting for anything, but this movie was worth it. We grabbed our popcorn and my movie-watch-enhancing blue raspberry Icee and got to our seats. As I watched each scene it was as if I saw it
for the first time all over again, especially sitting next to a friend who had
never seen it before. The feel of having
all these people around me scrambling to get a good seat, laughing at the right
moments, sharing in the excitement of seeing it on the big screen, or clapping
when it was over, made me remember why I love the theater.
I guess the point I am trying to make is that even in this
technology age of advancement, maybe we can make more time to spend with others
and not instant messaging or “facebooking” them. Maybe, we can make more time to go to the
theater, buy a ticket, and enjoy some human contact and a great film. I was reminded of that on Thursday; reminded
of the timelessness of film and that even if an ipod, ipad, or i-something
comes out that can showcase a new movie and make french-fries at the same time,
we should still make time for the theater and each other.
Now THAT’S a tasty burger.
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