Let's Go to the Movies

We just did. In fact, we just saw three movies in eight days, A new record for us—for our entire lives, to date—and one that we probably won’t reach again, ever.

Our eight-year-old grandson was visiting and we were very busy. But due to Covid, he hadn’t seen anything in a theater in a long time, so we checked titles with his parents and planned to see two. We figured he would enjoy the experience and it would be an easy couple of hours for us, seeing as how we’re a few years older--and slightly less energetic—than he is.

The way things went, we found room for a third movie and a good time was had by all. Seriously, they weren’t bad. I guess you want to know what we saw--The Bad Guys, Lightyear, and Minions: The Rise of Gru. 

This made me think about our movie-going history. My husband and I both enjoy movies, although we aren’t experts on any. But we rarely had the opportunity to see very many. In the early days, our budget was tight and we had to choose carefully. Then came the kids, and there wasn’t time for much more than an occasional date night.

Then the time came when we had a little more money and time, but it still didn’t work out. Generally, if a movie came along that we wanted to see, we didn’t have the time. That usually meant my husband was traveling. Then when we had time and wanted to get out, nothing that was playing was of any interest to us.

In between those early years and the later ones, came the miracle of the VCR. And movie rental stores. It wasn’t the big screen, but the movies were available a lot faster than when we had to wait for them to get to TV. Plus, the stores had such a variety of movies, including older ones, that we never ran out of choices.  

I’m sure this will quickly join the ranks of “When I was a kid, I had to walk twelve miles to school, uphill both ways” stories. If it hasn’t already. The idea that you couldn’t see anything you wanted within minutes (okay, days) of seeing the preview, will boggle the minds of the younger generations.

 I found that sitting in the theater now was almost nostalgic. But not completely, since they’ve overhauled the seating. For those of you who found theaters too crowded, and haven’t been to one in years, you’ll be happy to know that the lounge seats take up much more room, so there are many fewer seats. Plus, there’s room to walk between the raised footrests and the seats in front so that the food you ordered at the snack bar can be delivered. If you don’t know this, it’s been a very long time since you’ve been in a theater. I first had the surprise of seeing the loungers in 2015, and I can’t believe it’s been that long.

We have a big screen at home, and there’s much to be said for watching in the comfort of your home where you can break for snacks or pit stops whenever you like. But there’s also something to be said for seeing a movie with others—something that’s becoming more and more rare.

Just make sure you arrive early. In the first place, you have to use a kiosk to buy your tickets. There are no employees around, not even if you need help navigating the screens. (Guess who could have used help?) You also need a credit card or gift card. Then I found that you can also go to the snack bar and buy your tickets the old-fashioned way. You also need time to play with the controls to get your seat at the perfect angle for two hours of comfy viewing. But not too comfy, or you’ll doze off.