If you have known me for at least 3 months, then you know I love going to the movies. It’s one of the things my friends associate me with when they try to describe me. To some folks, going to the movies is time for socializing with friends (which I don’t really understand since you can’t talk to them).  For me though, I go for the movie. And in the past few years I’ve seen a lot of movies.

It’s funny though growing up I barely went to the theater at all. The very first time I went was when I was for my second birthday to see Follow That Bird. It was a Sesame Street movie about Big Bird being forced to be adopted by birds and he ran away. What I remember most about that experience was eating popcorn, spilling grape soda, and a My Little Pony (old school, not this Friendship is Magic stuff) ad in the beginning of the show.  Then there was a very long gap and I didn’t return to theaters until I was ten and that was to see The Beverly Hillbillies remake.  I know. My return was neither glamorous nor very interesting.  And in fact for the next few years it took me a while to realize what I wanted in a movie viewing experience.

These days, my first rule is that I want to see big epic blockbusters of a geeky nature in theaters.  Mainly because of the sound quality and the screen size. Also if a movie was filmed with IMAX characters, I want to go see that in an actual IMAX theater like the ones at science museums and not that “Real IMAX stuff”.  Also, since I actually wear glasses and because I think it’s a waste of money, I won’t go see a movie in 3D.  Exceptions are movies that were actually filmed IN 3D (Hugo) or a movie set in space (Gravity).

I don’t normally go see comedies or dramas in theaters because I usually can’t justify the cost to see it unless I’m going to a matinee show. There are exceptions of course. Example when a movie is nominated for an Oscar. That’s another post for another day of my love for the Academy Awards. But I’ll just talk about the time that I went to a ten movie marathon of all the movies nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 2010 because I had won tickets from Entertainment Weekly. And it was the best experience ever! I could only stay for 6 movies but it helped to introduce me to movies I wouldn’t have normally seen in theaters. Though one really good comedy I saw in theaters this year was At The World’s End. SO SO SO funny.  And British.

The price of movies is going up. And the cost of concessions is outrageous. But I’ve found that there are still some really good theaters out there. And one of my favorites is the Alamo Drafthouse where you’re not allowed to talk/text (or you’ll get kicked out), they serve awesome food (including popcorn served in a metal bowl with REAL butter and endless refills!) and craft beers, reserved seating, excellent preshows and lots of really cool events. This is exactly the type of movie experience I want. It makes going to see movies more enjoyable (even when you go to a movie yourself which is another topic for another day).

One more thing. I also will go and see a movie twice if I really like it. Or six times if I REALLY LOVE it *cough Avengers cough*.

I love movies. *two thumbs up*  Finding friends who love movies as much as I do? *ALL the thumbs up*