Rekindling the Love of Movies
I gotta tell you, my love for watching movies in the theater is certainly rebounding since I last described my experiences. Just this weekend I’ve gone to watch movies in the morning around 10 am or so and I’m telling you, it cannot be beat. I have the entire theater to myself. No crowds. No noisy children. Or, worse, no noisy teens or adults. I get prime real estate every time.
Granted, I picked two films that were on their way out of the theater: The Incredible Hulk and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That almost ensured I’d be watching solo. So I admit that I was surprised to find a couple already in the theater for Indy. Side Note: It’s kind of weird to watch a movie in the theater with trailers for other films that are also on their way out like Get Smart. One More Side Note: I wasn’t that impressed with Indy. I’ll go so far as to say that I was a little disappointed, but you’ll have to wait for my review for that. Anyway, I think that this is definitely going to be a weekly ritual for me.
Movies on Sunday is my church.
Harkins Theater
OK, I realize that there are some really nice movie theaters around, especially the new Village Cinemas coming (if not already) here. However, the Harkins Theater in Chino Hills is definitely at the top of my list as far as regular ol’ overpriced tickets go. For one thing, the cleanliness is impeccable. You ever walk into a movie theater lobby and get assaulted by that “movie theater smell?” I think it comes from some ungodly mix of concession stand food and industrial cleaner, the way the hallways of old buildings smell, with that funky stale food aroma. Whatever. Harkins doesn’t have that smell. The carpets are clean. The seats aren’t dotted in old gum. The floors aren’t sticky. You know, it’s sad commentary on society when a person like me finds these simple things such a boon when they really should be a matter of course. Oh, and one of the more awesome aspects is how the doors to your theater are set on timers and close when the movie starts. No more waiting for some zit-faced kid to hopefully remember to come by. Lastly, it’s nice to see an usher come in and check the theater while you watch. Makes it easy to lodge a complaint if the crowds is getting rambunctious.
So there you have it: my endorsement. Catch me at Harkins next Sunday.