Going to the Movies

In the past couple of weeks, I've seen some awesome movies. While each film itself had an amazing story, the one I want to write about is my own.

The first, Lincoln, I saw two days after I finished my undergraduate coursework, as I was writing the first words of this new chapter of my life.

My friends were occupied with their own duties, so I caught a bus to Squirrel Hill's lovely Manor Theatre in the middle of very ordinary Thursday afternoon. There were two other people watching with me, and I liked that very much.

I watch movies alone all the time (I'm kind of a cinephile), but usually in the comfort of my own room on my modest monitor and speaker. Watching it alone in a movie theater was amazing.

So amazing that I did it again. Yesterday, I watched Skyfall. Again, a matinee with four other people in the theater. (Also, in a gesture of holiday kindness, some random girl gave me a flower after I left my car. Gotta pay that forward..)

Tonight, I watched Argo with my family. Though it came out more than two months ago, the showing was sold out.

I think some movies are best seen alone. The characters, plot, setting, all feel more real, and the boundary between the movie and self is so transparently thin that it's a different experience entirely. You're not just watching anymore.


Anyway, this is just to say, give it a shot sometime. Find a film that seems captivating, and take an afternoon off to go to a small theater and watch it. Just you and the movie.