Why We Need Movies

When was the last time you went to the movies? A week? A month? A year?

Personally, I can say that the last time I went to the movies was maybe three months ago, and before that I went probably once every six months.

While at the theater, I would watch the previews and tell my companions, "Oh that would be a great movie to see in theaters, we have to go watch it."

And we never would. 

I would go about my life as if I hadn't even seen the movie preview, and then if it came out on a streaming service I would remember my interest in it and watch it. The movie might have been the best movie ever made, but watching it on a television or a computer screen would dull down the experience.

The cinema is a place for no distractions. In fact, it's considered rude to talk, whisper, be on your phone or chew loudly. I wish that was a rule I could implement in my household. There have been so many times the movie had to be paused so someone could go to the bathroom or so someone could make a comment or get more popcorn. 

Movie theater etiquette should just be movie etiquette. 

Once genre of movie that my dad, sister and I would always see in theaters, no matter what, were the Marvel movies. Captain America, Iron Man, Black Panther you name it. We were always there on opening weekend so it couldn't be spoiled for us. 

We would sit down, all giddy and excited, and lock in. And, when someone huge would happen, we would sit up in our seats and look at each other with crazed looks on our faces. After the movie and the end credit scenes were over, we would immediately start dissecting the movie.

What we liked about it, what we wished would have happened, what we expect in the next movies. Those conversations would take us from our seats in the theater, to the lobby, to the car, through the car ride home and then we would sit around our kitchen table, at an ungodly hour at night, and talk some more. 

I think a really big part of cinema is expectations. 

People need to get excited about seeing movies again. That's what Marvel did for us. We would watch trailers and read articles and text about it in our group chat of the three of us. The days leading up to the movie couldn't go fast enough.

Seeing those movies in theaters is an experience that just can't be replicated. We'd see the movie in theaters, and maybe a few years later we would see it on a cable TV channel and still, we'd sit down to watch. What we also do is reminisce. 

"Remember when we saw that in the theater and everyone gasped?"

"Remember when you cried at that part?"

"Remember watching that scene and wondering how they were going to get out of that mess?"

I remember it all.

The movies give you an experience that no one can take away from you. From the angles of the cameras to the lighting and colors to the sound that you can hear in your brain and not just your ears, cinema is meant to be experienced.

Some movies might be better in theaters than other movies but then there are the movies that are meant to be seen in theaters. So much so that if you don't see it in theaters, you're missing a whole part of the movie.

Another reason I love the cinema is that it gets people talking. Communicating. Maybe it's good things about the movie and maybe it's bad. I had my friends at school I would talk to about movies and that would be our whole conversation. We could talk about it for hours. 

In high school, my best friend suggested I watch one of his favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption. I kept putting it off, looking at the description thinking that I wouldn't like that kind of movie and why I would waste my time on it. 

But, one day, after being worn down, I watched it. 

And goddammit, I loved it. 

It's one of my favorite movies now. It opened my eyes to a whole new genre of movies that I would have never seen otherwise. As soon as I finished it, I asked for more recommendations which led me to even more movies I never would have seen without my friend.

Inglorious Basterds. Inception. V for Vendetta. The Godfather. 

I couldn't see these movies in theaters, but I'm jealous of those who did. To see that Quentin Tarantino movie on the big screen would be a dream. 

There's nothing like movies and theres nothing like the cinema. It gives me memories and connects me with people. Helps us find common ground. My sister and I don't always get along, but after a Marvel movie, you'd think we were best friends. 

It gives me something to hold onto, an experience of my own. I can always remember what I was feeling during certain parts when I rewatch something. It's like deja vu. 

How some people can say they don't like going to the movies is beyond me. Sitting in a comfortable chair in a dark room with popcorn and drinks and snacks, staring at a giant screen where people know it's rude to make any sort of noise or distraction?

Sounds like heaven to me.