There’s a change going on in the movie theater business. Maybe not everywhere in the country or even in the world, but right here in Los Angeles it’s a mini revolution. A revolution that I’m getting to enjoy. I suppose it started a couple of years ago while I was dating Claire, a manger at the Bridge. Getting to see movies in an empty theater with plush leather seating is nothing short of spectacular. Now I’ve started seeing movies at “The Domes” in Hollywood where you can have a drink, again in nice plush leather seating.
Last night took the cake. I’ve been to the “new” Landmark a couple of times to see more art-house type flicks or when a movie opens in limited release – like The Assassination of Jesse James… They have smaller theaters with assigned seating (which The Bridge & “The Domes” have too) but the lines to get in them, and to get tickets or goodies are all fairly short. The staff is amazingly cordial. It makes for a pleasant experience. Getting back to my point. I saw Into The Wild last night. Got my ticket, got my corn and slurp, and proceeded to the screen room. What a change of environment. Instead of even leather plush seats, this was individualized sofa-seats. Some where two person sofa-seats for the romantic date idea.
This took watching a movie to a whole different level. In between the sofa-seats were coffee tables where you could put your slurp and corn. Relaxing. Different. Cool. It was sorta like sitting at home cause you could turn in the seat and get comfy. The usher mentioned that one customer had already inadvertently fallen asleep in a previous screening. No commercials. A few trailers and boom, we’re in the movie. Now that’s what movies are about! Fuck the commercials.
My only nitpick about the sofa-seats were that from row to row there wasn’t much room for long-ass 6’4″ legs.
On came Into The Wild. Without giving away any spoilers, it’s about a guy (a real guy) who decided to trek around the country without money and head to the wilds of Alaska. All for a “meaning of life” type of journey. Only he took it to the extreme. The movie is intense. It’s emotional. In some parts you want to break your crayons, it’s anything but boring. It is also long, two hours and forty minutes. It was so damn good I walked right into Barnes & Nobel after the movie and bought the book.
Anyway, that’s my current movie experience. If you ever get the chance to see a movie in a theater of this fashion. I highly recommend it. In the immortal words of a great teen flick “It’s so choice.” (bonus points to those who can figure that out).
Today’s song, Something So Right, has elements of perfection in it. It’s not 100%, but it’s got those elements. Enough for me to say, yeah, that’s the spirit. The line in particular that is just right is where the lyric goes “Some people never say the words I Love You.” There’s something about the voice, the melody and how they play against the piano. It struck me as an epiphany moment. Not sure why. Then there’s a B-section where the clarinet, or maybe it’s a small sax of some sort, comes in and it gives a feeling of bouncy-ness that is reminiscent of some of the Schoolhouse Rock cartoons. That’s not a bad thing. I have all the Schoolhouse Rock stuff on DVD. It’s brilliant music at least the older stuff is. Not so sure about the newer ones.
You can’t beat a tall redhead right? Anyway, I’ve mentioned they ought to get the CD on iTunes. Who knows maybe in the future they’ll join the likes of U2, Britney Spears, or Shakti, maybe even me and be there.
Now go find your meaning of life, cause that’s Something So Right.