Michael goes to the movies

(The next Friday the 13th review is coming soon, I promise.)

In my very first post, nearly a year ago, I remarked how my wife's and my outings to an actual movie theater had dwindled to only a few per year at best. There were several factors that undoubtedly contributed to this theatrical malaise. Not to blame our daughter, but after she was born, it became more of an ordeal to go to the movies, what with having to arrange babysitting and all that. We still did manage to get out on special occasions (our first movie following her birth was The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - nothing was gonna keep me from seeing that.) Then there were the dual frustrations of rising ticket prices and noisy patrons. Paying in the neighborhood of ten bucks per person to get into the theater only to have the movie spoiled by raucous audience members who seemed to be under the impression that they were sitting at home in their living room with their idiot buddies was a sure way to have an evening out spoiled.

It came as a bit of a surprise, therefore, to realize that our moviegoing has increased substantially this year. So far, this summer alone, we've seen:

• The Avengers (a hell of a lot of fun)
• Battleship (also a hell of a lot of fun)
• Prometheus (probably my most anticipated summer movie)
• Brave (OK, I didn't make it to this one, but my  wife and daughter did)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark (in a beautiful, brand-new 35mm print - yes!)
• A Clockwork Orange (Warner Brothers' stunning new digital restoration)
• The Dark Knight Rises (because, fuck that guy)

I'm not exactly sure what the impetus behind this uptick in attendance has been. Perhaps it's the fact that out daughter is growing up and can see more of a variety of films with us (although she still opts out a great deal of the time). Perhaps it's the different venues we've been frequenting - whether they're local, independently-run repertory theaters like Portland's outstanding Hollywood Theatre or higher-end cinemas such as the local chain Cinetopia - where the audiences seem to be more respectful in general. Whatever the reason, I've been having a blast going to the movies lately, and I have no intention of stopping. As tragic as it was, I'm certainly not going to let the Aurora massacre prevent me from doing something I love. I'm eagerly anticipating a number of films coming up later this year, including ParaNorman (which a friend of mine worked on), the new James Bond opus Skyfall and, of course, The Hobbit. I say, bring 'em on.