A Summer at the Movies

Ah, the theater. Not in the traditional sense, but the movie theater. Everybody has good memories of going to the movies. The problem today is that memories are just that, memories. I used to go to the movies at least once a month, usually more. Now, I go once a year, maybe twice. There are many things that suck about today's movie experience. The only thing that can make it worthwhile is the movie itself. A good movie makes us forget how sticky the floors were, how lame the previews were. The trouble is, in this day of endless sequels and remakes, the movies just aren't that good.

Due to a high amount of movies I wanted to see this summer, I went to a grand total of eight movies this summer. Therefore, I think I am qualified to give insider's glance at what is wrong with the experience as a whole. So pop some popcorn, cause I am going to break down the highs and lows of the movies for nine dollars less than it would cost you to experience them firsthand.

Getting Your Ticket

The very act of paying for your tickets nowadays defies logic. Not to sound ancient, but I remember when matinees were four bucks, normal movies were five or six. You're lucky if you pay under $10 today. If you think about it, movie prices should be the same, if not cheaper than they were before. When I was younger you would maybe get fifteen minutes of previews. Usually about three movies would be advertised, then the movie would start about 10-15 minutes after the time that was in the newspaper. Now they have a running loop of previews that starts half an hour before show time, they have television style commercials between previews, and they have twice as many previews. Since they are raking in all this extra ad money, you think that they would pass the savings on to the consumer. Nope.