movies schmovies

I have always loved going to the movies.  There have been times lately that I've been tempted to jump in the car in the evening and go see a late show. I'll get online and check out what's playing and then abort the idea.  There is rarely anything that I care to pay the steep cost of admission to go see.  Why pay out the nose for mediocrity?  Most movies today just aren't worth the cost of admission.  I find myself disappointed time and time again when I do go.

Usually if there is something showing that I want to see, I'll just wait until it's available on Redbox or Netflix.  It's not the same as going to the movies, but golly-gee, why go spend all that money just to see a show sooner?  For the most part the theaters have priced themselves out of my interest.  The treat just doesn't seem worth it like it used to.

Last week I took my family to see The Hobbit.  It had already been out for a couple of weeks and I didn't think we'd have trouble with seating.  As it turned out we had to sit in different seats.  Katie and Kelsey sat a few rows in front of us and Gina and I sat next to a young girl who had pulled her shoes off and who had apparently eaten something with an abundance of garlic on it before the show.  The aroma from her feet and mouth made an unusual combination to have to endure.  I can now imagine what an orc or a troll smells like.

These days when I do go to a movie it's for date night - for Gina and me to get away and watch a show and hold hands.  This past year we've spent more time holding hands in the dark at home watching a show.  We have popcorn.  We have sodas.  We have a decent sound system.  We even have a remote with a pause button so we can hold the show if we need to go to the bathroom.  Even better, we don't have to walk a long passage of a cinema multiplex to visit a messy bathroom.  We have our own clean private facility.

Eventually I'll upgrade our old tube television and get a nice big flat screen downstairs.  I'll then beef up the sound system so we'll have our own private movie theater downstairs.  I've got a big popcorn machine that will add to the experience.  These days most people I know have a better home theater system going on that we do.  Gina and I are a little behind the times.  Technology is just getting better and better by the year and so are the prices.  It no longer costs thousands of dollars to have nice home theater.  I'll get around to upgrading when the old tube dies.