Oh, it’s far more exciting, isn’t it? You get to dress up a little (well, change out of your pyjamas, at least), put on a bit of make-up, brush your hair…and you’re normally going with a friend or someone, who you can have a quick drink and a natter with before or after. It’s an event.
You, Me and the Movies
Trailers and adverts. I know, I know, some people find them highly irritating, but I love them. Adverts are somehow far more entertaining when they’re up on a giant screen, and I like to watch the trailers for upcoming movies so I can go, ‘Ooh, that looks good!’ to my companion. They’re a build-up, these precursors to the main events, and when the lights finally dim, I’m ready!
Popcorn and huge drinks. Going to the cinema is all about the drinks and snacks, surely? Giant, ridiculously oversized drinks; huge, over-spilling cartons of popcorn you can barely see over the top of… wonderful. In your plush red seat and with enough supplies to keep you going for the whole duration, you’re pretty much in movie heaven.
The big screen and big sound. Bigger is definitely better when it comes to going to the cinema. Huge Hollywood faces filling the screen, ear-splitting acoustics; music loud enough to penetrate your soul. You’re less likely to fall asleep, like you would at home, although I did once kip through an entire Snoopy movie – sorry, completely unaware son!
No interruptions. Yes, I know you get the odd rustle or too-loud whisper, which I don’t really mind as they add to the ambience of the collective cinema experience, but apart from that you get to watch a whole movie interrupted. No phone checking, no leaping up because you’ve remembered the washing has just finished, or having to trudge out on an emergency homework request, or having to deal with the cat. Bliss.
You can cry in the dark undetected. This is a big plus point. You don’t have to slide down the sofa until your face is hidden from everyone’s view. You don’t have keep surreptitiously wiping tears away with the hem of your jumper. You can avoid this exchange:
‘Are you crying, Mum?’
‘No, no, I’ve just got something in my eye…’
‘Why is your face all wet, then?’
‘Alright, yes, I am. Yes, I am crying.’
Closing credits. At home, you’ll immediately mooch off at the end of the movie and make a cup of tea or something. At the cinema, the closing credits are to be savoured. I often like to stay in my seat and watch them to the very end and there’s something really rather lovely about being the last to leave, in the dark, as the final ones roll.
(After Rocketman my emotional sister and I had to be virtually dragged out of Screen 6; weeping but happy, like survivors of a shipwreck.) Soak up every minute, I say. You don’t go to the movies every day!