Best Experiences In a Theater

I believe I have mentioned this in another thread, but sex during Mr.Giggles.

I've heard of a lot of sexual fetishes in my time. But achieving orgasm due to the lingering gaze of Larry Drake is certainly a new one.

What can I say, I liked me some L.A. Law.

You must've gotten some weird looks for constantly renting out the Darkman trilogy.

I got a handjob during 'Joe vs the Volcano'. She was afraid to go down on me but was game for it, so we left about midway through the movie and she gave me head in the car. I never regretted my decision to leave the movie.

Grindhouse.

Packed, 9:00 p.m., on a Tuesday.

Awesome crowd.

Awesome movie.

Smokin' hot blonde Mexican girl (exchange student, no less!) as my date.

Bliss.

Grindhouse. Thanks to the special editions, I've watched all six Star Wars films in a theater. I caught all of the LOTR and Matrix films in theaters too. None of those films--and none of the "event films" of any given summer--struck me as "events." Grindhouse was a fucking event. It had one of the few trailers that ever got me pumped for a film and then I got over two hours of mayhem in a packed house in Chico, CA. I cannot put into words how disappointed I was that this was a financial failure.

The Matrix. At the time, my older brother was the manager for what was then the only multiple screen theater in the county and got free movie tickets all the time. When he proposed taking my younger brother and I to this film, we were hesitant. Neither of us had really heard or read or seen anything about this film. But we took a chance... and it was one of the great surprises of our moviegoingl ives. It was also especially cool because it was the first weekend and we got to see it and get blown away by it before it got trendy as fuck and the sequels happened.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. I saw this in the Pacific Film Archive for free (one of my classmates in Cambridge works at the PFA). I don't think I need to explain why seeing this film in a theater for free was a great experience.

The 400 Blows. My roommate, our friends, and I went to the PFA to view this and brought a three cases of beer with us. Watching Truffaut in a theater while drinking premium beer is just fucking awesome.

Grindhouse opening night at a theater in a black neighborhood = Solid Gold.

I also saw Borat opening weekend in a more than packed theater (bunch of people standing up in the walkway on the side) and the laughter was so fucking loud I was positive I was watching one of the funniest movies of all time. Repeat viewings have killed the shock value, but that first time, I had never laughed so hard at a movie my whole life.

Your Borat story reminds me of watching the first Jackass flick in theaters back in Iowa.

Grindhouse - From a cinematic perspective, one of the best moviegoing experiences I've ever had.

Zombie - About a half dozen or more of my closest friends at the Coolidge Theater watching a midnight showing of this around Halloween time. There was a zombie contest, a cheesy-as-hell zombie wrestling match, and all kinds of free goodies. There was also the added treat of a theater full of movie geeks doing MSTK3-esque commentary to a movie they'd all seen way too many times.

Friday the 13th 3-D: Same theater and similiar experience as "Zombie". Good time had by all.

Terminator 2: My father took me and some friends for my 11th birthday. Probably the defining theater-going experience of my young life.

Armageddon/Truman Show/Dr. Dolittle - Paid matinee price for Armageddon then snuck into two other movies. We would duplicate this, a few weeks down the road with Small Soliders/Lethal Weapon 4. Not very good films but the experience of sneaking into films as a teenager was cool. We would try one final time, a couple months later, when the theater had apparently installed cameras. We nearly shook the staff but had to duck into "Ever After" where we were caught based on the simple fact that we were the only ones who weren't either 12-year-old girls or the parents of 12-year-old girls.

Street Fighter - In hindsight, not a very good movie but back in 1994, it made for a great time at the movies.

I think I've posted about all of these in other threads, but here they are again:

Everyone Says I Love You - weekend matinee on the upper East Side, which for non-NYers means it's Little Old Lady Land, but my friend Emma and I couldn't find it playing anywhere else. Sure enough, we get this chatty old lady behind us, talking away like she's in the privacy of her own living room. When the trailers started, Emma turned around and whispered "Shhhh..." to her. So, fuckin' Grandma literally and loudly jeers back into Emma's face, "SHHHHHH!!!!". Emma blinks in surprise, and then leans in and in a very loud, very clear voice says, "SHUT.THE.FUCK.UP!!" Grandma wasn't quite so chatty after that. It truly started the movie off on a high note. A confrontational high note where we won the battle with an obnoxious senior citizen, but a high note nevertheless.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I took my niece and nephew (both teenagers) to see this on opening weekend. In a theater filled to the brim with excited kids, every single last one of them behaved, shut up, enjoyed the movie without being disruptive. I'm not sure if the theater pumped in behavior-modifying gas through the vents, but it was a rare experience. They were all clearly having fun, but they kept the chatter to a minimum.

Not my expriecnce, but my friend Emma's (same Emma who shut the old lady up). It was just a really moving, kind of "movie bonding" exprience. She went to see Sleepers by herself on the opening night. Packed theater, and she managed to find a single seat next to this couple. She was next to the husband, who was just this enormous, tough looking guy - shaved head, huge muscles, really a giant Ving Rhames type.

So they get to the part in the movie where the kids are being abused at the juvenile detention center, and it's the scene where young Shakes is in his cell, listening to the screams from the back of the jail as the guard is raping one of his friends. He's hanging onto the bars, squeezing his eyes shut, trying to drown out the sounds. And even though they're not showing it, you know what's happening to the poor kid. So Emma's sobbing, and she's rooting around for some clean napkins to cry into. All of a sudden, from her left, comes this big enormous hand - offering her a stack of clean napkins. She takes a couple and looks up at him to say thanks, and she sees that this big giant of a man, likewise, has got tears just running down his face at that scene. Truly kind of a bonding moment among theater goers.

Clerks II. "Meh" at the movie, but I went to a theater when I was living out in Binghamton NY and it was completely empty 'cept for me. I had the whole place to myself. I loved it.

Edgar Wright's "The Wright Stuff" triple feature of Raising Arizona. Evil Dead 2 and Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky.

I watched "Snatch" with my lady in the cinema I used to work at. And we were the only guests and had the whole room for us. Best sex ever.

Ball of Fire at the Red Vic during a pounding rainstorm. Half the people in there were just trying to stay dry, but when the 'Goodnight Irene' scene came up we all sang along.

Restored prints of The Bullfighter and the Lady and Seven Men From Now at the Pacific Film Archive, with director Budd Boetticher in attendance. In his nineties and wheelchair-bound, he nevertheless stayed for the whole thing and told stories for an hour-and-a-half afterwards. Someone brought out a limited-edition copy of his book When In Disgrace for him to sign, and he said "You bought that? That's expensive..."

Staff show of Ultraviolet. The heckle screening to end all heckle screenings. I'm usually the guy who makes people quiet down but we were all just hollering at the movie throughout.

What an appropriately titled movie to enjoy sex to. Take her to 'Deep Throat' next time.

For Father's Day a couple years back I took my dad to an Alamo Drafthouse screening of The Godfather. Menu had a bunch of different Italian meals, wine, cannolis. The print they had was awesome quality, and the food was good. Godfather series is the ultimate bonding between dad and me, and I know years from now it will be one of the few movie going experiences I remember.

I thought about Iron Man but I guess it will be difficult to find an empty cinema playing Iron Man somewhere on this planet.

This is gonna sound like a worst experience, but it was actually one of the best. The movie was The Devil's Rejects. The Theater was the Gateway in Edwardsville, PA. The theater was this old rundown theater--scratches were on the screen, so-so sound system, but the atmosphere was perfect for this type of movie. To top it off it was a noon audience that was not prepared for the movie they were about to see. A dumb lady actually brought her five kids (the oldest was maybe twelve and the youngest was around four). She sat through 3/4s of the movie and then decided it wasn't child appropriate. Hilarious. All that made the movie seem more "badass" than it was.

Oooh. Good thread.

The Blair Witch Project: Caught this on opening weekend, before the hype machine wrecked reasonable expectations of the film. One of the few times I've been creeped out during a movie.

2001 A Space Odyssey: Still can't believe I got to see this on the big screen. Our local theater in England carried an odd assortment of movies during off seasons. I also got to see Dr. Who and the Daleks at the same theater (this was around 1981.) It was also reportedly haunted. I spent the next week drawing my own Space Odyssey comic strip.

Blade: Caught this on a whim after a friend and I left a concert early. Up to that point, the best action sequences I had seen on film. It was a pleasant surprise.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: Opening day, great vibe. During the rope bridge sequence my younger brother got carried away and shouted "jump!"

Candyman 2: The first date with my wife, and almost my last. As we're standing in line for concessions I hear the trailer for Batman Forever coming from inside the theater ... and break out of line to run into the theater by myself to see it. Not a great moment, but I learned that night my wife had a high tolerance for dork. Which was good to know.

STAR WARS ZONE:::::

Star Wars: Pick a time. I can't believe the number of times my parents took me to see this. I was so absorbed by this movie as a little kid that I don't remember the theaters, except for one: laying on a blanket on the hood of my parents' car, watching it at a drive-in in Norfolk, Va. We also got a fair amount of shorts before the film, too, including that Bugs Bunny cartoon with the Peter Lorre/mad scientist and the big orange monster.

The Empire Strikes Back: My dad took us to see this at the nicest theater I had ever been to (maybe ever.) I think it was the Leicester Square Odeon.
Outside was a multi-story mural painted of the movie poster. We sat in an upper balcony, got to see some King Arthur-looking short film and found out who Darth Vader really was.

Revenge of the Sith: Fuck the haters. By the end of this movie on opening night the only sound coming from the audience was of a few people crying. Great experience.

Can we add experiences from our family that we didn't attend? This is my favorite story about my parents, by far.

First, to preface, my dad is not a big movie goer. The reason my Godfather story is so touching to me? My dad does NOT go to the theater. All my life I can remember him seeing only Last Crusade and Tombstone in the theaters before I was 20. Supposedly he also took me to Raiders as a couple week old pup, but I can't swear to that.

Well there was this big new phenomenon out, called Star Wars. My mom really wanted to see it, but my dad didn't really care for the theater. Eventually my mom rounded up a group of friends, and they all went to see it at Gulfgate Theater. For those not in Houston, Gulfgate was the first mall in the city, and the theater was across the freeway. You had to park in the mall parking lot (across near the theater had very few spots) and then walk across a large covered bridge over 8 lanes of one of Houston's busiest traffic areas.

My parents and their friends arrive at the movie, and sit down, front row. My mom, having a taste for hallucinogens in her youth, offers my dad and friends two hits of good old purple haze. Then...IT happened. The scroll, the music, the SPACESHIP OMG FLYING RIGHT OVER US.

According to both my parents my dad spent the entire movie gripping the armrests completely freaked out. He was not a big fan of acid. When they left the movie my dad was still feeling the effects plenty, and refused to walk back across the freeway bridge to the mall parking lot. Eventually he CRAWLED on his hands and knees across the freeway bridge, freaking out now because of the traffic lights, and into the car.

And every time I watch Star Wars I think about how much fun my parents must have been. That makes every Star Wars movie a great experience for me.

Freddy vs. Jason: The audience was so into this, yelling things, cheering at the right moments, and of course I will never forget the guy who yelled "That's what I call a bitchslap!" when Kelly Rowland gets flung into that tree at the end.

There's probably more but I can't think of them at the moment.

The Fellowship of the Ring: I was a complete novice when it came to Tolkien. In fact, the only reason I went opening night was because my girlfriend's little brother really wanted to see it. I was completely floored. By the time the Moria sequence rolled around I knew I was coming back the next day to experience it again.

The Two Towers & Return of the King: By the time The Two Towers hit all of my buddies and I had become complete Lord of the Rings nuts. Since we lived in the middle of nowhere that only offered one nightly showing, we filled up two cars full of guys and drove two hours north to Columbus so that we could catch the first show. Two of my best memories with my friends while we were all in college.

24 Hour Sci-Fi Marathon: Now, not all of the movies shown were my cup of tea (The Invisible Boy being the big stand out), but the crowd and atmosphere really made it special. The highlight of the Fest being the 1940s era Batman shorts shown. Great because Batman gets his ass kicked the entire time, and whenever a fight breaks out Robin goes from looking like he's 14 years old to a 40 year old stuntdouble with five o'clock shadow.

Army of Darkness - Nothing like getting slammed with an instant classic out of the blue, with no time for anticipation. My friend and I had just discovered the wonders of Evil Dead 2 on video, when we learned that the sequel (which we hadn't even known existed) was playing at a nearby theater. We jumped in the car and zipped over there immediately. Nearly shat ourselves howling at the mighty Bruce.

Agreed on the Grindhouse experience. Probably the most energetic and enthusiastic audience I've been a part of in a long time.

Also, I remember going to a midnight screening of Independence Day way back when. The theater was packed with the kind of people that usually find themselves at the monster truck show on Sunday (Sunday, Sunday!). But at the time, it was a mindless blast.

There was a drunken, mob-like mentality during and directly after Spider-Man 3. Some people did not enjoy it, except for the dance party Parker sequence (what's not to love?). It was a fun experience watching it in a packed house. The scenes between Franco and Dunst were turned into a running commentary by old, loud Dynasty fans. Shit was awesome.

I had a pretty good experience at the Batman Forever sneak preview. It was a lively crowd ... they even seemed excited by the Judge Dredd trailer that was attached.

A few years later I bumped into an old friend and this screening came up in conversation. He was there, too, and explained why the crowd was a bit different than others: It was the weekend leading into the annual Heroes Con in Charlotte, N.C., and about half the crowd were comics professionals. I missed the con that year, but guys like George Perez, Mark Bagley and James O'Barr were regulars during those years. So who knows who I was sitting next to during Batman Forever.

Jackass. Full theater. Mostly Truman State college students.

You could feel the laughter from the back rows like a gust of wind.

The ushers kept having to come in and kick out young kids that tried to sneek in. Which only added to the insanity and fun factor. I suppose now the movie isn't that big a deal, but for those 90 minutes in the theater, it was awesome.

Anchorman - I got to see this at a sneak preview. My wife and I were in tears laughing the whole time, while the rest of the crowd sat there, silent. the surreal antics of Will Ferrell just didn't connect with a roomful of rednecks that went to the screening for a free cup and t-shirt.

When Jack Black kicked the dog over the bridge, my wife let out a huge guffaw while everybody else in the theater went "Awwww." She got glares from several self-righteous dimwits. It was great.

Fellowship of the Ring - I hadn't read any of the books, and I didn't have much desire to see the movie, but I finally went after it was out in the theaters for a month and a half. Within 10 minutes, I was on the edge of my seat, slack-jawed. I like the other two films, but the experience of seeing Fellowship for the first time can't be replicated.

Hoop Dreams - I dragged my mom to see this when it came out in Knoxville at the old Terrace Tap house theater. When we got there, my mom asked, "So what is this about again?" "It's a three-hour basketball documentary," I told her. Her blank stare was devoid of enthusiasm.

Three hours later, we were walking out of the theater, raving about it and making a note to spread word of the movie to all of our friends.

Grindhouse - A great experience, the memory of which has only been enhanced by the Weinsteins' refusal to release the proper version.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - I smoked a LOT of weed, then went to go see this movie at a noon weekday matinee. I was the only person in the theater. I don't know if it was the "best" experience, but feeling like I'd lost my mind for 2 and a half hours was certainly memorable.

The Big Lebowski - My buddies and I arrived just in time only to have to grab seats in the second row. I've rarely sustained laughter that hard in a movie theater. And I got to see it at the historic Biograph theater before it closed, which is meaningful to me.

Serenity - I was one of the few non-Browncoats that got to see the film months before it limped into wide release. The expectations game had me fumbling for measured praise afterwards, but the screening itself was fun (still am quite fond of the film) and sociologically fascinating. The level of devotion amongst the fans was a bit revelatory. I felt like I was hanging out at a Whedonesque convention. Rarely have I gotten so much free marketing shit from a movie screening though.

The Fellowship Of The Ring - One of the only times I've bonded with my uber-religious (and easily horrified) mom over a movie. It was also the first time I had seen FOTR after having avoided most reviews and the books themselves, so that very fact alone made it something special.

Beowulf - Seeing truly watchable 3D (Spy Kids 3 don't count) in a regular movie theater setting was so much more democratizing for this tech than the giant inconvenience of IMAX. That the people I was with were so reluctant to see it but walked out loving the film was just gravy.

Robocop - One of the first R rated films I got to see as a kid. Also, its fucking Robocop.

My list is suspiciously missing art or non-genre films.

I'm embarrassed to have almost forgotten my most recent day at the movies, which was literally a day at the movies (thank you, Andre - your movie orgy article reminded me). The Best Picture showcase at AMC the day before the Oscars. I couldn't find anyone to go with, but I was fine with going on my own. Just as I was picking out a great seat, a few rows up I hear someone hollering my name. Turns out one of my friends made a last minute decision to go, and hadn't been able to reach me in time. So I wound up sitting with friends who love movies after all.

And what can I say? Most people I talked to who hadn't been there all said the same thing - "I can't imagine watching 12 hours of movies". They made it sound like torture. And really, it was the furthest thing from torture that you could get. It was five quality movies - one of which, Atonement, I was convinced I would hate, and wound up loving (shitty marketing, really - to market an awesome movie like that as a "chick flick" when it's got so much more going for it than that is a damn shame. Especially towards a non-chick flick woman. If it hadn't been part of the package, I would have never seen it, no thanks to the crappy trailer and awful commercials). Five movies ranging anywhere from "very good" to "stellar", start to finish, and to be honest, 12 hours just flew. To say nothing for a comfortable theater, comfortable seats, great sound system, and a 95% respectful audience who was clearly into it (the 5% is for the laughter during the "bowling" scene in There Will Be Blood. Not everyone who's willing to pay $30 for an all day pass is going to be an adult about what they're seeing). I absolutely plan to do it again next year.

The Lion King. I must have been in fourth or fifth grade. My mom took me, and we got to the theater a little later than usual, so we had to sit in the very front row. When that sun rose and the music started, I was moved to tears. I'd never cried at a movie until then. By the time Simba gets hoisted into the air, I was a weeping mess. And that was the moment that I knew what I wanted to do with my life. Thanks to that flick, I'm a film major at school.

Jurassic Park. When that T-Rex roars for the first time after breaking out, the sound system caused my seat to rumble. I don't know why, but I never forgot how cool that moment was.

Return of the King. When Frodo announces he is leaving Middle-Earth, I let out a gasp and the waterworks started. This lady sitting next to me turned to me and smiled. When the film was over, she said to me, "You haven't read the books have you?" When I told her no, I burst out crying all over again. She patted my arm and said, "Don't worry, Sam sees Frodo again in the books." I felt so much better

When the "the end" popped up at the end, the entire theater burst into applause. I know some people hate clapping in theaters, but in that case, it was well-earned.

Pulp Fiction - I was in 8th grade and it was a couple days before Christmas. My mom was a teacher and had the day off due to bad weather, but I only had a half-day. She picked me up and said she would take me to see whatever movie I wanted. I picked Tarantino's masterpiece. I had been reading about it ever since it was the big winner at Cannes and had been dying to see it forever. She agrees. About an hour in, she is regretting it because due to my phobia of needles, I pass out during the adrenaline shot sequence. She wakes me and wants to leave, but I convince her that I am fine and we are staying. She relents. After the movie, even she admits it is one of the most original things she has seen in the theater in a very long time.

Star Wars - It was the Special Edition re-release. I had never seen any of the films on the big screen and it was just spectacular.

The Phantom Menace - Came out my senior year of HS. A bunch of friends and I skipped school to go see it (we took the AP Government test the day before, so we figured we deserved the day off). We loved it, mainly due to the whole "holy shit, a new fucking Star Wars film" feeling it had, but by the end of the summer we all knew it was a turd. But that didn't take away from the crowded 11:00am showing we caught and the experience of it all.

Oceans 11 - It was near the end of its run and there were 5 people in this 200 seat theater. My then-gf and I were in the way back, behind everyone. Ended up going down on her in the back row. Just threw up a few arm rests and went to town. Luckily the sound was turned up ridiculously loud and no one heard.

Revenge of the Sith - 9:30pm showing on the first official day it was released at the Ziegfeld. I had seen it at a midnight showing at the AMC Empire, but it was just simply awesome to see it on the gigantic screen in digital projection. So many people decked out in costumes and into what was the only non-shitty prequel. When Yoda walked into Palpatine's office and moved his had to toss the red guards against the wall, the crowd erupted louder than anything I have ever heard in a theater.

This is going to be very geeky. You've been warned.

ROLLING THUNDER - A good friend from back home flew down to LA for spring break. Tarantino's Grindhouse fest was still going on at the New Bev. There was a double feature of Rolling Thunder and The Town that Dreaded Sundown. I had to check out Rolling Thunder because QT named one of his companies after it and The Town that Dreaded Sundown had the greatest title in the history of ever. We brought my woman along and got perfect seats. The director and the-writer-that-wasn't-Schrader introduced the film. It sounded fun and goofy. I had no idea it was going to blow my mind. There isn't a corny moment in the entire film. It's dark, brutal, well written and well acted. It was one of the biggest surprises I've ever had in a theater. A half hour into the second film we had to leave because we had to bullshit about the movie. We had that cinematic caffeine buzz thing. I don't have a better way of putting it.

THE MATRIX - I didn't know anything about the movie. I just knew that the Super Bowl trailer was interesting and weird. I also knew that it was rated R and for some reason I thought it was fun and rebellious to go see R rated movies. Whatever. I'd seen Johnny Mnemonic for the first time on FOX a week before it came out and somehow that really lowered my expectations. One of my friends asked his mom if he could go and she said no, so he had to go watch Wing Commander in the theater next door. So here we are in a sold out crowd with a ton of eager people that had no idea what they were about to watch.

Everyone lost their minds. I was basically overhwelmed by the plot, characters, action, and the FX. It was my Star Wars. If I was one day older maybe it wouldn't have kicked my ass as much as it did, but I was the right kind of 16 year old and it was the shit. If I'm luck enough to be given the opportunity, I'm going to rip off the way the film ends several times. There was something about the way Neo flew out of frame and it smash cut to black while Rage kicked in that seemed perfect to me. The first Blade, which is much shittier than you remember, ends in a similar way. A big badass moment that cuts to black just when it should.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND - I decided to skip my classes that day, I was in college, and catch the first show. No one had got up yet because we drank a lot the night before so I went by myself. I sat through the closing credits of the movie in total awe. I walked out, called a friend, and bought two tickets to the next show. It's the only movie I've seen twice in a row in the theater. I don't see that happening again.

There are a few more that I can think of but these have been embarrassing enough for one day.

Anchorman and Grindhouse. Sorry for being lame but the audience, the food, the people I was with - everything was perfect. The Matrix Reloaded at the IMAX was a blast too.

I also saw I'm Not There opening night in an empty theater so it felt like I was getting a movie screened specifically for me. It was great. And yes, I am that conceited.

The ending of Blade is 32 kinds of awesome. That is all.

I remember seeing The Lost World: Jurassic Park in theaters with a bunch of friends. I must've been in, like, 8th grade. When the T-Rex shows up walking down the sidewalk I turn to my friend next to me and we both yell out at the same time "This is the BEST movie ever!"

Ah, youth...

People clapped at the end of Spider-Man, here, too. That was a cool crowd, actually.

TMNT the movie. I was 8 or 9. Went with some friends. My dad took me. Amazed by the movie and the experience.

Jurassic Park. Age 11. Packed theater, sitting on the stair rows. Blew me away and made me want to go into Animation.

And ever since that moment, i felt really detached from general audiences.
Even in big summer blockbuster movies, i could never get into a group mentality and enjoy a movie more.

Until Transformers.

I turned into a 8 year old again. Went with some very geeky friends. The whole theater was packed full with young adult males. And we all had a blast. I cheered, clapped, laughed and was floored by the effects.

I'd say one of the great theater moments of my life was when I attended a screening of Bubba Ho-Tep back in 2002 during San Diego comic con. At the time, the movie was having difficulty finding distribution and I learned about the screening over at AICN. It was the first time I ever went to a fan related screening and while Bruce Campbell wasn't there, it was unbelievable to feel the excitement and joy that was being experienced by everyone else.

Other great moments include:

Midnight showing of Batman Begins and everyone losing their shit over the "reveal" in the last scenes

The screening of the Sex Pistols' documentary "The Filth and The Fury" at the Ford Amphitheater (Although the band that played after the movie sucked massive balls)

I know this has been said many times but Grindhouse was so much fun, especially since it seemed like half of the people in the theater had no idea what to expect. The only "double feature" I've ever been to. People went crazy during the Machete trailer.

2001: A Space Odyssey was so amazing, especially when the print was great and the sound was perfect. You could feel the seats vibrate it was so loud. Dan Richter, the man who played the main ape in the opening scene was there for a Q & A. Plus it was free.

There have been too many to mention but I've had so many great Sunday mornings with my dad and my sister and had a blast. Children of Men, The Fountain, The Assassination of Jesse James, Pan's Labyrinth, Beowulf and Monster House in 3D, and more are just the recent films that we've enjoyed together. I think that's more important to me than the movies we watch, especially since they are the only ones I know that will join me in watching a movie they know very little about.

Independence Day. No joke, opening day, the house was packed and the energy of the crowd was just completely insane, and I've never had an experience quite like it since then; it was like a rock concert.

However, if seeing Independence Day was like a rock concert, then watching it at home alone was much like waking up the next day and discovering that the kick-ass band that rocked your ass off the night before, was in fact, Aerosmith.

A sobering experience to be sure.

Few international experiences for everyone:

Cineworld in Dublin, IE, couldn't even tell ya the name of the movie. Watched as two gents who apparently smuggled in something like three 24 packs, or something of the like (I was 13 and not as educated in beer as now) down all of them before one passed out cold in the cinema (ambulance was called), and the other started mumbling something, before puking on the people two rows ahead of him and then proceeding to pass out. Both of the recipients of said puke were elderly women. Priceless.

The obvious sexual experiences....

Went to a screening of The Pianist in 2006, in Stuttgart. It was a matinee and I was with a girl. Long story short a rabbi almost castrated me for "blamierend sein Gott" (Disgracing his God) by fornicating in the theatre. The fact that it was a German rabbi made it all the more funny.

Over spring break this year I went back to Prague and I got to see Citizen Kane with a lot of natives who hadn't seen it before. What made it special was that I could understand it in English. I swore I wouldn't see it until I could command the English language with some adeptness. I was then asked afterward to give some kind of a speech about movies and my experiences abroad. I'll never forget any of that.

Few months ago went to a theatre near the University (UofA) called the Fox theatre. It's a 1920s movie palace, and it only shows classic movies or special event (screenings). A couple of Columbians invited me to a screening there of Sangre de me Sangre (Blood of my Blood), in this completely restored, massive movie theatre with all kinds of classic art deco everywhere. A week or two ago I was invited to a screening of Chinatown at that same theatre. It was amazing to say the least.

Yeah, the audience applauded at the end of Spider-Man I saw, too. My favorite moment was during the scene at the end when Spider-Man is getting hammered by the Green Goblin. This little boy behind me yelled "Get up Spider-Man!" It reminded me who this movie was really made for.

This might be an insular enjoyment, but nonetheless:

Ein Sommermärchen: A documentary about the German Team during the World Cup 2006 which incidentally took place in Germany as well. And what a world cup it was! Pretty much the perfect summer (Apart from missing the final) for a soccer nut like me.
Seeing this documentary a few month later on the opening day in an oversold cinema was unbelievable. It wouldn´t have made a differnce if you would have shown it live on th pitch to the masses. Constant singing, cheering, basicly reliving this awesome period was as close as it ever came to a religious experience for an atheist.

That one was a great experience, too. I went to a showing the day before it officially opened, and people were losing their shit during the entire Autobots' descent to Earth. When Optimus rolls up through the mist for the first time, the roar in that place was deafening.

So what were they doing for the first half of the film?

Grindhouse: Pretty much verbatim what everyone else said. Saw it 3 times.

Spider-Man 1 &2: Both midnight showings. The audience cheered and hollered along with the whole movie, and at the end of the second movie, when "Go get 'em Tiger" was uttered, all the geeks in the audience came simultaneously.

Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon: A Rue Morgue special screening. With prizes! Watching this at the great Bloor Theatre full of fellow horror geeks was movie-going bliss.

Ghostbusters: Terrible print in an old rundown theatre; but I didn't care. My favourite movie of all time, and my first time seeing it in widescreen.

Star Wars: Special Edition: I was 10 and hated the new CGI even then. Still, it was Star Wars on the then biggest screen in the city on opening weekend. As soon as the title appeared, then audience freaked the fuck out and didn't stop until the crawl did. Glorious.

The Aristocrats: Won passes to a sneak preview mostly reserved for press. Everyone was out of their seats on their knees holding their stomaches from laughing by the 15 minute mark.