I love going to the movies. I would not consider myself a movie elitist in the least, as I generally focus my viewing on superhero, space and action movies.
When I go to the theater, I want to escape from the world for two hours. But I do like to escape with a bit of routine, as is baked into the bread that is me.
First off, I vastly prefer a matinee, preferably the first of the day. They are usually less crowded, and I really don’t want to go to a movie at night when my internal clock starts saying, “Alright, time to wrap it up, Mike!”
I also have my preferred seats – aisle seats right behind the section reserved for wheelchairs, as it is set higher than other rows and presents very little chance of someone blocking my view, unless someone who is about 12 feet tall sits in front of me.
Lastly, I generally go to the movie theater right around the corner from my house because, well, obviously.
Generally, I go to the movies with my kids, in particular when it comes to action, superhero and space movies. This is because my wife doesn’t particularly get into those, and once fell asleep at a Spider-Man movie. (That said, she loved The Martian!)
But this time we were going to see a comedy that she did want to go see. It was on our daughter’s 23rd birthday, and she wanted to go see a movie with us and her finance. Swell idea. Matinee show, a little shopping with mom and daughter while I took a nap on the couch while watching a baseball game, and then dinner out. Perfect way to celebrate.
My wife was getting ready to order tickets when she noticed on a local Facebook page that quite a few people were complaining about the air conditioner being out at our local theater. We all were very much in agreement that sitting in a theater without AC in August was an absolute negative for us.
So we hopped on out of my comfort zone and got tickets to a different theater, about 30 minutes away.
And outside of that comfort zone was a TON of comfort. The theater we went to is one that has all reclining seats. Plenty of room to stretch out, great clearance from row to row, and of course that sweet, sweet air conditioning.
As I played with my settings on my recliner to find the perfect movie watching angle, I noticed that the recliner went almost completely horizontal. Important to remember if I ever find myself in an evening movie and need to catch some shuteye.
We had a great time at the movie, thanks to the movie itself and the recliners. The popcorn was standard issue movie popcorn, which is a national treasure. Also, I am very much in the minority that the popcorn should have no butter because it’s gross and that’s one of the few food hills I will die on.
When we left the theater – full up on popcorn, nice and relaxed thanks to our seats, and thoroughly feeling delighted by a fun movie – we all said that we really liked the theater and wouldn’t mind making the short trek on occasion in reclining style. And the AC doesn’t get fixed by the time I go to my next movie? I assure you I’ll take the trek.
Mike Gibbons was born and raised in Aiken, S.C. and now lives in Mount Pleasant, S.C. A graduate of the University of Alabama, you can e-mail him at scmgibbons@gmail.com.