At the Movies

Mmmmm, candy. Nothing like the rush of picking something out at the concession stand as a kid…or in your Twenties. Growing up, I remember seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark at the Camp Hill Twin with my dad, then Return of the Jedi there two years later with my Uncle Dave. The Capital City Mall theater was frequented as well. That’s where I first saw one of my favorite John Cusack films Grosse Pointe Blank with Michelle. Army of Darkness with some friends, and even Titanic on a first date. Then there was the release of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace; I saw it seven times in the first week. Mock if you must, but lightsabers, Jedi, the podrace, and John Williams' stellar score makes it a lot of fun. My experiences ranged from the midnight showing opening night with some of my closest friends to a double-feature later in the week. And that was just on a whim. Tim and I drove to the Colonial Commons AMC to pick up tickets so we could see it with Will and his dad that evening. Bought the tickets, pocketed them, looked back up at the board and noticed a showing starting in five minutes, and looked at each other. Next thing you know we’re sitting in the front row -- not that we had to, but it’s Tim’s seating of choice. Later on we were back for the other showing. Listened to some kids naming every obscure creature on the screen, then go on to make a comment clearly illustrating they didn’t know Anakin was Vader. That’s Star Wars 101. That and “I’ve got a bad feeling about this”. Good times, good times.