Movie time

Thank you, Henry Petty, for writing today’s blog post!

I haven’t seen “The Hunger Games” but have heard it doesn’t have any of my favorite foods featured in it:  pizza, watermelon, oatmeal.  Perhaps the movie is designed to make movie-goers hungry so they can buy the overpriced snacks.  I digress.

As I covet a banana sitting near my cup of tea, I’m reminded of the blessing that the movies bring to our lives.  How awesome is it that a large team of actors, producers, directors, film editors, musical composers, make-up artists and costume designers all put in months, maybe years, of work and effort just to put on a show for us?  Millions was spent to put a movie together just for our entertainment in exchange for a fraction of our income (or dollar bills if you go to redbox). 

Movies engage us to escape reality, suspend disbelief, and let go even for a couple of hours.  Some make us laugh; others make us squirm, scream and cry.  Some leave us asking more questions than we started out with.  Some even inspire us to completely change our outlook on life.

Movies also create long-lasting memories.  Most people’s first dates are at movies. I can recall a girl calling me up asking to see “Air Bud”, which I turned down because the concept of a dog playing basketball made my stomach turn.  Immediately afterwards, I realized she actually wanted to DATE me, so I compromised by suggesting “Air Force One.”

I was cracking up recently watching my girlfriend experience “The Hangover” for the very first time.  Even though I had seen the movie numerous times, this was even more hilarious as it was on cable TV and heavily censored. 

Sometimes, the audience reactions are more memorable than the movie itself.  I can recall going to see “Toy Story” and marveling at how the kids were reacting to things in the movie I just didn’t find amusing.  Another experience is taking in “Paranormal Activity” with a live audience jumping around from the scary parts, and finding myself with my hands over my face, cracking two fingers slightly over my right eye just to take a peek.

Most importantly, movies give us the opportunity to spend time with the ones we love in a world that has gotten itself in a big hurry.

For more from Henry, check out his blog.