So, yesterday, I went with my host family to the Alderwood Mall to see the latest installment of the Indiana Jones series. I enjoyed it. We all enjoyed it. It is the perfect example of what a film adaptation of a comic book take on pulp-noir serial adventures ought to be. This was a fresh take on the series, yet it also felt completely faithful to what has come before.
There - that's my movie review. I recommend you see it if you enjoyed the other movies in the series.
I don't, however, recommend that you see it at the Sutter theatre, at the Movies 8 in Yuba City, the Peach Tree Theater, Marysville State or Tower theaters or at the Marysville Drive in. Some of the listed locations have the excuse of having been out of business for several years. The others have no excuse for the misery which they inflict on their patrons.
I recommend the hexadecaplex theater where we went.
The seats are comfortable enough that after an hour and a half, I was not in pain. These seats are mounted securely to a non-sticky floor set at roughly a 45-degree grade, moderate enough to avoid feeling precipitous while steep enough that a short viewer seated behind a tall one should be able to see the (large and undamaged) screen without impediment or distraction.
Before the movie began, we sat and enjoyed first commercials like one might see on tv, including a cute Iron Man-themed LG spot and a hysterically funny ad featuring Michael Bey, and then we saw trailers for upcoming movies like Hancock and Kung Fu Panda, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Pixar's newest offering: Wall-E, all of which looked appealing.
Before the trailers, though, the last commercial that aired was a recruiting spot for the U.S. Marine Corp, an ad which the audience applauded. This is when I remembered reading something, I believe it was on Monte Cook's blog, about Seattle-ites applauding and the end of movies.
After the trailers, but before the movie, I was delighted to see a reminder from the theater to stay quiet during the show so as to allow others to enjoy the movie too. I was delighted to see this, and more delighted to see it honored, for the most part, during the movie itself.
The sound was terrific. The movie was very good. I had a good time and I think that though I haven't been to the movies even a dozen times in the last ten years, I'll have to start going again once Shel gets here.
When the movie was over, the audience did applaud, and I applauded with them, but I don't know if it was more because of the movie or the theater. I love this place and still can't believe that it's taken me this long to get here.
