Ah the cinema, the last refuge of the fairy tale believer, the home of the nerd, the girly outing… There’s nothing like spending an evening in the cinema and these are the seven reasons why it’s one of our favourite leisurely pursuits…
1. That first film you ever saw
Every single person remembers that first cinema experience (partially because the first outing involved being in a really dark room with people you didn’t know). As soon as you got over that initial trauma, you realised you were being transported to a magical world you never knew existed. Your mammy had bought you enough popcorn to feed a small army and sweets that would surely keep you awake for 74 hours straight, but the Little Mermaid was the best experience of your life to that date. You just couldn’t understand why your Mam was sobbing beside you….
2. Picking the film
So you’ve decided you’re going to the cinema this evening. Great choice! Now, which film? The most fun this can be is sitting around in a group of male and female friends with wildly different interests trying to reach a common ground. “I don’t like her, I won’t watch anything with her in it.” This line immediately rules out about half the films that are showing. “I won’t watch subtitles…” and then the inevitable “look, it doesn’t matter what we see, just as long as we’re all together…” And generally it won’t.
3. The Memories
That first cinema trip, that first date… Ever come across a film on the TV and immediately be transported back to a cinema in the 80’s, sitting with your Dad, watching a wonderfully HAND-DRAWN animation? Sure, the cinema is about what film you’re watching but the memories it creates will last a lifetime. On occasion, it can get to a point where you know who you attended a screening with, but you’re not overly familiar with what film it was. The soundtracks, the screaming, the laughing at inappropriate moments all become memories which cannot be replaced.
4. The Big Screen
Sure, you bought a massive TV, a TV so large you had to build the house around it. It has surround sound and the picture is crystal clear with 3D capabilities if you so desire. Nothing compares with the big screen in the cinema. There are often times when it is absolutely necessary to view something on a cinema screen with the atmosphere that can only be created by sitting with an audience. Never watch a comedy at home by yourself, you will not laugh half as much. Scientific fact.
5. Popcorn
You’ve gone to several hundred shops, you have tried a number of different brands, you’ve made it yourself, you put salt on it, you added toffee, you dosed it in sugar… Then why, for the love of all that is pure in the world, can you not recreate the taste of cinema popcorn? Let’s be honest here, there’s sometimes you just want to sit in a dark room with some popcorn…
6. The Movie Chats
That was the greatest and funniest film you have ever seen but on the way out of the screen your best mate commented that she didn’t think it was that funny. You are left aghast and immediately march her to the nearest pub to discuss, at length, why you think Robert Downey Jr’s character was much funnier than she thought he was. Or else, you have just seen a film that has blown your mind but you can’t get your head around it so inevitably end up outside the front door of the cinema asking questions like “Hang on, so Bruce Willis went back in time and then grew up and went back in time again? I don’t get it.” Half the fun of cinema visits are discussing what you thought of the film after the end.
There really is nothing like a cinema visit so this Mother’s Day catch The Guilt Trip with your own mother! Released in Irish Cinemas from March 8th.
