cinema paradiso. one of my goals for 2005 was to watch a movie by myself. i'm not a do anything by myself sort of person, so i figured watching a movie by myself would be the first step toward exploring the whole song of myself experience. what i've found is that whitman is right, being alone is grand. not only did i watch my first movie ever by myself, i watched three of them in a row. million dollar baby was followed by be cool and then by sahara. back to back to back. i feel like a champion. i would have gone for a four-peat (sin city) but i figured maybe i should go join the ranks of the living. i had stayed at the theatre so long that the shifts had turned over at the concession stand. so when i went for my nachos and gummi bears -- after popcorn and slurpees -- the staff didn't even notice that i was the same guy from five hours ago.

there's a real freedom in watching movies by yourself. no covert glances to the side to see if your friend(s) is enjoying the movie. no need to worry about what another person wants, no need to worry about where to sit. i sat in the middle, the back and then the very first row. i ate popcorn with relish, i carelessly dribbled cheese on the seat next to me, i threw napkins around like confetti. i was a movie watching mess and i loved it. plus i really got into each movie, even if they weren't terribly good -- with the exception of million dollar. i would never watch a movie like sahara, but since it was three doors down and starting right after be cool, i said to myself "why not?" and yup, why not? everyone should spend a day at the movies.

it also helps to have a sidekick on you to coordinate movie times. and to check reviews and to aim/text with people to ask if a movie is even remotely worth watching. ideally i could bring my laptop into a movie theatre but that may be too conspicous. having a sidekick was real handy and helped wile away some of the less excellent movie moments. i did turn my sidekick off during million dollar baby though, so that i could truly be alone -- so don't worry, i didn't cheat on my "alone at the movies" experience.

during this experience, it occured to me that going to the movies alone isn't really that weird. forget the "it's [going to a movie] really not about interacting with people" thing, going to the movies should be about the movie and not the recreational activity it's become. directors like spielberg and tarantino spent their youth going to movies by themselves. they watched john wayne westerns back to back. most movie theatres had double features and it was standard to see two movies for the price of one. i'm on a mission to bring back that aesthetic, but i'll one up it, three movies for the price of one. i'm kicking it up a notch. bam?

i think watching movies in a theatre pays respect to the film. a movie is supposed to be experienced with a giant screen and dolby digital surround sound. forty inch screens and top of the line speakers at home -- sadly, not at my home -- is not good enough for me. i want a theatre sized screen and sounds so loud that i can't think straight. i want full immersion for my movie experience, i want to get into it. directors put a lot of thought into the details and i want to appreciate a film the way it was meant to be appreciated. not on an airplane, not on a little screen in the corner of the room, not with laundry whirling in the background, i want to be engulfed by a movie. watching a movie at home is like looking at postcards of a faraway destination. only by viewing a movie in its full theatre glory can you actually be fully transported somewhere, even if it is to the sahara, with an overly bronzed matthew mcconaughey.