This past weekend I, like many others, saw "Captain America: Civil War." Although I am not the biggest fan of superhero and comic book movies, my friends and the reviews drove me to see it. Instead of going to the multiplex, or the theater in the local mall, products of the conglomerate-based film industry we have today, we went to the local drive-in. When I think about a drive-in a few things pop into my head: "Grease," the 1950s and popcorn. The only grease at this theater was maybe dripping from someone's truck, but there was certainly popcorn. The drive-in represents something old, a blast from the past really. Drive-in theaters have been open for years and years past their mid-century heyday, but the concept almost seems foreign to moviegoers.
We got in our car and drove to the nearest drive-in, about five minutes from campus and drove up to the ticket window. It is $5.25 for students! Two brand new movies for $5.25! Can't beat that pricing. The four of us parked the car and began to set up. We brought out the chairs, blankets and pillows and watched the sun set over the giant screen. The parking lot, if that is the correct term, slowly began to fill, our friends arrived and took down the convertible roof. Sitting in the back seat with their blankets and snacks, they were ready. We couldn't watch the movie without any snacks, so we stopped by the snack bar. They had all of the favorites, including giant-sized popcorns with a butter dispenser. You never understand how unbuttered the popcorn is at a theater until you have a butter dispenser. With our snacks in tow and the sun set, we sat down for the first of two movies. "Captain America" was great and I recommend it, but as a film person, an upcoming film scholar of sorts, what I enjoyed most was the movie-watching experience. Being far enough away from other viewers, admiring the sheer size of the screen and hearing the crunch of popcorn around me. I was truly in heaven.
When the first film ended, around 11:30 p.m., some of the patrons, especially the ones with kids made their way to the exit. We threw away our trash, stretched our legs and stopped by the snack bar for refills. We strapped in for the second film, "The Jungle Book," a live action remake of the Disney classic. Oh my God, the visuals were spectacular. Amazing on the big screen. I'm so happy I got to see it on this platform. I was getting a little sleepy throughout the film, but I only dozed off a couple times. We left the drive-in, popcorn finished, and soda gone at about two a.m. I am so glad I went. I haven't been to a drive-in in such a long time, but I am so glad I did.
