Double movie screenings have gone totally out of style. People rarely sit down for double features anymore; even though years ago they used to be the norm. There are many reasons why of course; economic ones tend to be most prevalent.
I would love if my local theatre offered two for one deals, or at least discounts if I bought tickets to see multiple films in a given day. I suppose the film companies themselves would never allow that since any sort of discount would eat into the box office gross. The theatre doesn’t care. They make their money based on how much popcorn I can stuff my face with. mmmmm popcorn. mmmmm butter. Sorry, lost my train of thought there for a moment.
Regardless of my theater’s unwillingness to help in my movie addiction; I’m dusting off the old double feature this weekend, and actually am going to be turning the freakswitch up to 11 and make it a triple feature.
Of course, the key to any great day of movie watching is proper pacing otherwise you’ll get worn out or overly amped up and by the time the final film’s opening credits begin to roll you’ll be a blurbering drooling mass of humanity in your seat (I’ve seen it myself, its not pretty).
I’m going to start with an early afternoon showing of Fast and Furious. A cinematic jolt of adrenaline to help wake me up and get me ready for the day. Fast cars, fast women (hey! its in the tagline, gimme a break), and Vin Diesel’s scruffy voice make the perfect way to start off this mini-marathon.
Forty five minutes after the Furious ends, after all that craziness, I’m going to need to ease myself down to Earth; with Greg Mottolla’s (Superbad) new film Adventureland. A nice coming of age teen dramedy. Here’s to hoping that Kristen Stewart is less Twilight and more The Cake Eaters. If so, this could be a great film.
After a romp through an 80s theme park I’ll need a little break, probably a couple hours. Yes, I could just go into the next film, but really its not helping me or hindering me if I wait a little while. Plus, it’ll give me a chance to get some real food into my body. As much as I wish it were so, the body cannot live on buttered popcorn, sour patch watermelons and cherry coke alone (oh how I wish!).
The last movie, to complete the trifecta will be a return to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3-D. I’ve seen it once, and convinced some friends (yes, I do have friends) to see it. Plus, there were a bunch of old school film references that I think I might have missed and want another look at it. The easy going plot, comedy and cool 3-D will all combine to get me through a third film, without any lag.
And thats the important part of the last film in any marathon no matter the length. The last film HAS to reenergize and carry you, or else you’ll never make it. Even the most fervant movie lover like me gets a little fatigued after watching several movies in a row. So save the best, or the most fun for last. You’ll thank yourself later.
One interesting thing about this is that all three films are roughly the same run time; just over an hour and a half. So altogether its only going to be about 4.5 to 5 hours watching movies. Not as impressive as the 7 or 8 that could come from seeing longer films; but who’s counting anyway? Three movies is three movies.
Yes, in the end this is quite a bit of money; much more than anyone normally spends on a day at the movies. But, at $10 a ticket for the first two film, plus $14 for an IMAX ticket to see Monsters; plus the $12 or so on food/drink for the day, we’re looking at under $50 for a day of entertainment. Try and go to a sporting event, Broadway show, or almost any other activity and spend less than that. You might be able to; but its not going to be much less.
You could of course always try to sneak into the theaters…but I wouldn’t reccommend it. Very hard to sneak when you’re carrying popcorn. And if your going to go to the movies and not have popcorn, what’s the point?
Feel like reading my Monsters vs. Aliens review? Check it out on movie-vault.com, listed under the author Film Phantom (pretty sweet handle, right?)