Movie People

Jamie and I are movie people, and we're raising little movie people as well.

We bonded quickly over classic films and have sought out different experiences in movie presentation.  We've watched them in 3-D (and believe it or not, one of the most impressive movies in 3D was Disney's original, hand-drawn Beauty and the Beast).  We've gone to the drive-in (and love it).  We've watched movies in classic movie houses like Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Egyptian, and the El Capitan.  We've watched two movies in Cinerama on the Cinerama dome (How the West Was Won and It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World).  We've done and miss the TCM Film Festival, where it was great to see great introductions and interviews before each showing.  We've seen Psycho with the Dallas Symphony performing the score.  And that doesn't even count the quote-alongs and movie parties at the Alamo Drafthouse (it's tough to top a pie fight busting out on Sixth Street with oncoming traffic after the Blazing Saddles quote-along).

Don't get me wrong, movies at home, on the couch are great, too.  But there is something magical about seeing a movie on the big screen.  As it was intended to be seen.  In a shared communal experience.  I cannot tell you what a difference this made for Casablanca.

This weekend, we celebrated our anniversary and Father's Day with another great movie experience.  Jaws on the Water.

For this event, the Alamo Drafthouse rents out the Volente Beach water park on Lake Travis in Austin for the show.  A pop-up screen is installed, visible only from the water.  Meaning to watch Jaws, you have to be on your inner tube in the lake.  No beach watching allowed.  During the show, scuba divers are in the lake to goose you at appropriate times and there is a fireworks finale for the destruction of the Orca.  Guests get to keep their inner tube and get access to the water park before the show.

The movie was fantastic, as always, and the experience of being in water definitely changes the viewing.  They had the Amity signs up and a giant shark sand sculpture.  There was also a tent sent up where you could get shark bite/attack body painting.   My foot was grabbed once by the scuba divers and I had them surface right at my feet twice.  Jamie's inner tube was bumped up twice, like a shark bumping into the boat.  They had an added bit where the scuba divers would light a red light under the water, simulating I guess blood in the water.  Beyond those little bits, the cordoned off section was so jam packed with people, it was truly inner tube to inner tube in the lake.  We made friends really fast, especially as we had to play telephone to pass drink orders back and forth from the dock.  Overall,  it was a really fun night and something that would be a great amount of fun to do with a group.

We are always on the lookout for new experiences.  We will be getting tickets to Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and The Little Mermaid with the symphony this year.  And we'll be looking for any new experiences and locations we can find.   I'd love to find a William Castle showing that pulls all his old tricks.  We've even talked about trying Independence Day on Independence Day at the Stunt Ranch Cinema with fireballs and fireworks at all the appropriate explosions.  (Maybe next year).

Something fun.  Something exciting.  Something magical.

To the movies!