Back when I was a kid, going to the movies was far from a glamorous experience.
Growing up in a small town in New Jersey, on a rainy weekend, the only two things people could think of for entertainment were the mall and the movies.
I remember parking on some abandoned dirt hill at least a half-mile from the local Loews Seacourt 10, only to wait in a huge line for overcooked, over-buttered popcorn and then sit behind somebody’s 6-foot-5-inch father ““ the kids today have it so good with stadium seating.
However, as I’ve come to realize time and time again at UCLA, it looks like I’m not in Jersey anymore.
While there is a whole list of differences between the two states, from my perspective as a lifelong film fanatic, one of the more noticeable distinctions is the movie theaters.
Besides hosting celebrity-studded world premieres and glitzy film festivals as often as the latest summer releases, some theaters themselves are so outrageous and extravagant they make the Seacourt 10 look like a trash chute.
One particularly glamorous theater is the new Westside Pavilion Landmark Theater, which opened its doors earlier this month just a few blocks south of UCLA.
The Westside Landmark Theater features all the amenities of the average around-the-corner multiplex, just on a much larger, much more expensive scale.
From Pizza Rustica and Peet’s Coffee at the concession stands, to an adjacent bar serving appetizers and wine, to leather rocker seats in each theater, the Landmark is the average AMC on steroids.
There is even a free (yes, free!) rooftop parking facility that will double as a site for post-premiere parties, because after all, we are in Los Angeles.
But why does it seem like these new tricks are taking away from the experience of actually grabbing some friends and going to the movies?
Watching a film on a giant wide-screen with explosive sound and a vibrant audience is what I like about going to the movies ““ I don’t need leather seats.
I don’t ever want to go to the movies and hold back a good laugh simply from fear of spilling dark soda ““ or when I’m old enough, red wine ““ on the expensive upholstery.
Even in the center of Hollywood, this cinematic revolution seems closer to an overdose of decadence, considering the whole point of a theater is to sit in the dark for two hours and take in a flick.
Though these upgrades may just be a little history repeating.
In the first few years of feature films, theaters were extravagant and lush “movie palaces” and they were basically reserved for the upper class only.
When films eventually reached the masses, they were overtaken by the popularity of television in the 1950s.
And soon gimmicks like Cinerama Dome theaters and 3-D screenings lured audiences back in.
With ticket sales decreasing every year, and independent films such as last year’s “Bubble” and last month’s “Fay Grim” being released simultaneously in the theaters and on DVD, these modern classy theaters seem to be another attempt to bring audiences back to the movies.
Serving customers to the extent that high-scale theaters do is all well and good, and don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty excited to only have to travel a few blocks south of Wilshire to get the “Arclight” experience that can take a movie from so-so to so good, but at the same time, I don’t want to feel like an outsider at the movies; there are enough exclusive parties in Los Angeles I won’t be getting into.
I don’t want to be self-conscious about eating the pretzels and soda I sneaked in while the guy across the aisle enjoys a small quattro fromaggio pizza and a mocha latte.
The fanfare and anticipation the Westside Landmark has been met with in recent months shows that these pricey new movie palaces don’t seem to be fading to their ending credits anytime soon.
Yet no matter how comfortable their chairs are or how good their food smells, I for one will only go to the movies to see a movie or occasionally to escape the summer heat.
And if the theater happens to have free parking, so be it.
If you miss your out-of-date, rundown, crummy hometown movie theater too, e-mail Stanhope at kstanhope@media.ucla.edu.