At the Movies

Just got back from seeing Brokeback Mountain.  A terrific movie.  It's grand and rich and sad and evocative.  And it's not what I expected.  I'm not sure what I expected but this is not really a "message" movie.  It's a wonderfully touching love story.  A cowboy story.  Look, it's Larry McMurtry.  If you liked "Lonesome Dove" you'll love this. 

But, that's not what I'm here to write about.  I'm here to tell you that I have finally accepted the fact that "going out to the movies" is a dying phenomenon.  Sure, it's been written about many time before.  What with the advent of giant televisions and "on-demand" programming and the fact that movies are coming out quicker and quicker on DVD.  But today was the day where I actually thought "Whoa.  I'm not sure I want to do this anymore."  As I was heading in to the theatre, I thought I'd grab some popcorn.  I  don't often go to the concession stand as I've usually just had a meal before I go to the movies and so I'm not hungry.  But this time was different.

They wanted five dollars for a small bag of popcorn.

Unacceptable.  When the popcorn costs nearly as much as the ticket ($6.25) then something is wrong.  I know why they do it.  Movie theaters make virtually NO money on the movie itself.  Somebody's gotta pay Tom Cruise's $20 million paycheck, and it's you, my friend.  Theaters make their money from concessions.  It's been that way for a long time.

But five dollars for a small popcorn?  That's insane.