Why are movies so darn captivating?

The concept of “escapism” seems very distant and philisophical to me, but in reality I guess that’s what movies represent to me. I can go in and forget that I have children that won’t let me go to the bathroom alone. I can forget that that bag of Reeces Peices will end up on my rear. I can forget that the house isn’t clean and that the dishes are still in the sink. There is something about the dark theatre and the vat of diet coke that just sends me into another world where I’m not paying for an apartment and a house at the same time, and where life isn’t nearly as hard as it is in real life.

I love going to the movies by myself. When you are by yourself you don’t have to temper your reactions on how another person might feel about your reactions. Recently I was at a showing of “The Notebook.” I was one of about 30 women and 3 men in the room. I was the only person alone. I had read the book already so I knew what was coming, but at the end of the movie there wasn’t a dry eye in the room (well maybe the 3 men) and once the curtains came down and the lights came up, there was nervous twittering all around the room. Because I was the only one alone, I was also the only one who didn’t have to be embarrassed by my wet cheeks and damp shirt. I was happy to be able to cycle through my emotions and think things through, instead of immediately having to jump back into the reality of someone else existing right next to me.

In general I just like the ideas of movies, so I’m not that critical of them. I like the ENTERTAINMENT of them, so I’m not much of a hater. I like stories with happy endings, but I do watch quite a few artsy movies too. This post is a bit scattered, but lets end with my last 5 at the theatre movies:

5) Wimbeldon (++++)
4) Sky Captain (+)
3) Napolean Dynamite (+++++)
2) Vanity Fair (++++)
1) Home on the Range (+++)