As shocking as this may sound to some, I decided to take part of Sunday off and go to the movies with my husband. He wanted to see Batman -- so I countered with Richard Gere. Draw. Thought about the new Coen Brothers' movie, but that's a DVD movie (not a 5-star).
So, there was only one choice left: WALL-E.
Certain movies show better on the big screen than they do at home. You want the color, action and sound to be bigger than life, and a movie-house theater gives you that.
We went to the Elk Grove Century Theatres on Big Horn near Laguna Boulevard. First, we were faced with a long line for tickets, which was our first clue that this business apparently has made cutbacks. Many ticket windows, but only one was open.
Once inside, what used to be two lines for snacks was routed into one line, and the people in line snaked around the corner. It took forever to get our popcorn and Coke, but we settled into our seats with precisely two minutes to go before showtime. Some kid (one of six people in the audience) behind me threw his sippy cup on the floor in front of me. I did consider asking his mom about Fairytale Town, but the kid didn't look old enough to walk.
The movie was supposed to start at 11:50, and it was now noon. I looked around and didn't see anybody in the projector room and mentioned this to my husband. Well, it was going to be either him or me who walked up the aisle to find out why the projectionist was processing popcorn orders instead of running the movie; I preferred to sit in my seat and stuff my face with popcorn.
"Hey," my husband said upon his return, "Management is interested in making more money on the popcorn restaurant than it is on the movie. Our projectionist was indeed filling up bags of popcorn in the lobby. After he complained, the movie began 2 minutes later. I think they forgot about us.
Wall-E is a remarkable and entertaining film. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know this movie is about these two robots, one male and one female. They speak a total of five words throughout the entire movie: wall-e, eva, directive, earth and plant, but what is amazing is that the story held interest without a lot of dialog. When you figure kids sat through the movie without any problem, let me tell you, it was mesmerizing. Well, there was dialog on the ship.
Although it was set 700 years in the future, the script also applies to the culture and society of today. In the end -- and this could be considered a spoiler -- when WALL-E and Eva held hands (which you knew they would eventually do), my husband grabbed my sticky buttery popcorny hand and held it. Sappy as that may sound.
I love that guy.
Please come to Elk Grove to see it before it goes away. This is absolutely the type of movie you want to see on the big screen. I highly recommend WALL-E and give this movie a 5-star rating! Just make sure the projectionist isn't in the lobby selling tickets or something. Go ahead and ask him if you are unsure: "Hey, are you the projectionist?"
Photo: Elizabeth Weintraub
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Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout Sacramento. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available through bookstores everywhere and at Amazon.com.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
