Family Movie Night
by Karyn Bowman
It is that time of year again despite the rain and the cold.
I might mean summer time in general but in specific I am talking about the movies with loud sound tracks and great stunts.
Image from IMDb.com
I was thinking about this as my 16-year-old reported what he liked about the latest Fast and the Furious movie. The story is about our favorite gang of car thieves living in a country that is not their own. That is when a government agent comes offering full pardons if they will help out with one more job. Oh, and there is a surprise guest as well.
My son did not talk about character development. He did not talk about great dialogue. What he talked about were fast moving cars, driven by men willing to do some crazy stunts.
While some of my family members described this movie as being about fast cars, macho-acting guys, and girls in bikinis, it is also a movie about one last desperate attempt for love and for freedom. There is one line that told me the depth of that love, the amount of risk a person was willing to go through to save that other person.
This aspect almost makes me want to go see this movie. My husband declared it might be one of the few movies as of late that is worthwhile seeing in 3D. I think the stunts I have seen in the trailer are 3D worthy but to be honest, I am not happy with 3D. The colors are murky at best, the 3D action never lives up to its hype. Plus, it give me motion-sickness almost every single time because the screen never stops moving.
Where I plan to see this movie in in the drive-in. Why do we love going there? Fidgeting kids do not draw the ire of other patrons because they have fidgety kids, too. Most allow you to bring in your own food and the best ones have a green area where a game of catch or frisbee can easily occur before the movie or during intermission. While it is an hour to the closest drive-in theater, we are lucky enough to be near three such theaters.
The first is the Lake Shore in Monticello near Indiana Beach. They have two screen which show a double feature. One screen has more adult type films while the other goes for more family friendly fare most of the time. The green space in Okay while the concession stand has some good choices.
My second choice, and the theater we go to the most, is the Harvest Moon Twin Drive-In. Most of the movies through out the year are family friendly. The concession stand has some great offerings and the green space is fantastic. I love this theater and do what I can to help keep it going. While we tend to bring our own food and drink (perfectly allowable), I always try to buy something at the concession stand. The Harvest Moon is home of the Funnel Cake Sundae. Tasty!
Image from 49’er Drive-in Theater Facebook page
Finally, my favorite drive-in is the 49’er in Valpraiso, Indiana with a drive more like on hour and forty-five minutes. But the green space is incredibly large. The concession stand has a lot of tasty treats. Plus, off duty police officers are the security guys. Most of the time it is a family fare double-feature. Talk about smorgasbord of delights.
I am not sure I can think of a better way to spend a summer night.
Until Next Week, see you in the rental aisle.
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 