Film Essay: My Memorable Movie Theater Experiences

Sometimes movie theater experiences stand out because of the movie you saw or the circumstances behind the day or maybe a combination of both. What follows are 20 such experiences of mine:

Tarzan (1999): I was only three and vaguely remember this. My parents and I were late to the theater and we walked in as the leopard was attacking Tarzan’s parents. The sound was super loud, and practically shook the theater. I started to cry in fear of the massive loud leopard on the screen. My parents took me out of the theater and I next experienced “Tarzan” on VHS in the comfort of our home (where we could adjust the volume accordingly).

Finding Nemo (2003): I remember distinctly being terrified by the barracuda sequence. Before we watched it, my parents told me that the scene was going to be scary but I was still freaked out. I mean, it is quite frightening. We watched it at the Avalon theater on Connecticut Avenue in Washington D.C., not far from the house I lived in until I was 12. It is a grand theater, with an ornate ceiling and a curtain and, if I remember correctly, red velvet seats. I loved “Finding Nemo” from this first viewing and it is still one of my favorite animated films.

Ratatouille (2007): I was in Miami when I first saw “Ratatouille”. It has since become a staple in my family and we quote is quite often (“STOP THAT SOUP!” “She likes the soup” “That’s a spice right?” “This will go perfectly with my mushroom!!”). We were in Florida for my cousin’s wedding. During a spell of free time, my parents decided to take us to the movies. Even at 11, I understood that Ratatouille was special. I loved Giacchino’s score and was instantly attached to the characters. Looking back on it now, the fact that Remy was so driven to pursue his passion must have really resonated with me. I distinctly remember existing the theater into the Florida sunshine, awestruck by what I’d just seen.

Wall-e (2008): I watched “Wall-e” with my family in Georgetown, D.C. It was summer, school had just let out, and my parents had been talking about the hype around this film. The first 30 minutes or so had no dialogue and this fascinated 12-year-old me. I remember being mesmerized by the film on the big screen. I was really taken by Thomas Newman’s brilliant score. And the first 30 minutes utilized sound so incredibly. Even though I was 12, I understood that this film pushed the medium of animation and filmmaking.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009): I could probably put every Harry Potter film on this list but I will specifically highlight number six. This was the first ever midnight showing that I went to. I had just turned 14 years old. My father took me and my 11-year old brother Alec to the King of Prussia mall outside of Philadelphia. I remember us going to the nearby Wawa to get some crazy Mountain Dew flavors with a lot of caffeine to keep us awake. The film was incredible and it was thrilling to watch it at midnight. People cheered when the movie started and there was so much energy in the air. Nicholas Hooper’s fantastic score really stood out to me. I downloaded it on iTunes and put it on my iPod. I listened to it literally all the time (“Harry and Hermione” and “When Ginny Kissed Harry” are particularly great tracks). We later saw Deathly Hallows Part 1 the morning it opened in IMAX (I loved the film so much, it’s one of my favorite Potter films) and Part 2 at midnight (incredibly memorable and emotional). The Harry Potter film series really shaped my love of movies when I was a kid. Each film release was a true event. No film series has truly lived up to that for me since.

Avatar (2009): One of the only films that I have seen in the theater multiple times. There was obviously a crazy amount of hype leading up to this film. I remember seeing the trailers on TV, and my dad talking about how the film was going to showcase new visual effects technology. And the film certainly lived up to excitement around it. We first saw it in 2D and I loved it. The score by James Horner was mind-blowing and I asked for the CD for Christmas (I listened to it all the time on my iPod). I loved the imaginative world and the emotional beats were really stirring. I really remember seeing it next in 3D and being even more blown away. The 3D tech was unlike anything I had ever seen. When we got the film on Blu-ray it was a big deal and we watched it immediately. It looked incredible on our TV screen too.

Toy Story 3 (2010): This was (and still is) a really important film for me. I had just graduated from 8th grade and connected a lot with the character of Andy. He was heading off to college and I was picturing that moment for me in four years time. I saw this with my mother and my two brothers at the Anthony Wayne theater in Wayne, PA and it was a terrific summer afternoon trip to the movies. I remember being especially taken with the dramatic climax in the trash incinerator. Also the last scene when he gives away the toys made 14 year old me super emotional. A really brilliant film. A favorite line in my family to quote from this movie is “get the tortilla”.

Moonrise Kingdom (2012): This is one of those films that I went into completely blind. I didn’t know anything about the plot and truly experienced the film as it was happening. My family was living in Dallas, Texas and we all went to a really beautiful art house theater near our house. The film was hilarious and unique and I loved Alexandre Desplat’s score and the unique filmmaking style of Wes Anderson. I think really fondly of that day with my family.

Prometheus (2012): Watching this film in theaters was a real event. My dad took my brother and Alec and I to an IMAX showing. It was a big deal because the film was rated R and it was probably the first R-rated movie I saw in theaters. It was also insanely cool. The visuals really impressed me. The acting was great. The horror elements were on point. I remember the surgery sequence being especially visceral and intense in the IMAX setting. I also loved the melody that Harry Gregson-Williams wrote for the french horn. Perfectly captured the feeling of the film. It was a truly memorable theater experience. We still watch our Blu-ray of this film constantly.

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013): Honestly, this is an amazing film. My brothers and I still quote the “buuuutter” line, never gets old. Super randomly on a fall afternoon, my youngest brother Gabriel and I walked to the Anthony Wayne theater to watch this film. We were cracking up in the theater and had an awesome time. We both still talk about this day.

Ex Machina (2014): I saw this film by myself in early 2014 and was immediately shocked by the visual effects, the pacing, the acting and the ending. It is just such a brilliant film. I was really intrigued by science fiction at the time (I still am) and the way that sci-fi was presented in this film, in such a stark and grounded way, really impressed me. I was also basically the only one in the theater at King of Prussia mall so it was like a private viewing. After, I got food at Panera Bread and just sat and thought about the thought-provoking film.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014): I went to King of Prussia mall with my two younger brothers to see this film. I think it was the first film just the three of us went to together (since I had just gotten my driver’s license). Hardly anyone else was in the theater since it was the afternoon on a weekday so we basically had the whole place to ourselves. I had not read up on the film at all so everything that happened was a surprise. The visual effects astounded me. Everything felt so grounded and realistic. The apes were rendered perfectly. We reacted to intense moments in the film like live sporting events (the ending fight scene is quite intense). It was just an awesome viewing experience and we still talk about it.

Inside Out (2015): I was interning in LA during this summer and saw an early screening of “Inside Out”. It was absolutely incredible and I thought about the movie the entire night. I told my family they had to see it when it came out that weekend. I was so moved by Giacchino’s score, the message that it is ok to feel sad sometimes, the surrealist representation of emotion and the moving ending. I cried when Riley reunited with her parents and left the theatre thoroughly inspired by this brilliant film.

La La Land (2016): I interned at Marc Platt Productions the summer of 2016 and had the pleasure of attending a scoring session for “La La Land” at the Sony Pictures lot. At the session, they recorded a few small snippets of the score that still needed to be recorded. On the screen above the orchestra I saw short scenes from the film that would eventually be nominated for 14 awards. I also got to speak a bit during a break with the composer Justin Hurwitz which was really awesome. So, when I was studying abroad in London that fall and La La Land was showing at the BFI London Film Festival, I just had to go. It was a fantastic experience. I hadn’t been to a big film festival like this one before. It was being shown in the main theatre and the theater was absolutely packed. Damien Chazelle was in the audience. The film was terrific and I was incredibly impressed. Hurwitz’s score and songs were phenomenal. Loved the acting performances. The story was great at the ending was surprising. I also liked seeing the bits that I saw in the recording session on the big screen. The crowd was super into the film and gave it a big ovation after the credits rolled. Overall a very memorable time.

Dunkirk (2017): I saw this film in Nairobi, Kenya while on the Penn in Kenya summer abroad program. Once we returned to Nairobi from the Kakuma Refugee Camp, we had an off day before returning back to the US. That night we all went to a nearby theatre to see Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. It is one of the more visceral theatre experiences that I’ve had. The volume levels in the film are very high and we were in an IMAX theater so during the war sequences the gunshots were shockingly sharp and loud. Sonically it truly felt like we were in the middle of the action. I loved the film and have since seen it a number of times on Blu-ray. I will always remember seeing it for the first time in Kenya.

Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018): Saw this film with my family at the Plymouth Meeting mall and it was an absolute blast. We are all big fans of the Mission Impossible franchise and this film knocked our socks off. The stunts that are pulled in this film are truly incredible. I remember being shocked as I watched it. The ending was also entirely unexpected and we were all freaking out in the theatre. It was super intense and an absolute blast. As we excited the theater I just wanted to watch the film again. We all chatted about the film in the car on the way home. It was awesome.

American Animals (2018): One summer afternoon my brother Gabriel and I drove over to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute to see a film I did not know anything about. It ended up being one of the best theater experiences I’ve had because it was so surprising, tense and just all around amazing. There is one sequence in this film where the main characters are breaking into a rare books library and I swear it is one of the most stressful experiences I’ve had watching a film. The scene is so well acted and edited that it is practically oozing tension. A terrific, unique film that I highly suggest you watch.

Rope (2018) : This is actually a 1948 film by Alfred Hitchcock that I saw (I believe on a projector) at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. It was a part of a Hitchcock series that the theater did for an entire month and my mother, my brothers and I went to every one. I had never seen Rope before and absolutely loved the film. I enjoyed experiencing the 1948 film for the first time in the theater. The plot was incredible and surprising. The acting was insane (especially Jimmy Stewart). It was also special watching it, and the entire series, with my mom and brothers. A really memorable time.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019): I was so impressed by this film. Such an incredible recreation of 1969 (down to the exact month). I saw this with my parents and my brother Gabriel and we emerged from the theater in deep conversation about the film. The characters are so deep and fleshed out. The performances so nuanced. The violence at the end was truly shocking and I wasn’t expecting it (even though it is a Tarantino film). The audience reactions were spot on. It was a really fun afternoon at the movies.

The Invisible Man (2020): This is more in retrospect, but this was the last film I saw in theaters before the pandemic. I was studying at the University of Edinburgh, getting my master’s degree in music composition for film. I went to a ton of films while in Edinburgh, mainly at the terrific art house theater the Filmhouse (”1917” and “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” being two specific ones). I also went to the multiplex and saw “Knives Out” and “Jo Jo Rabbit” and also “The Invisible Man”. I had heard a lot about this film and wanted to see it in theaters. It was early March of 2020 and I was already wary of large crowds. I remember sitting in a surprisingly packed theater and feeling uncomfortable because of all the people in an indoor space. The film itself was terrific. Really frightening, very well crafted and terrifically acted. Loved the use of silence and the visual effects were brilliant. This film might have just been another movie theater experience, but due to its timing, it is one of my most memorable.