The Stampede

Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Think back to that time when you were a kid sitting in the theater with your parents, holding a giant tub of popcorn. The smells, the sounds, the flicker of the projector: these are the things I remember the first time I went to the movies. Well, that and the frightening cackle of the Joker.

As we embark on yet another summer movie season, I'm reminded of my first time experiencing summer movies -- the very first movies I saw in the theater. It was way back in 1989, when my parents decided to take me to the movie theater.

Up until this point, my dad had shown me the entire "Star Wars" trilogy and the first two "Indiana Jones" movies, which completely reshaped the way I looked at the world.

After I watched both of these series, I would run around the house pretending I was a rival bounty hunter on the run from Boba Fett, the most feared bounty hunter in all the galaxy. On my better days, I would grab an old plaid fedora, a belt and run around the house pretending I was the great Indiana Jones.

When "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" opened in May of 1989, my parents took me straight to the theater to see it. Ever since my dad showed me my first two movies, I was entranced by the entire world of "Indiana Jones." I loved the action, the suspense and the snakes.

It was everything a little boy could want besides having their very own real-life Transformer.

Aside from the love of everything "Indy," this was the very first time I remember going to the movies. My eyes were opened to the wondrous world of entertainment and popcorn. After that evening, I realized that going to the movies was about to become an integral part of my life.

Later that summer, I learned that another one of my childhood loves would be traveling to the movie theater, courtesy of Tim Burton. When my parents informed me that we were going to see "Batman," I became extremely giddy. For some reason, I was more excited for "Batman" than I had been for Indy. I think this came from never experiencing anything Batman-related except for reading the comic books.

I still remember waiting outside of the old Hickory Hollow Carmike Cinemas while my parents bought the tickets. I remember the smell of the popcorn hitting my nostrils, whetting my palette for the joyous experience that was about to be had.

I walked into the theater and sat in between my mom and dad with a giant tub of popcorn in my lap. The lights dimmed. The projector roared to life. The movie began. I sat on the edge of my seat while the Caped Crusader bounced around the screen taking out bad guys left and right.

Then something unexpected happened.

I was sitting there watching Jack Nicholson portray the Joker. It was the scene between Kim Basinger and the Clown Prince of Crime as they talked over dinner. Of course, the Joker had make-up covering his disfigured face, hiding the fact that he was a demented clown. Basinger grabs a glass of champagne and hurls it in the Joker's face. He shoots back in his seat and begins screaming uncontrollably. He just sits there with his hands covering his face and then pulls them away and yells "Boo!"

The popcorn went everywhere. I jumped and then sank into my seat. My parents looked down at me and I just gave them a look that said, "I'm scared to death, but I'm OK, because it's cool."

This was the first time I had ever experienced this emotion while watching a movie -- my first movie scare. It was awesome.

I say all of this because here we are at the beginning of another summer movie season and it is not just any summer season. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" opens in three weeks. "The Dark Knight," the latest cinematic adventure of the Caped Crusader and the Clown Prince of Crime, opens in July.

It seems as if my love of summer movies has come full circle. As my movie preferences have changed over the years, one thing has not: that wide-eyed innocence I get when I watch a really, really great movie.

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