Since the museum was out, we decided instead to see Brave, the movie we'd planned for Thursday. Thankfully, we didn't have to get ready so early as the film started early that afternoon. We played "Animal Shop" with Karlee; ate a big breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon; and then got ready for the movie.
Karlee had been excited about the movie the entire week, constantly asking when we'd see it. It probably didn't help matters that her Uncle TJ had purchased a small toy castle with action figures from the film. Or, at least I think he bought it. It was one of the toys Karlee came to Dallas with, but not one of the ones where I was present for the purchase.
We took Karlee to our favorite movie theater, the AMC at Northpark Mall. I love it there, not because it's at one of the "nicer" malls in Dallas, but because the screen images are brighter, sharper and the sound is better than any of the theaters I've been to so far. Plus, Tim and I usually get our usual seats: the ones behind the handicap spaces. We like these seats because of the bars directly in front of us, which makes it easier to rest your feet without having to worry about the people in front of you. And, of course, the seats are pretty comfortable.
All of this didn't impress Karlee, who just wanted to see the movie.
We bought our tickets and made our way up the escalator and into the lobby. Obviously, our next stop was going to be the concession stand. We stood in line for about ten minutes, all the while discussing what Karlee would like to drink. She settled on an Icee, but she kept changing her mind on what color she wanted: pink or red. To be honest, I only think they had pink, which turned out to be white, but Tim had asked if she wanted red and that was all it took.
"I want the pink one... No, I want the red one..... I think I'll take pink..... But the red one is SOOOOO good..... But I like pink...." and on and on and on. Like with car rides, Karlee made waiting in lines an exercise in patience.
She finally settled on pink as we approached the front of the line, and I quietly suggested that Tim take her away from the concession stand so the pair of them wouldn't go crazy at all the candy and treats. I knew that if Karlee had seen all the candy she'd want it all, and Tim would be more than willing to oblige. With both of them away from the concession stand, I could easily get just the drinks.
I was successful......
That is until about thirty-five minutes later....
After getting the drinks ("Why is this white? I wanted pink." "It's light pink, Karlee."), we made our way to the theater, about forty minutes before the movie was supposed to start, and we were immediately corrected on our timing. Karlee informed us that arriving so early was completely unnecessary and that she ALWAYS arrived about five minutes before the movie started so she didn't have to wait. See, Tim and I had been doing it all wrong and knew nothing regarding the whole movie-going process. Well, thanks again to "Plants vs. Zombies" I was able to keep Karlee occupied.
It seems Karlee also does not like for a movie theater to be empty as it's a bit scary to her. She likes for plenty of people to be there. Karlee is going to be an extrovert, I can tell. She doesn't like spending much time by herself. No, she wants to be in the thick of it all. Whether with adults or other kids, she seems to need other people to feel comfortable.
After thirty-five minutes of keeping Karlee busy, and after more and more people filled the theater, Karlee saw a woman cross in front of us with a huge bag of popcorn.
"I want popcorn."
I looked at Tim, and he said, "Okay, we'll get you some popcorn." Five minutes before the movie was supposed to start. Five minutes.
Now, anyone who has gone to the movie theaters with me knows I like seeing the previews. Yes, I know I can see most of them online now, but I still enjoy watching them on the big screen. It's a part of the whole movie-going experience.
As I walked out of the theater and saw the huge line that led up the to the concession stand, I got a brief picture of what my movie-going experiences would be like with kids: missing the best parts of the movies. Whether for snacks or restroom breaks, I was going to have to get used to a different movie-going experience, one that included missing parts of movies; that is, unless I sneak out of the house to watch a movie by myself, but that's really not that fair for the rest of the family. I may just have to wait until they come out on video and watch them at home.
With the expense and the hassle of taking kids to the movies, I can completely understand why some of my friends no longer see very many movies now that they have kids.
"I don't like the white popcorns. I like the yellow ones." Funny. I did not know that. For future reference, Karlee likes the yellow popcorns, which are hard to find in a darkened theater, so bring a flashlight.
We all liked the movie, though Karlee hid her eyes during the scary parts, which there were quite a few (Shameless self-promotion: I do have a review of Brave on this blog, just scroll through the archive under July of this year).
Even though I had a bit of a sarcastic tone in depicting our time watching Brave, Karlee actually is pretty fun to watch movies with. She's attentive and inquisitive. However, I would advise that a parent watch the movies first before letting their kids watch them. This is not to "screen" the film for appropriateness, but to be prepared for the million questions the child may ask as the movie plays. The fun of watching a plot to unfold is just too much for a four-year-old mind.
Maybe I should develop a Blu-Ray feature that simultaneously plays the film and provides answers to a child's questions about character motivation and plot. If I were watching a film I hadn't seen before, this whole exercise might grow tiresome quickly.
Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed hearing Karlee ask the question below in response to seeing King Triton storm in to Ariel's grotto:
"Why isn't he wearing a bra?!"Now that I think about it, he's chest is a bit excessive, isn't it?
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