I have a new favorite movie theater in the Seattle area. Cinerama is about to get their asses handed to them.

I went to see The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy at the Loews at Alderwood today. Wow. The place has ample free parking, including a covered garage, and the place is MASSIVE. I estimated the posters on the outside of the building at thirty feet high. The entrance to the building is on the second story, and the atrium when you walk in rivals any arena I've ever been to. Just spectacular.

All manner of gastronomic delights were available (including pizza, and dedicated ice cream and coffee stands), and the condiment stands let you apply your own Real Butter Flavored Imitation Motor Oil (and I'm prolly gonna get my Gourmand Card revoked for this, but when I'm at a movie, load that oil on early and often.), and the theater was easily as big as Cineramas, with the raiseable armrests and rocking chairs and stadium seating and all kinds of legroom. Just awesome. THIS is the way to watch a movie. (And did I mention, free parking?)

And the movie? I really liked it. The standard argument from the people who have panned it is "it's not like the book". Yes. It's not. And you know what? I am perfectly fine with that. I've already read the book. I have no problem seeing the story told a different way, and with lots of eye candy. There were lots of book references and in-jokes, and they made me happy, and I thought the story was perfectly fine.

And let's hope they get the folks at Shynola to do the menus and lots of lots of supplementary information for the DVD. Would you buy the DVD if it had a second disc that was basically a functioning Guide? Damn, I would. posted at 8:09 PM | Permalink |