You're kids, are gonna love it

Rating: 8/10 (12 November 2019)

The Cult of Pixar is odd to me. You hear about these people, childless, watching cartoons in public, without shame, etc., but to see them out in the wild... that is a different beast. It's off-putting, but only in their knowing glances back at me, Mr. Normal Man. To each their own, of course. If you want to watch a children's movie because you think it is the good stuff on its own merits outside of the child-verse, who am I to poo-poo that? Like what you like, I say! I am always going to choose the movie made for adults, but my time is not always my time since I got the kids now and whatnot. Perhaps more interesting of a story than any critique of the film (which was totally fine and entertaining! Keanu as a Canadian daredevil? The best!) is my theater-going experience. The AMC in Cherry Hill, NJ is a dump, unfortunately. Poorly run in every which way imaginable and this all came to a head on the weekend afternoon that I took my daughter to see Toy Story 4. Showed up right on time for a 4PM showing and the movie just... didn't start. Twice I went out to find someone to complain to (with my restless, confused daughter) as did other patrons. Eventually, at around 4:30, the screen turned on. But it was playing the pre-trailers commercial reel. By 4:45 the coming attractions hadn't even started! (Apparently their was a power surge? And, apparently, no one who worked there thought this ~1-hour delay was worth mentioning to moviegoers?) But since I am not only very normal but very smart, I whipped out my ole cellular telephone and saw that there was a 4:30 showing of the film in the special Dolby Cinema theater. So my daughter and I marched on into that theater, through the black-lit corridor, ticket-takers be damned (like anyone who works there gives an S). The Frozen 2 trailer was just starting as we gazed upon a sea of black leather recliners. Nobody with children had ponied up the extra ten bucks or whatever for this action; we were among the Cult of Pixar now. And that was fine. No more waiting. Comfort. Sound and color. Let the Entertainment begin.