Aussie Adventures: At The Movies

In 2015 I went to the movies twice, in 2016 I went to the movies once. It's now only the 3rd day of 2017 and I've already been to the movies twice.

Moana

The first session was Moana at Event Cinemas on level 4 of Westfield Parramatta with uni buddies Tic and Aly.

I purchased the tickets online, forgetting that Tic and Aly are still uni students. The kind people of Event Cinemas were lovely enough to fulfill my request of a partial refund to cover the price difference.

Upon receiving our tickets we saw G8, G7 and G8 again. Tic was looking for the G6 because she really wanted to be fly. We'd been given two tickets for the same seat. Aly and I might be small, but we are both whole people who each require a complete seat. Once again Event Cinemas rectified the issue.

Tic, Aly and I sat down in separate seats just in time for the lights to dim and catch up during the ads.

Finally our film began. Moana is beautiful and not just in that stereotypical Disney princess kind of way. For a start she's the Chief's daughter and it's the beauty of her spirit that shines through. Beneath her stunning exterior is a bold, determined, compassionate soul. On the surface, Moana is a glorious visual display of nature and Polynesian people. Dive in deeper to discover an inspiring tale of courage.

Leaving the cinema I was excited to find a photo backdrop and force Tic and Aly to feature in photos with me. All for the blog, of course!

Tic and I were thrilled to be so close to Moana.

Aly and I played it a little cooler.

La La Land

The second film of 2017 was La La Land with Annastasia, who you may remember from Blue Mountains Musical Society and late night Kmart runs.

Hoyts in Westfield Penrith was the host of this session. The purchase of these tickets was a lot less dramatic.

La La Land was a captivating homage to the Golden Age of cinema. A tribute to great musicals, such as Singin in The Rain and An American in Paris.

But this twenty-first century masterpiece of cinematography moves beyond mere replication. It's Old Hollywood from a new angle. Glorious, sweeping songs. Humble, touching tunes. And jazz! The kind that makes your soul sing. This music coupled with the brilliant choreography of Mandy Moore. La La Land was infatuation at first frame, but I fell in love somewhere between the twirls, shuffles and ronde de jambes of the first dance between Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling).

Stone's leading lady charm and Gosling's panache transported me on a glamourous (and exquisitely clothed) journey of seeking your authentic dream. I tearfully related to the artistic struggle.

Annastasia and I exited the cinema and continued talking outside the shopping centre. In one instance before we parted we found ourselves speaking through dance as well as words.

Glenbrook Cinema

Now that I've been to the movies twice this year I guess I can't go again until 2018. Which is a shame because there's this great little cinema in the lower Blue Mountains. It was at Glenbrook Cinema I saw my only 2016 movie, the delightful Dory. If I had to choose my favourite movie theatre it would be this quaint place.