before moving to l.a. i went to movies occasionally . and when i say occasionally, i mean maybe five times a year. to be honest, even after living here for a year, i had only seen one movie in the theater.

until ...

i met vince.

his passion for films has left me craving the experience of velvet reclining seats, surround sound, the smell of buttery popcorn and the thrill of watching the curtain open. i'm even starting to understand why getting in opening night is so much more exciting.

people stand in lines for these nights. long ones. it seems completely irrational. crazy. maybe even a bit obsessive.

but i joined the wackos last night. when the shows were selling out last week for indiana jones ... the only option left for opening night were tickets at 3:30 a.m. and we just had to take them.

it was magical. justice was done to my fond memories of indy running through ancient ruins and dodging giant balls of stone, all while swinging from random vines, cracking his whip and somehow managing to keep that silly hat from flying off.

the best part of this morning was waiting for him to come on screen for the first time ... and when he did ... (cue theme song) ...

ahh. nothing like the good ol' days ... when the good guy always wins, adventure is lurking around each corner, whit (and the occasional cheesy line) are ramped and robust orchestral compositions accompany you each step of the way.

so ... thank God for new passions. thank God for spielberg. and thank God the writer's strike is over. here's to the resurrection of the cinema experience!