This summer, I went to Cinemark theatre in Texarkana on two separate occasions. The most recent time, I noticed a few differences between when I went in late spring and summer.

In May, my boyfriend and I went to watch Little Women. When I first entered the theater, I noticed that no attendants were giving out tickets; instead, a sign directed us to a digital ticket kiosk that would print out our tickets. The tickets were so cheap that we decided to watch two films that night. We were the only ones in the theatre for the 6:00 p.m. show, so we could try out different spots to sit for the best view. There were a few people at the later showing at 8:30, but no more than 5 or 6.

Going to the movies felt like a more enjoyable experience since it was cheaper and not as crowded as usual. I never understood the appeal of a private screening until we had the theatre to ourselves. We could speak comfortably about the movie just as much as we would at home and discuss out loud which film previews we would like to watch.

However, when we went again in July, things had changed so much in such a short amount of time. Finding a good parking space was much more complicated than before, and there was even a short line at the ticket booth. The kiosk was not an option for us to have our tickets printed; luckily we had preordered our tickets this time.

We planned to watch two movies again, In the Heights and The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard. Since we planned to go eat between the showings, we decided that a medium popcorn would be good to snack on during the first film. I can’t remember the exact price of the popcorn, but it cost almost as much as a large popcorn did in May. We decided not to buy a soda since it was pricy, plus I had extra water in the small backpack I brought into the theatre.

In the Heights was great, and I could see the film’s cultural significance for many people. I enjoyed Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, so when I heard that Disney had decided to adopt one of his other musicals into a movie, I was very excited to see the release. They did a great job showing the day-to-day struggles of the characters and how chasing dreams is much harder than it seems. It shed light on policies and issues that Hispanic communities deal with and how they affect young generations. The music and choreography were excellent and not overdone so much that it was uncomfortable.

Solid 10/10, a great watch for anyone.

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard was a recent release at the time, and I was looking forward to seeing Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson star together. I had never seen the first film, but they did a great job of introducing the characters enough to understand their relationships and what happened in the previous movie. Salma Hayek was hilarious in the movie; she really did a great job leading the show. After watching the movie, I would love to go back and watch The Hitman’s Bodyguard.

8/10
9/10 (I’m a sucker for a Morgan Freeman cameo).

After comparing the two experiences, I find that I still enjoy going out to theatres, even though I can stream movies at home. A drive-in theatre would have lots of appeals nowadays since you get the best of both. You can bring your snacks and talk comfortably about the film, but also get away from home and spend time with a group of people. But even though nothing beats the comfort of home, a lovely trip to the movie theatres is still a staple of entertainment.