DORMONT, Pa. — “The Goonies” wouldn’t have been my first choice, but options were limited.
It had been 96 days since I had been to a movie
The situation was still rather precarious in Los Angeles. But I had recently escaped for my parents’ house outside Pittsburgh with my 6-month-old. Here, movie
Many were still shuttered, though, waiting for the go-ahead from corporate overlords or some reassurances that may never come. Maybe they were just waiting for new movies.
Yet there was one venue with actual showtimes: A 95-year-old single screen
The math was simple: The baby at home ruled out the later show. And that’s how Richard Donner and Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adventure became my first post-quarantine
It was a particularly bright and hot day in southwestern Pennsylvania — the kind of weather that might normally draw crowds into the air-conditioned respite of the silver screen. But on this day, it was only me, my brother and sister in the lobby where two masked employees stood behind the concessions stand.
I asked if it had been busy.
“No,” one said. “That’s what happens when there are no new movies.”
Across the lobby there was a poster for “Wonder Woman 1984” with Gal Gadot surrounded by an explosion of
Inside, every other row was taped off. I was most surprised to see two other people in there already. They had staked out seats near the back. I nodded, but it’s hard to give friendly social cues behind a mask.
Everything else felt oddly normal, which itself was unnerving. If you let yourself forget about the global pandemic for a moment, you might be able to convince yourself that you're just in a
We positioned ourselves near the front and, tentatively, settled in. Given the riskiness of even being in a
When the lights went down, a trailer for “Black Widow,” which was supposed to come out in May, played. Then one for “Wonder Woman 1984.” Here, it just said “Summer.”
I never considered the possibility that advertisements for a couple of superhero movies were capable of triggering feelings of melancholy and wistfulness, but here were two major movies with female leads and female directors that seemed to represent these lost months.
I’m not sure when we will ever feel care-free, or even comfortable, in a movie
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Virus Diary, an occasional feature, showcases the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of Associated Press journalists around the world. See previous entries here. Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ldbahr
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press