We saw Spirited Away with Ceri and Scott last night, and it was gratifying to see one of the large theatres at the AMC with that many people in it. Wonderful movie – I don’t know if I enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed Princess Mononoke, but it was excellent: well-paced, with every character memorable without over-developing the supporting cast or pulling focus from the main storyline. And a wonderful soundtrack by Hisaishi, of course.

I looked around the theatre at the crowd – mostly thirty-somethings like myself – and I thought that each and every one of them was there because this was a new Miyazaki movie, which was pretty impressive. With movie tickets on a Friday night costing thirteen dollars (*koff* *koff* – shows how long it’s been since I saw a movie on a weekend, and it will be a long, long time before I do it again; if I’d known the price I’d probably have rescheduled my viewing, regretfully missing that opening night show but very aware of the reality my finances operate within these days), I knew that from now on I’d really be paying attention to what kind of movies I choose to see, and where I choose to see them. I’ve already sworn off the Paramount (except for films like Lord of the Rings) for price and atmosphere; I’d hate to have to swear off the AMC as well.

It really made me think, though, about what kind of movies for which I wish to demonstrate support. I’ve never been the kind of person who goes to see a movie for the sake of seeing a movie; I’m already rather discriminating, which solves a lot of my problem right off the bat. Thirteen dollars for a film, though… last night’s movie was almost two and a half hours, which breaks down to $5.20 per hour, which is a pretty good deal for Miyazaki. I don’t see films in the theatre very often, and I don’t understand people who say, “Oh, it’s Tuesday/Friday night, let’s catch a film.” It’s a product and a service, as well as being entertainment, and frankly I don’t think most films are worth the money.

This one was, thank goodness. But then, it was a Miyazaki product. Sometimes you know it’s safe to spend the money.