I love movies but we rarely go to the movie theater anymore. It’s just a big hassle to go to the theater and the popcorn and drink cost more than a meal at a nice restaurant. This weekend my spouse and I broke down and went to see “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” at the theater. It was worth it.

Benjamin Button was indeed a curious case. It’s based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story. The original story is very different. It’s about a guy who ages backwards. It starts out with a guy well into his 80s who was born the last day of World War II. The movie version has the old guy meet a young girl and they later fall in love. They turn out to be the same age in the 1960’s. It’s a great love story that brings tears to your eyes. The movie is not filled with blood and gore and there are only a couple of explosions during a war scene. It’s probably not for the average audience whose favorite star is Explosion. The viewer is spellbound during this movie by the wonderful plot and great acting. I have new respect for Brad Pitt (I can’t believe I’m saying that).

The original Fitzgerald story, in my opinion, is not as good as the movie version. That’s not usually the case with the movie adaptation of stories. Sometimes, the movie sticks right with the book, as is the case with “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which is my all time favorite flick.

Benjamin Button makes me want to go to the movies again. There looks like a good one coming soon with Clint Eastwood who plays an old guy who takes on a gang of neighborhood thugs. Another of my favorite movies is the original version of “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” I hear the new version stinks. I just don’t want to see the old version corrupted, so I will probably stay on the porch with this one.

When I was a kid I attended the movie for 9 cents. A coke cost 5 cents. A bag of popcorn was a nickel as opposed to $5.00 today. I could have a great Saturday afternoon for 15 or 20 cents. I practically grew up in the movie theater shown above. Back then I called it a picture show rather than a movie. Today it cost me $20.00 for the same entertainment. The cost and explosions are what keep me on the porch now days.