2 1/2 Minutes of Ecstasy
I’m a sucker for trailers. Remember that time in the theater, before they had commercials and the only thing that would come up before your movie was a bevy of trailers. Man, give me a “In A World…” and I’m there. Back in the mid-80’s, my friend and I would often venture to the Dennis Theater, a rotting, rundown 4-plex, even by mid-80’s standards. But it was walking distance from our houses and that’s really what counted. I don’t know what mid-80’s film we were seeing, but I distinctly remember a host of trailers and thinking, “I want to see every one of these movies.” I still remember turning to my friend and speaking those words out loud, as the trailer for LA BAMBA faded and the next green bar lit up the screen like a comfy pasture illuminated by a soft summer sun.
“La Bamba? Man, you want to see all the movies.” My friend’s commentary on my movie choices not withstanding, I did want to see all the movies. I can’t blame him for judging me. We were tweens. It was the mid-80’s. What did we care about the previous generations’ rock stars? We had the reality of RED DAWN to worry about. But that tease! Those amazing 2 ½ minutes! Hell yes, I wanted to see LA BAMBA!
Those minutes reflect all the hope, all the good, all the passion before you even have to give yourself over to the movie. Those few minutes are the promise of having a perfect date without the commitment. An infinity of promise that never has to pay off. Always there, it can tease and flirt. There to take you on a quick journey, like watching a life in fast forward slowing down just for the really, really good parts. And you never have to follow up afterward, it just flits onto the next person for them to experience, maybe love and move on. I guess what I’m saying is that movie trailers are the hussies of the film going experience. A quickie experienced along the way to your final destination. And whether you like that final destination, you will always have that 2 ½ minutes of promise.
I still haven’t seen LA BAMBA. Great, fun trailer though. Don’t really want to commit to a 2 hour relationship with it. Hmmm…What does that say about me?
