GODFATHER

I and II. What a feast at the New Beverly Theater in Los Angeles. Good, old-fashioned double feature at a reasonable price, with juicy inexpensive food and old-time atmosphere. Getting in at 7 pm and exiting at 2 am after enjoying two of the best classics in movie history. What a treat. Can't say enough about Pacino and his masterful performance, one of the top acting jobs in history. Keaton is magnificent, and so is Duval. Experiencing things like this makes it worthwhile to put up with some of the junky side of living here. And the NewBev, what a venue. It's like going back to my hometown theater 40 years ago. Back to the roots, when I began to love movies; well, not just watching movies, but actually GOING to the movies. Those long lines as a 6-year old, bundled up against the cold, 10 pesetas in the pocket to buy the ticket and candy at "Los Frailes". The smell of pop corn, roasted corn, gummy bears and potato chips; the buzz in the room prior to the lights' going dark; the silence as soon as the roaring lion, or the mountain, or the torch lady, or the broadcasting tower, or the island appeared; the magic slide into a fantasy world where home sadnesses and family squabbles dissipated into endless blue horizons, galloping horses, pirates and sea battles, Roman gladiators or duck soup. The innocence is not there anymore, but that inner light prevails to the point where I can almost return to that virginal state. And I love it. Thanks to masterpieces like Godfather and the unaffected purity of places like the New Beverly Theater. We even had an intermission after reel number 7. Beautiful end of the year.