Unless, of course, you made your own big screen.
That's what we did on the night of January 1st, which was also the seventh birthday of my younger son, pictured here. (And no, I don't usually put up photos of my family or myself -- but since you can't see his face, I bent my rule in this case.)
Soul was the perfect way for my new projector to strut its stuff, in its third use since I bought it back in late October (fourth if you count a test run), and only the first time my kids were aware of its existence. Which made it an extra special great surprise for my son on his birthday, especially as he'd already been asking when we would watch Soul.
When you buy an expensive projector (mid-range expensive, not high-end expensive), you never really know what ROI you will get on it. Last night was the kind of ROI that goes well beyond dollars and cents.
Pictured above is the room where we've been staying since Monday at the Alzburg Resort in Mansfield, Victoria. We've been very lucky to be able to travel a bit this holiday season, if only locally, as COVID has been under control for more than two months now. As seems always to be the case with this virus, our luck has just run out, as there's been a (small) outbreak in Victoria just as of the past few days, whose parameters are not yet known. So who knows if we'd still have been able to make our trip if this outbreak happened a week ago.
But make it we did, as did my sister-in-law and mother-in-law. It's been a week of hiking and boating and swimming in the pool, and going in the hot tub, and playing tennis and shooting baskets on the normally coin-operated baseball game, and playing foosball, and playing ping pong, and barbecuing, and eating at an assortment of scrumptious restaurants. We've really had it all. I repeat, we are very lucky, though we can also credit one of the world's most stringent lockdowns back in July and August.
The movie last night was the cherry on top. (He says, as he eats the remainder of the yummy roadside cherries we bought for his final morning's breakfast.) After a birthday BBQ by the resort's pool, I hurried back to our room, where I rearranged the furniture, removed a painting from the wall and set up the projector. I also popped some microwave popcorn for the older one, who can't have family movie night without popcorn.
The big reveal was as impressive as I'd hoped, as the kids' grandmother might have been most impressed of all. As you might guess, the seven-year-old, who has not yet figured out tact or how to put things in perspective, had to mention that there was a hanger for the aforementioned painting screwed into the wall that represented a small flaw in our projection viewing area. It was a small flaw indeed, and, I assume, one we all began quickly to ignore.
The movie was loved by all, or at least I think it was. There was plenty of laughter, and some glistening on some adult cheeks as well. I'll find out over our final meal before we leave how much everyone really loved it, but I think the answer is "a lot." In any case, it was 9:20 when it ended so people scattered pretty quickly.
I of course loved it -- in about ten days you will find out exactly how much, which I myself am still mulling in my early days of having just watched it.
More than that I loved being able to see it BIG, to emphasize the beautiful animation and color of a film that was never meant to be watched on your TV.
Fighting to preserve the sanctity of the big screen movie experience since 2020.
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