The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

This week I went to Walla Walla to see Wes Anderson's new movie The French Dispatch. The film was entertaining and one of Anderson's best. In each production, he brings back members from his eccentric troupe of actors, this time including Bill Murray, Adrian Brody, Tilda Swinton and Edward Norton. He also surprises us with some new faces, Benicio Del Toro and Timothee Chalamet. There is also an army of extras, with many cameos from Hollywood.

The story is close to my heart, it focuses on a newspaper, specifically a Sunday magazine that looks a lot like The New Yorker.

Murray is publisher of a France-based weekend magazine for the Kansas newspaper started by his father. Once called the Picnic, The French Dispatch is written by an eccentric group of writers championed by Murray's character.

It has been described as a love letter to journalists.

Getting back to the theater.

What made my movie experience even better was seeing it in a theater, watching this fun movie on a big screen with an audience.

Growing up in southern California where everyone seems to be in "the industry," going to the movies was a big part of my life. Matinees, premieres, midnight showings of art movies and endless foreign films inspired me to become an artist.

Over the last two years, I have become far to comfortable watching movies streamed to my iPad. What kind of monster am I?

With the Liberty Theater in Dayton and the multi-plex Grand Cinemas in Walla Walla I can finally watch movies on a big screen in a darkened theater with a big sound system. How movies are meant to be seen.

The most significant advantage to watching a movies in a theater is forcing multi-taskers to turn off their phones, apps, and iPads. When I go to my sister's house to watch a show or a movie, we both play games on our iPads while we watch. Ultimately, one or the other of us falls asleep before the show is finished.

In the theater, I am reminded to turn off my phone by a clever short film. I get comfortable in my seat, arrange my popcorn, soda and candy letting all the day's concerns disappear. By the time the previews are over, I am in the zone.

Both theaters let you buy tickets and reserve seats for your visit. It makes it easy to ask friends to join you, knowing you can find seats together. It also means you don't have to worry about getting stuck in the front row for a popular movie.

My plan is to go to one weekend matinee and one weeknight showing each week. All genres, including action movies, comedies, scary stories, and even the new Jack Ass movie appeal to me.

If you love movies, get back into the theater, popcorn and Junior Mints in hand to support the arts and our local businesses. Leave streaming for the endless supply of television shows.