It was time to revisit my childhood this past weekend with a screening of GREMLINS at The Lightbox. The screening was part of TIFF’s ‘Back to The 80’s’ series, which has given me great joy in the way that it has been a rousing success. On the one hand, it’s been fun to see a lot of these movies on the big screen for the first time – even when I was coerced into MONSTER SQUAD. On the other hand, what has elevated the joy of attending these shows has been the amount of kids in the audience.

This week was another outing where I was surrounded by friends – Lady Hatter of course, Courtney from Big Thoughts and his lovely wife on our right, and Kurt from Row Three and his two whip-smart kids on our left.

The kids – Miranda and Willem, ages 6 and 7 – really represent for me what going to the movies is supposed to be about. I almost like ’em enough to offer babysitting services, if it means that I get to bring ’em out to the movies. Almost.

Willem was on the far side from me, so during the course of the screening, I couldn’t quite gauge his reactions. He might have been laughing at all the right moments, but it would have been hard to hear since the whole crowd was totally into it – The Gremlins singing along with Snow White got especially big laughs in the theatre.

While I couldn’t get a fix on how Willem was diggin’ it, it was easy to see that Miranda was…I’m gonna go with “insecure”. She certainly wasn’t afraid, even if she was curled up on her dad’s lap from the moment Gizmo multiplies…but she was curious and a little bit timid. That said, she’s a trooper because never once did she call out to leave. Kurt might well weigh in to verify this, but I did notice a slightly strategic bathroom break to help the kids reset.

Y’know, it’s a funny thing. When I go to most movies, a talking child can sometimes make me grumpy. It’s part of why I tend to see the very late show of most kid-friendly films. But every one of Miranda’s quiet notations (“Oh no! He’s feeding them – and it’s after midnight!!”) only helped me remember that I was her age when I first saw this film…and odds are that I asked my folks the very same questions, and made the very same exclamations.

I’m not saying this just because I know the kids parents (and at least one of them reads this blog), but having children like Willem and Miranda around when watching films like TIME BANDITS or GREMLINS really helps to encapsulate the reason why I’m going to these screenings as opposed to popping on the dvd’s. it’s about surrounding yourself with the sort of energy that takes pure joy in seeing something terrifying, fantastical, or fantastically terrifying dwarf them in the dark for an hour or two.

Like watching them blow out birthday candles or open a Christmas gift, watching a movie in a theatre with kids can really put you back in touch with just how much excitement one should get from life’s simple joys.

Edit: If you’re curious to know what the kids thought of the film – behold.