Today Extra co-host David Campbell on the thing his family misses most
David Campbell lists all the things he wants back and fondly recalls his favourite way to spend time with his family - going to the movies.
Stellar
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As we get towards the end of this year (which never seems to end), there are many things I look forward to doing again when we are all safe. How good will it be to go to a concert or a festival again?
I’d even take my Daggy Dad dance moves to a mosh pit if it meant experiencing the energy of a group of non-covid humans, focused on an artist, singing along to their lyrics at the top of our lungs.
Or the theatre. To sit once more with the giddy excitement before the lights go down – the delicious anticipation of the curtain going up, the orchestra playing an overture, an ensemble of Australia’s best performers giving their all, making the hairs on the back of my neck give a standing ovation.
There is one thing, though, that my family misses more than I thought they would. The cinema. It’s hard to get my kids to stay awake past 7pm, let alone get them to a band or the latest musical or play. Movies were the treat we all bonded over as a family.
Look, I get it. We are not starved of content with every channel and streaming service trying harder than ever to compete for our entertainment dollar. And call me old-fashioned, but there is a magic that only the flicks can provide to a family.
Most music gigs don’t do mums-and-bubs matinees, and I am not sure you would hear my dad over all the other screaming even if they did.
As for the theatre, with all its wonder, there are some key elements missing. Like previews. How good is settling into your seat in time to catch what the “coming attractions” are? You don’t get that at Hamilton.
I have bonded with my eldest son over so many movies. Seeing Star Wars the way it should be: too loud and in a Westfield far, far down the road. We loved having our eyeballs melted by Avengers and Marvel movies, sitting with a couple of ridiculously priced buckets of popcorn on our laps.
Then there is the memory of my wife and I holding hands during Oscar season as we try to devour every inch of celluloid so we can guess who will take home Best Picture. Heck. Will there even be an Academy Awards?
I know cinema is back, but it’s not the same. I have tried. We all did our best and concentrated on Tenet like there was going to be an exam at the end. But not even Nolan could save the silver screen.
Unfortunately, the delays have begun. James Bond has been rescheduled so many times, he currently has no idea when is the Time To Die. All the big, fun stuff a family can go to in the school holidays or on a rainy weekend has been pushed to 2021. Or worse, 2022!
I am worried if we get a second wave, the next Harrison Ford epic will be called Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Zoom.
The comfort I have is they still seem to be making movies. Mainly in Byron Bay. But they seem to be happening.
I just can’t wait to sneak a glance at the faces of my children in the velvet seats again, wide-eyed and staring at the screen in a total Hollywood hypnosis. To drink those moments in like an oversized, watered-down Coke.
I just hope it happens before I qualify for my Seniors Card.
David co-hosts Today Extra, 9am Monday to Friday, on the Nine Network.
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