Every year the Los Angeles Conservancy puts on a series of screenings of classic films as they were meant to be seen, in big, beautiful theaters packed to the rafters with excited movie goers. The proceeds from Last Remaining Seats go to rebuild and restore the theaters that line Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. It's a great experience for a great cause. I first saw Sullivan's Travels at the Los Angeles theater ten years ago. I'd never heard of the film, barely knew veronica lake and was just sort of tagging along. I left that theater a convert. I decided then and there that, whenever possible, I would wait to see certain films until I could see them on the big screen. It was a great plan. I saw Casablanca at the Aero and The Good the Bad and the Ugly at the Egyptian. The Searchers at the arclight and Footlight Parade at the Orpheum (complete with a proper prologue, thank you very much). It wasn't until Christmas 2009 that I started going with my dad. That december the conservancy screened It's a Wonderful Life at the Million Dollar. I'd never seen it and my dad loves it. Of course we had to go. The latter half of that year had been tough and the beginning of 2010 was about to be even tougher, not to be cheesy but, we really couldn't have asked for a more perfect movie. As it had a million years before, something clicked and these screenings became somewhat of a tradition. We got tickets to the series the minute they became available and did the same thing this year. I've been waiting with bated breath for May to come and guess what! It's here! Last night we saw Rear Window and holy cow was it ever...

(To be continued)