But shouldn't I stop making movies and do something that counts, like-like helping blind people or becoming a missionary or something?

From time to time I've spoken fondly of my "dream business" of owning a franchise of the Alamo Drafthouse Theater. For the curious their website can be found here.

The Alamo is spoken of in reverential terms among film geeks and movie fans nationwide. On the surface it seems like many other theater-restaurants that have opened nationally in the last decade or so. Mid to high end food served while first run movies are playing. In the Northwest we have the McMennamin theater pubs and Vancouver's own Cinetopia.

But the Alamo is few steps beyond these venues. The owners of the Alamo look at movies as events to really celebrate film fandom. These events can be anything from bringing in a special chef to serve meals directly out of the works of J.R.R. Tolkein's books during a marathon showing of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films to bringing in a symphony to perform Henry Mancini's work before a showing of the "Pink Panther" to having a live dangerous snake show and Samuel Jackson speak before the Alamo debut of "Snakes on a Plane."

Some other examples of Alamo style events-

Sing-Along Extravaganzas Concert films and music videos with subtitles. Basically Karaoke.

Food & Film Signature Events

Past highlights have been the Lawrence of Arabia 5 Course Feast, the Casablanca Morroccan Feast, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy with 9 meals, one at every Hobbit eating time, the Alamo Iron Chef Competition, our Aphrodesiac-laden Valentine's Feasts and more.

Rolling Roadshow Probably their coolest event. They schedule showings of roughly twelve shows a year near the location featured in the film. A couple of years ago they showed "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" at the foot of Devil's Tower in the middle of the desert. They brought to show to Oregon a couple of years ago with a showing of the "Goonies" in Astoria and will be showing "Stand by Me" in Brownsville, Oregon on July 28th.

These shows feature more than just the film. At the Goonies showing they served Baby Ruth candy bars and Rocky Road ice cream and Corey Feldman appeared live but made the entire crowd do the "Truffle Shuffle" before he'd start the film. The Stand by Me showing they're planning on having a blueberry pie eating contest...

If this is the future of going to the movies then sign me up.