Showtimes for Monday, September 22 to Thursday, September 25

This schedule is good for Monday, September 22 to Thursday, September 25 only.

Get Smart
PG-13 1 hr 51 mins
Showtimes: 7:15 PM

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
PG-13 2 hrs 02 mins
Showtimes: 7:00 PM | 9:25

The X-Files: I Want to Believe
PG-13 1 hr 44 mins
Showtimes: 9:30 PM

Hancock
PG-13 1 hr 32 mins
Showtimes: 9:35 PM

Kung Fu Panda
PG 1 hr 31 mins
Showtimes 7:30 PM

Memories of the Kaysville Theatre #1

So you might be curious, what was the first film that I saw at the Kaysville Theatre? Well, that would be Time Bandits. We saw it in early 1982. As a boy of 6, and a die-hard Star Wars junkie, this film was right up my alley. I once heard this film summarized as "cosmic dwarves on a time and space odyssey". A perfect blend of science fiction, toungue-in-cheek comedy, and the same impish sense of humor that I have, Time Bandits spoke to me in a way that even more than 25 years later, I still feel and enjoy every time I watch it. Even more so when later in life, I learned that one of the stars, Kenny Baker, is the same person who operated R2-D2 in the Star Wars saga.

The movies centers around a group of small men, who are creative assistants to the Supreme Being (God, if you prefer). They steal His map of the universe, which reveals all the holes and imperfections in Creation (as the movie puts it, "a bit of rush job, you see, as they only had 7 days to complete it"), and then proceed to travel through time and space, getting rich on the spoils of history's greatest figures.

The climax of the film is an epic battle pitting the forces of good against Evil (who is actually a character in the movie). For weeks after we saw the film, I reenacted the battle at home in my bedroom with my toy tanks, helicopters, and green army men. One of my favorite memories of my young years. I don't think many people remember this film, as it was a rather low budget film from England, but it still lives with me after all these years.

Showtimes for Saturday, September 20, 2008

This schedule is good for Saturday, September 20, 2008 only.

Get Smart
PG-13 1 hr 51 mins
Showtimes: 1:15pm | 2:30 | 7:15

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
PG-13 2 hrs 02 mins
Showtimes: 1:50pm | 4:15 | 7:00 | 9:25

The X-Files: I Want to Believe
PG-13 1 hr 44 mins
Showtimes: 4:35pm | 9:30

Hancock
PG-13 1 hr 32 mins
Showtimes: 4:45pm | 9:35

Kung Fu Panda
PG 1 hr 31 mins
Showtimes: 12:45pm | 2:40 | 7:30

Showtimes for Friday, September 19, 2008

This schedule is good for Friday, September 19 only.

Get Smart
PG-13 1 hr 51 mins
Showtimes: 4:30pm | 7:15
(my comments: a fun picture over all. The plot was a bit thin at times, but it's well directed and acted. Too bad Don Adams passed away before this was made, he would have had a wonderful cameo.)

Hancock
PG-13 1 hr 32 mins
Showtimes: 9:35pm
(my comments: Will Smith as a broody super-anti-hero. A bit silly at times, the movie runs out of gas before anything really happens.)

Kung Fu Panda
PG 1 hr 31 mins
Showtimes: 4:50pm | 7:30
(my comments: Wonderful, colorful and fun. Jack Black brought the character to life. Fans of Hong Kong cinema will be pleasantly surprised by the level of accuracy and authenticity in the film.)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
PG-13 2 hrs 02 mins
Showtimes: 4:15pm | 7:00 | 9:25
(my comments: it's an over the top, overblown adventure in the style of the 1950's drive-in "B" movies. It's 100% Indiana Jones. A fun movie to just go and have fun while you go along for the ride.)

The X-Files: I Want to Believe
PG-13 1 hr 44 mins
Showtimes: 9:30pm
(my comments: rather dark and mysterious. You don't need to be a die-hard fan of the original TV show, but to really understand the plot and characters, that really is necessary. If you haven't seen the original, you'll feel a bit lost here.)

Welcome to the unofficial blog of the Kaysville Theatre. So what is the Kaysville Theater? It's a discount family theater in Kaysville, Utah. My family moved to Kaysville in 1981, and as movies was always a favorite pastime for us, we naturally began coming here. Before, we had lived in Roy, and seen movies at the theater there (which was sadly demolished to build an Albertson's). I'm not quite sure when the Theatre first opened, but I can assume it goes back at least 20 years before I started going there. For quite a number of years an old-style ticket booth sat vacant out front, with some quite dilapidated red velvet curtains inside. I clearly remember a pile of pennies inside the booth. How they got there is anyone's guess. Originally there was just one large auditorium. The Theatre was remodeled about 15 years ago, and the two smaller auditoriums were added. I remember the original snack bar was on the opposite side of the main lobby from where it is now. And for years on the front of the building there was the old marquee, with the motto, "Davis County's Finest Theatre". That is sadly gone, and while the Kaysville Theatre isn't the most modern theater in the county, it does provide an experience for the movie goer that you can't find anywhere else. So now you are probably saying, "I want to join the Kaysville Theatre family and see movies there too!" But, before you do this, there are some things you need to know:

- the busiest times are Friday and Saturday evenings. Get to the theater at least 30 minutes before your show starts, as the auditoriums sell out fast. The line will go all the way down the block and wrap around onto Center Street.
- Monday nights can be packed as well, especially if a new film for children is being shown
- an insider's guide to parking at the Theatre: don't bother even trying to find a parallel spot on Main Street in front of the Theatre. Park across the street in the lot behind the Kaysville Library right across the street to the east, or on Center Street or 100 North.
- a word of warning about the floors in the auditoriums: they are bare cement, and this leads to them becoming quite sticky from spilled soda. When I say sticky, I mean venus-fly-trap-superglue sticky. The worst place is the very front row, left side, in auditorium 2. The floor slopes down to this point, and a drain is here, where the spillage from the floor collects. But of course this is all part of the Kaysville Theatre experience (and one of its charms if you ask me). Also they can be a bit cold in the winter.
- the seats in the two smaller auditoriums tend to be a bit hard and cramped. They do have drink holders in the arm rests. Child booster seats are available in the lobby (just make sure it's clean before you put your child in it!).

Also, there is a long-running tradition that I have only ever seen at the Kaysville. After the prevues of coming attractions have played, you will see one of two safety messages: one animated, where a janitor inspects the trash after the audience has left, and finds them empty, only to open the theater doors and gets buried in the avalanche of drink containers and popcorn boxes; the other a live-action scene of two patrons (one in overalls, another smartly dressed in khaki slacks) watching a movie with an exciting score. The khaki-panted fellow on the right neatly stacks his popcorn box, soda cup and candy wrapper, the overall man on the left tosses his trash all on the floor. As the movie ends and the house lights come up, the messy patron finds his shoe stuck to the floor with the chewing gum he had carelessly discarded there earlier.

So there you have it. An insider's guide on what is the Kaysville Theatre. In the future, check back to this blog for current showtimes and other news from the Kaysville Theatre. My hat goes off to the Call family for doing such a wonderful job at keeping the Theatre running strong (and while you are at it, visit their Passion for Popcorn just up the street. It's just as wonderful).