Took the Boy to the movies this weekend...

[doc_bean]

I see 4 major factors:

1. Movies just aren't as interesting anymore, too many remakes, too many dumb action movies, etc.

2. Movies don't play as long as they used to, or at least it seems that way to me. They do show up on dvd within a few months now

4. The improvement of the 'home experience'

3. internet piracy, always a big thing amongst teenagers and young adults, it saves them at least 5€ to see a movie, that's a couple of beers !

[_Martyr_]

Personally, I would hate it if the cinema died away. I used to have a small theatre less than two minutes walk away, and would go two or three times a week. I'd meet before with friends, and after for a hot chocolate and great discussion. It's this social aspect that sets the cinema experience apart. It helped that it showed lots of good foreign language films with challenging ideas and techniques.

Let me guess... the IFI?

[Puzz3D]

So here's the question, will going to the movies go the way of the dinosaur or is it still the way to go for certain pictures?

Certain pictures are worth seeing in the theater. The past few years I've seen House of Flying Daggers, Hero, Alexander (DVD director's cut is better), The New World (twice), Star Wars (once film projection and once digital projection. I liked the film projection better.), War of the Worlds (twice), Kill Bill 1+2 (twice), 28 Days Later (3 times), Open Range, Chicago, Sin City, Godzilla (original Japanese version from 1954), Lord of the Rings 2+3, V for Vendetta and King Kong (some bad CGI is fixed in the DVD version). I'm glad I saw these movies in the theater since I don't have a home theater system with a huge LCD TV screen. I don't go to the theater to see movies I think will be edited for mainstream American audiences. For that type of movie, I wait for the unrated DVD release.

I went to see Godzilla recently because I saw it in 1956 sitting in the front row of the theater with my friend, but this time it was shown in the original unedited version which was too controversial for American audiences back then. I was disappointed though because the screen it was shown on was not very big. Nothing will ever recreate the experience of a kid sitting in the front row seeing that movie. I'm sorry I never got to see King Kong (1933 version) that way, but I did get to see almost every sci-fi movie released in the 1950's and 1960's in the theater. Some of them made a big impression on me such as The Creature from the Black Lagoon in polarized 3D, and the George Pal version of War of the Worlds. The presentation of 2001: A Space Odyssey in Cinerama with an Altec Voice of the Theater sound system was very impressive in 1968. I've only gone to see one theatrical movie at an IMAX theater, Star Wars 1 as I recall, but at $14 a ticket I'm not inclined to see another one there.

So I like going to the theater, but it is getting rather expensive now ($10 usd) considering the DVD (costing $20) could be out in 3 months (King Kong for example). When you add in a poorly behaved audience, and sitting through commercials and endless previews, I can see why some people might give up on going to the theater altogether.

There is one movie theater left in Boston. It's a very nice Loews 16 screen theater with stadium seating, and I can get $6 (usd) tickets through work (can't use them in the first 10 days of a movie's release). I can get to the theater for no cost in 30 min, and, if I time it right, I miss the commercials and epileptic inducing previews. Since I'm not about to pay the exhorbitant prices they charge for someting to eat or drink, getting there right when the movie starts works out fine. I depend on my body's capacity to survive 3 days without food to get me through the movie, and there is a free water fountain if I get thirsty. There is basically nobody in the theater when I go to a matinee showing. There are so few people at this theater when I go that I'm concerned it will close, but maybe their nightime business is good.

[Ja'chyra]

Hmm... saw the title of the thread and thought you'd be talking about "Brokeback Mountain."

My mistake

The only reason to go see Brokeback Moutain is so you can shout out "He's behind you"

[master of the puppets]

we all agree new movies are crap...so what would'nt be crap, what movie would you like to see made and well.

[yesdachi]

we all agree new movies are crap...so what would'nt be crap, what movie would you like to see made and well.

This one

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Comedies are always much better in a theater. You laugh more when other people are laughing.


If people are going to the theaters less then maybe hollywood will start making movies with a lower budget. Desperado's budget was only $7M I believe, and that was an excellent movie.