I spent a large part of the movie feeling confused, having no idea as to the politics or the history of it all. My father served in World War II, but he rarely spoke of it, and being six years old, it was not something I had encountered in kindergarten or first grade. Still, I had a good time and loved the huge screen and sitting in the dark, getting lost in the atmosphere of it all.
We didn't go to the Movies as a family, ever, so the rarity of Movies made them wonderful to me. Even as a teenager going with friends, I always got a thrill when the lights would go all the way down and the previews would start. I loved the feeling of anticipation when the title of the feature I was there to see would go up on the big screen. I was immediately ready to be swept into the story.
My first date with Rick was a movie. We were going to go see Star Wars, but neither of us was entirely sure how to get to the theater where it was playing (oh, the days before Google Maps and GPS!). We ended up seeing Oh, God! with George Burns and John Denver instead. To this day neither of us has ever seen Star Wars on the big screen.
I went to the Movies quite often, years ago, with teacher friends. We'd go to early shows and, during the summers, matinees. One memorable Last Day Of School, a teacher buddy and I even went to a movie just a little bit drunk on some terrible frozen margaritas we made at my apartment. When our friend arrived to pick us up to go, our attempt to appear sober failed entirely. That movie was Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the only movie playing that afternoon at a convenient time for us. I have no idea what it was about, (none of us had seen Star Trek I; was there one?) but I had fun. We were the only people in the theater.
Back then, I saw so many Movies! I wanted to see as many Oscar Contenders as I could. A colleague and I would print out the Oscar nominations and make our picks and vie for bragging rights. A friend and I went to the Movies at least a couple times a month. In my retirement, I said wistfully, I'll be able to go to the Movies all the time. I imagined myself sitting afternoons in almost empty theaters, watching Movies on Tuesdays or Thursdays and emerging into the sunshine two hours later, blinking and smiling, then heading home and back to my Real Life.
That didn't happen. I think the last movie I saw in the theater was Lincoln, with Daniel Day-Lewis in the titular role, in 2012. Going to the Movies slowly became less and less of a Pleasure for me. First, the theaters became smaller and smaller, and the walls became thinner. I could hear some of the heavier, deeper bass notes of the films going on in the adjoining cinemas. Then, audience member behaviour got worse: it's hard to lose yourself in the Movies when people near you are talking (not whispering); when the lights from their cell phones are distracting you; when their cell phones ring AND they take the call right there in the theater; and when parents bring children to Movies that are really not for kids and then refuse to regulate their behaviour. I simply gave up, completely and totally.
"Wow. It's just a movie, not a religious service," some of you are probably saying. And, of course, you're right.
Although the last religious service I attended was equally as annoying as what I described above, with the addition of it being a religious service. But I digress.
My point is--and I do have one--that Going To The Movies has been spoiled, like so many things, by a Lack Of Common Human Courtesy. Whether its demise was hurried by technology (cell phones, digital projectors) or greed (multi-plexes, short staffing), Common Human Courtesy at the Movies has definitely dwindled to the point where for me, there is not enough of it to get me to the theater. Like many others, I'll wait until the film comes to a streaming service. And then, I find, I don't care enough to seek it out.
How about you? Do you still go to Movies (or did you, before the pandemic)? Am I expecting Too Much? Chat me up in Comments
I also remember seeing The Sound of Music. Knew very little of the historical background, either. I was thrilled from beginning to end. The only other movies I remember from my early youth were a couple of Disney classics including Old Yeller which came out when I was 5. That was my first movie to see in a theatre. Later on, I remember seeing The Absent-Minded Professor (the original Flubber!). What I most recall during that time was an epic bus trip my sister and I made to see my aunt & uncle in Virginia (we lived in Maryland at the time). They took us + their 6 boys to see How the West Was Won in a movie theatre with the biggest screen I had seen until then.
ReplyDeleteIn college, everyone was into watching off-beat movies about rebellious young people. One title I always remember is The Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon-Kicker, lol. When Star Wars came out, I was already living in Spain, and it was a cult thing for sure. Living in Spain introduced me to foreign films in a big way. I suppose if I had lived in a more metropolitan area in the U.S. before, I would have had that exposure as well. For four years, I wrote a weekly movie review for an English-language magazine in Madrid. That taught me a lot about movies of all kinds, since I reviewed the American imports + European movies. I loved it. I got paid a pittance for doing it (barely enough to cover the cost of the tickets), but the experience was priceless (and also improved my Spanish since the English language movies were all dubbed in Spanish).
Mr. O. and I used to be really keen on going to el cine, but in recent years, movie theatres have become, as you describe, a pain in the neck with all the cell phone annoyance and people behaving badly. With the onset of COVID, we did miss occasionally going, but mainly as a reason for getting out of the house. That said, even before COVID, movie theatres here were getting smaller and smaller audiences (except for the cheap-o dollar movie places). With streaming services and huge TV screens in the home, why pay $10-15 per person + about the same for over-priced drinks and stale popcorn when watching it at home costs so much less? There was, admittedly, the excitement of huge audience reactions to the more thrilling/surprising/scary moments, but… honestly? These days, I’d rather put the money towards a meal in one of my favorite restaurants.
Ortizzle--I saw Old Yeller in our elementary school gymnasium. I cried, and hard. It was an all-school movie.
DeleteWhat I would have given, at any time in my life, to have written a movie review column! Even just for the price of the tickets it would have been a dream come true. I always thoroughly enjoyed showing the film adaptations of books/plays we read in class, even though I saw them over and over again in the same day, year after year. Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch never, ever gets old or stale.
Theaters here struggled as well pre-pandemic. One chain closed permanently once COVID shut things down. It's true that streaming is killing movie houses, just like online shopping is killing brick-and-mortar retail. It's the natural evolution of things, I guess.
Like you, I would rather spend my money on a nice meal and/or a good bottle of wine. I really think theaters will soon be an oddity and a private party venue.
Old Yeller: I cried my eyes out, too!! Gregory as Atticus: An epic performance. Sidebar: He was also my first *huge* crush on a movie star. My first boyfriend looked *a lot* like him, especially those eyes. I was smitten, lol.
DeleteI stopped going to the movies about 10 years ago. People were discourteous, but for me it was the deafening noise and the brightness of the screen that ruined the experience. I'm a highly sensitive person so I found it all jarring, and that's before I get ranting about how violence is not entertainment. If I want to see a movie I watch it at home, at my own pace, with the sound adjusted and the screen not too bright. I control it, it does not control me.
ReplyDeleteAlly--Good points! I, too, had begun to find the volume of some films to be invasive and overwhelming. I didn't notice the screen brightness being an issue, but perhaps now I would.
DeleteViolence that is necessary to the story is acceptable to me. But gratuitous violence and gore aren't my thing, either. I'm also not an action movie fan, yet I'm not one for sappy, predictable romance stuff (think Hallmark Movies). I think the stress of the pandemic and the previous administration left me with zero desire to watch much of anything with lots of conflict and thinking involved. I don't want to ruminate or cry, but I don't want my intelligence insulted, either. I know you understand.
Up until a few months before the pandemic I was going to the movie theater about once a months and had been doing that for about five years. We'd go during the day and never had any bad experience wit rude or inconsiderate people.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid we went to the movies every Saturday. I really do enjoy the big scree experience and hope to be able to go again when I get settled.
Jean--I'm so glad that you are still a moviegoer and enjoy it. Once the pandemic is finally over (if ever--I see where another new variant has been found in, of course, Florida), perhaps I will give it one more try. But there would have to be one heck of a movie to get me to want to go back to the theaters.
DeleteI do miss the big screen experience although the big screens got a whole lot smaller, too.
I liked going to the movies well enough - except for the other people in the theater - but there are very few movies that I actually want to see on the big screen so it has been a long, long time since I've been to one. I did see Lincoln (with The Husband, of all people! He is not a movie goer usually) and we loved it.
ReplyDeleteGigi--Rick is not a big moviegoer either, and he wouldn't go during the week because he's too tired from work. I always refused to go on weekends because that's when it's most crowded and full of the most annoyances.
DeleteLincoln was my dream film, a movie about my favourite historical time period, my favourite historical figure, and starring my all-time favourite actor. I waited and waited for that movie to come out and ate up any advance publicity I could find.
His Oscar was well-deserved.
Loved Lincoln. Have been trhough it twice.
DeleteMy sister and I would take my kids to the movies whenever Disney had a new one coming out. Those and the Pixar movies were great to see in the theater and I have nice memories of that. The kids grew up and the movies got to be so expensive so I haven't been since I cannot remember when!
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy being able to watch movies at home with my closed captions playing so I know what is going on!
Ellen--I used to take my boys to the movies all the time as well. Kid movies are a whole different ballgame; you expect more noise and interaction with littles all over the place. Summertime was Movietime for us.
DeleteWe rarely watch movies at home now, despite having access to so many over several streaming services (thanks to our sons' generosity). The idea of committing 2+ hours to a single video feels restrictive to us. We like the flexibility of shorter shows although we do sometimes watch two or three in a row. I guess we're just quirky.
The first movie I saw by myself was Ben Hur. The last movie we went to see was Midway. We used to make a Friday outing long ago...a weekly movie. Now, the movies are geared toward younger audiences & politically correct that it's just too obvious for us to enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteAnni--Oh, Charlton Heston. He was such an over-acter in The Ten Commandments! My sister and I used to watch it at Eastertime every year and make fun of him. I remember watching Ben Hur all the time, too.
DeleteI do think that most films (and everything else!) are skewed to a much younger audience. I'm sure every generation before us felt the same. I will say, however, that when I watch any of the movies my 91-year old mother thought were so wonderful, I cannot believe how awful they are. I find the actors to be stiff and over-the-top, and most of the stories are just basic because the characters aren't developed or complex. I find myself laughing at them often.
My mother is outraged, of course.
Dee--I love the term Full-Time Adult. Is it yours? Let's talk about what a Part-Time Adult is. I love the whole taxonomy of this idea SO SO MUCH. It feels like a great blogpost.
ReplyDeleteIt's almost no fun to see a movie about stuff you don't have the inside info on. That's how I felt when we went to see Wrath of Khan. Thank goodness we were tipsy. That movie was just a bunch of incoherent crap to us. And the Klingons looked like they had dogshit on their heads.
Anyway--it seems like many of us are not missing the theater experience very much at all. So if we ever decide to have a Dept. of Nance Meet-Up, we can eliminate a Movie Night from our activities.
Going to the movies was a big part of growing up in America for me. As a kid, we saved bottle caps for free admission to Summer kiddy matinees. As a teen you could see everyone you knew on Friday date nights, maybe experiencing your first kiss in the balcony. And on and on. But for me it was not only the discourteous audience, the sticky floors, the excessive action/violent showings, but then the mass shooting in a theater in the mid-west, necessitating searches of our purses--not for elicit candy but for firearms. It is just easier on my mood and well-being to subscribe to 3 streaming services plus movies "On-Demand" in my cable service. Isolating, anti-social true, but a fact of life in modern life.
ReplyDeleteEileen--Bottle caps for free admission? What a great deal! Although at my house growing up, that would not have been helpful. We had soda only once a week, and my dad was not a drinker, even of beer.
DeleteI guess I haven't been to a film since a theater shooting. I never had to undergo a search. If I did, they'd certainly find illicit snacks and a bottle of water. I get truly indignant at the price of theater concessions although I guess that's how they make their profit.
Right now, it seems like the only movies out there are superhero movies. I could not be less interested. In fact, I can't even tell you the name of any new-ish movie I remotely want to see.
Sound of Music was my first movie too. We went as a fami1y and that was the on1y time we did that.
ReplyDeleteThe movie theatre vio1ence makes me uneasy there now. Such a horrib1e thing to remember. I wasn't even there, thank God, but it enough to deter me. I can wait unti1 they come out at home . I wou1d never go to a movie on a pretty summer day. I save movies I want to see for co1d winter afternoons or evenings. I dont think that he1ped you
kathy b--I think violence at movie theaters is quite rare. You're more likely to have a fatal accident on your bike or in your car.
DeleteOn really stifling summer days, it's nice to have the respite of the movies. Better than sitting at home or suffering in the heat. But on nice summer days, I agree; it's better to be outdoors enjoying the weather and nature.
La ughing. A lot. Yes, there was a Star Trek I. Goodness. My first movie was Bambi, and I went to supervise a bunch of little kids. They all cried buckets, had to go and pee and generally made my day. I was, maybe, thirteen. My parents did not do movies. Live theatre, thank you. I recall,going to one movie with a friend as an older teen. Do not recall the movie but friend and I both cried buckets and had no hankies so had to blow our noses into our slips. JG and I went to whatever was playing on low,price,Wednesdays as newly weds. I do not recall what we viewed. B films, I think. And then, frabjous day, we got a VCR. You name it, we rented and ran it. My two ventures to movie theatres in later life were to see 'Dances with Wolves' because of the photography and TLOTR, all three sections, solo because my family does not do fantasy. Too loud, too much audience crap, yeah. Bought the discs. Now, if I could only figure out how to run the disc player on JG's super unfriendly TV I would be all set. He streams with an Apple application that I do nto go near, even to dust. Ut we saw all of Brigerton at Christmas. Yum.
ReplyDeleteMary G--I am continually befuddled by all things Star Trek (and Star Wars, to be honest). Even my tough old Uncle Julius, a hard-drinking Hungarian carpenter, had a thing for Star Trek, and that was fifty years ago. We used to eat sardines on saltine crackers together. I once wrote him a poem making fun of his Star Trek affinity. He loved it.
DeleteI saw Bambi for the first time when I was sixteen. I cried buckets but did not dare leave the theater to pee. I would have loved the job you had that day. Kids in bunches like that crack me up.
You and your friend had to be pretty damn limber to blow your snot all over your slips. Or did you wear full slips and use the tops? Either way...ew.
My mother and father went nuts for Dances with Wolves. I've still never seen it; no interest. Same with Out of Africa. They were ones for big epics and sweeping landscapes and natives and stuff like that.
I, too, found Bridgerton delightful. Quite fluffy and nice. The Duke...sigh.
SIGH!!!!
DeleteAnd the slips were pretty voluminous.
The movies that I mostly remember seeing as a child were animal movies (like Old Yeller although most of the ones we saw were not nearly as good as that) because that's what my dad was interested in and Elvis Presley, or similar, movies that my mother wanted to see at the drive-in. I remember my best friend's mother asking if I could go see M.A.S.H. with them when I was a teenager. My mother respected her mother. She was the church organist after all! That movie seems so very tame now but it was so risque at the time, and parental permission was required (don't remember what that rating was called back then). I felt so grown up and it seemed both very funny and also sobering because of the subject matter.
ReplyDeleteSmokey especially loved movies and that was something we enjoyed doing together. Matinees were always our thing though. When he was retired briefly, we would go to the first showing during the week and sometimes it was us and a handful of others. It felt like a private showing and no obnoxious folks were present. I watched many sci-fi movies with him but few of them were really my thing. I would often daydream during the scenes that didn't really appeal to me. I'd mentally make my to-do list, rearrange the furniture in my house, etc. LOL
I still enjoy seeing comedies with friends but obviously that hasn't happened in a good while. I was so hopeful that we'd be resuming all that soon but my freedom period was short lived. Not going to be going that crazy given the variants and the breakthrough cases I'm seeing. It's even more depressing and exhausting this time around.
The three of us have watched some new movies via streaming using Amazon rewards or paying a premium price. Most were excellent. Cruella was very well done and totally entertaining. We didn't love the last part of it but overall, it was an enjoyable watch.
Shirley--You were awfully kind and generous to continue going to movies that bored you. I hope he reciprocated often and went to "your" movies, too.
DeleteWhen we were young, there was a family-owned and -run theater nearby that we used to go to. If the audience got out of hand, the woman used to come out and yell at everyone and threaten to stop the film if people didn't quiet down. I was there a few times when her husband, the projectionist, would actually stop the film. It was awesome.
Yes, my hopes were piqued early on this summer, too, but as usual, the idiots have ruined it for us all. Now there is a new variant in Florida (of course), and it looks grim again. Why the FDA won't go ahead and approve these vaccines is beyond me. It would remove a big excuse for some people.
And why, if we are paying for Amazon Prime, do we have to pay on top of that for anything from their video service? What the heck is that about? Ridiculous.
I went to "my" movies with my sister and other friends. That worked out just fine. :-)
DeleteWe still have a theater like that in town. So wonderful, right? The manager of this one is terrific at keeping things clean and quiet. He also gives great tips on movies. He would tell us which negative movie reviews to ignore after he'd watched the films.
There's also a theater on the Navy base here. Before I retired, we could go to that as I was a Navy contractor and my badge gave me access to that perq. It's a small theater but big enough to get a good movie experience. There's no goofing off, they show terrific movies, and the prices for the tickets and goodies are low. That was one perq I was sorry to lose!
Well, you know Amazon ... Bezos can never have enough $.
Oh I agree. I'm really not much of a movie person, but Fletch and I used to go (it has been years). I don't like the smaller theatres and others' behavior is horrid! We now have near us what is called a Movie Tavern. You go and sit and a waiter comes around to take your order. food and drinks are way over priced, but what's worse is that the waiters are all over the place - aisles and rows DURING the movie.
ReplyDeleteVera--Movie Tavern sounds terrible to me. What a ridiculous added distraction--people ordering food, waiters bringing it, waiters checking back, refilling drinks, diners clanking silver and dishware, etc. Good Heavens, what a nightmare. Not to mention that WE CAN DO THAT AT HOME FOR FREE.
DeleteI'm astonished that idea ever made it past a meeting, let alone into reality. Unbelievable.
My earliest movie memory is "Paint Your Wagon," from the backseat of my parents station wagon. But I also remember my dad finally caving in and taking me to see the animated Jungle Book. Love this post. I was in love with movies most of my life, but the past few years I've gravitated more towards books.
ReplyDeleteWanders--Oh, the drive-in! Another place we never went as kids, but I loved going with Rick. There's a drive-in theater near our home, and it's a treasure.
DeleteI've never seen either of your memory movies, but I do know at least one song from The Jungle Book. I am still not a fan of Westerns, but I'm sure my mother has seen Paint Your Wagon a zillion times.
I'd like to fall back in love with movies; wouldn't you? My love affair with books is ongoing, but it would be nice to go back to the days of Movie Magic.
Nice to see you here!
The last movie I watched was City Of Life And Death, and that on a utorrents download*. I think I last entered a theatre in 2015.
ReplyDelete*On the other hand I watched it thrice.
Bill the Butcher--I couldn't even tell you the last movie I watched in its entirety on a streaming service. I wonder what that says about the quality and variety of new movies each year.
Deletethe Sound of Music was the first movie I watched in a theater, big city experience taking public transit to the theater with an older cousin. The little theater in my home town even had a crying room. There are movies I don't remember but do remember sneaking booze into the back row. It was the same theater that I took my son and his cousins for movies like ET the Extra-Terrestrial and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. I enjoy a matinee after lunch with friends or an early dinner followed by a movie. Sadly, there hasn't been much I'm interested in seeing of late coupled with the pandemic. There are few movies I watch a second time. However, P.S. I Love You and Eat, Pray, Love (for the scenes with Javier Bardem)are on repeat every chance I get. I've also been introduced to some great music through movie soundtracks.
ReplyDeleteMona--You sneaked booze into the theater?! Even I never tried that one. You go!
DeleteI agree about the music of movie soundtracks. There have been several that I purchased because I found them either compelling or a mix of really good songs. I loved the soundtrack to The Last of the Mohicans and played it all the time. Sleepless in Seattle has a great soundtrack, too. And I really love to relax to The Age of Innocence's soundtrack.
When my sons were very little, I took them to see the live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. We bought the soundtrack to that, and it was always fun to see them jam to it in their carseats in the back of the car.
We stopped going to the movies when they got too loud to bear (which is ironic, since I have some hearing loss - I blame the movies!). Also, Mike gets motion sick from sitting so close to a giant screen with all the movement. The last movie I saw in a theater was The Green Book - my cousin took me for my birthday. I really enjoyed the whole experience - milk duds, pop corn, comfy seat, hanging with my friend... Maybe if it feels safe I can take her for HER birthday.
ReplyDeleteBug--I never did see The Green Book, but I'm familiar with the story and the actors who were in it. I thought about seeing it, but...oh, well.
DeleteI wonder if movies hit too many low notes too loudly--like the bass line. I swear that heavy bass gives me arrhythmia. I feel almost nauseated when a car pulls up near me at a light and it's playing music loudly with a thumping bass. I also understand the motion thing--quick camera cuts on television can present a problem for me, almost triggering a migraine.
I miss the Total Experience, too, of movies. Sitting with a friend, chatting before the previews, snacking on something, talking about the film afterward. I especially enjoyed that with Jared. We loved discussing the movies.
As a kid it was a big deal going to the movies as it was a rare occurrence. As a teen and up, I really enjoyed going to the theater and seeing the latest and greatest.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest issue most of the time with going to the movies now (or pre-pandemic) that the movies are rarely worth my time to leave my house and fork over the cash. Plus, so many can be streamed now, so I never think to leave the house to watch an overpriced movie with those inconsiderate people you speak of. I enjoy my controlled climate here; good company, wine at the ready and I can stop for a potty break without interrupting the entire audience.
Suz--We are alike in this. I'm honestly sort of a stick-in-the-mud unless it's to visit family or go out to a truly nice meal at our favourite restaurant. I chafe at the thought of going to see a movie with inconsiderate strangers and overpriced munchies when I can enjoy a film from my comfy couch with good wine, premium snacks, and well-timed bathroom breaks.
DeleteOh, and the entire movie stops for those bathroom breaks! What luxury.
I love going to the movie theater. Hudson redid the old Regal Cinemas w/the fancy chairs, etc. It's actually very nice now, and I admit I enjoyed it before they redid it. I think going to the theater is just such a treat for me.
ReplyDeleteFunny enough, the earliest memory I have of going to the theater is w/my brothers to see the original Star Wars. Began my lifelong attachment to the genre...
Elle--Regal has the fancy chairs here, too, as does the Atlas. Quite deluxe. And the pitch of theaters is so much better. You really don't have the concern of anyone blocking your view anymore like you did back in the day. I always hated that, and the attempts to perch on the top of my seat in the upright position.
DeleteI'm glad that you still love going to the movies. Maybe now after such a long break away I'll give it another shot once the scare of COVID ebbs away more. Perhaps the zen of retirement has mellowed me.
We were not a movie family so my first was Escape to Witch Mountain when I was about 10. I had just got my first filling at the dentist that morning and when my neighbor asked if I could go with them my Mom was hesitant. Still she let me go with my very first money to buy what I wanted. I bought a box of M & M's and chewed them on the good side of my mouth. I was fascinated by the whole experience but got in trouble when I got home because I could have ruined my new filling. Now I don't go because I am hard of hearing and the sound bounces around the theater and I miss so much that is said, I sort of have to guess what is happening even though it is all super loud.
ReplyDeleteMeredith--M&Ms would have been too much of a temptation for me as well. I love them. You were being such a good girl, and still you got in trouble! But I'm sure your first moviegoing experience was worth it.
DeleteI imagine the theater surround sound would be difficult for you. With the sounds coming from all directions, you'd be exhausted trying to process it. My husband has tinnitus and some hearing loss after years of construction work. I know it would be the same for him now.
I live within walking distance of the Atlas Lakeshore theater in Euclid, OH, which boasts a screen 60 ft. wide and is still owned and run by a local family. Truly the experience of moviegoing I remember as a kid when we showed up late once to "Charlie the Lonesome Cougar" and had to sit in the front row, where one-story tall Charlie's roars gave me a headache almost as irritating as the noise of my fellow movie attendees. I'm still not sure what Charle's deal was, due mostly to his distracting size. I actually enjoy the experience of observing the behavior of my fellow moviegoers and have missed it over the past year. Mondays are $5 at my theater and can be annoying since during summers every teenager in town is assured to be at the movies on Mondays. If our town could get its stuff together and provide a rec. center, maybe teens wouldn't find that the only thing to do on a Monday is crowd and act up in the movie theater. A girl can dream.
ReplyDeleteLouise--I cannot imagine sitting in the front row at the Movies. What a nightmare. I'd be struggling for perspective and the headache I'd get from scanning back and forth would be epic.
DeleteYour strategy for coping with Movie Behaviour is an interesting one, but doesn't it distract you terribly from the film? I like being immersed in and transported by the movie; observing the patrons' antics would pull me out of the movie too much. I'm the same way with a book--I dive in and get lost in there.
Teens need something to do and someplace to gather with friends. Heaven knows that malls are dead now. Perhaps they should turn them all into huge food courts with wifi and seating throughout. Put ample security there, and let the teens hang out. In a perfect world, that would be...Perfect.
Behavior in movie theaters is also different, depending on where you live. I lived in Seattle for about nine years, and talking in movie theaters there is tantamount to a fourth degree misdemeanor, one step below the beating you may receive for allowing your dog to poop on the street and not picking it up. Even in stadium seating in huge multiplexes there, you can hear a pin drop. When I moved to the Midwest, it was kind of refreshing to see people respond loudly to the action in a movie, but I know it's annoying. The closest movie theater experience in NEO to Seattle is probably at the Cedar Lee in Cleveland Heights, where the only time I heard the audience utter a sound was in response to the action in "The Big Short", maybe because NEO was ground zero for the mortgage foreclosure crisis of 2008, and the film did such a great job of explaining it. Perhaps it's a testament to the type of films I go to that sometimes the action of the audience is more interesting than the movie.
ReplyDeleteLouiseF--Ah, the Cedar Lee! I've seen a few films there that never went mainstream enough to hit the larger theaters and I love that place. It's true; seeing a movie there is still a good experience. Cinema appreciators go there, for the most part. I saw Girl with a Pearl Earring there, and I'm glad. It was the perfect venue.
DeleteI got enough audience participation with movies when I showed films to my junior regulars in class. I especially looked forward to their viewings of The Crucible, which I never knew held so many opportunities for interaction.
I have found that the experience has improved over the last couple of years…most theaters now are pretty fancy, so the seats are big and wide, and you are far enough apart from other people that the talking isn’t as much of an issue as it was for awhile. And the stadium seating means that the lights from people’s phones aren’t as distracting. Of course, there are now also theaters where they bring you your snacks instead of ordering from the concession stand. That is incredibly annoying, having waiters pass food by, people looking at their menus, etc. So I guess I take it back, it’s annoying going to the movies. I do like seeing films in the theater though. I’m looking forward to seeing a movie and eating popcorn again someday.
ReplyDeleteJ--Someday is right. Perhaps Someday I'll try the Movies again. The whole idea, however, of seat service for concessions is ridiculous to me. I get that concessions is how theaters supposedly make their bottom line, but all that falderal is just silly.
DeleteThe Movie Is The Point, is it not?
Perhaps I'm so old that I don't Get It anymore. Yikes.
Sadly for me, the popcorn is the point. The movie is secondary. I have to get the little kid size, or else I will eat all of a huge bag of it. Maya will help me a tiny bit, and Ted is useless, so I have to eat it all. It’s ridiculous. But watching a movie at home I get distracted and wander around or look at my iPad or fall asleep. So watching a movie in the theater at least keeps my attention focused where it is supposed to be.
DeleteThe first movie I ever saw was "Cabin In The Sky" where I was impressed with singer Lena Horne. I was allowed to attend some weekend matinee movies, usually musicals when I was young. I had tap danced, played the piano, so music was of special interest to me. The movie cost me 16 cents from my 35 cents weekly allowance, my bus fare down town and home again, so I carefully budgeted how I spent my riches and movies were not a weekly activity. I did not buy popcorn and a drink, preferring to save what money I had left from my allowance for other spending during the week. So, eating and drinking at a movie has seldom been an activity which has appealed to me as being of much importance.
ReplyDeleteThere were numerous years when we moved I didn't see any movies. The movie drought ended when my high school Eng. Lit. teacher took our class to see "Hamlet" with Lawrence Olivier which had me spellbound. Many years later we moved back to Ohio and as an adult I recall seeing "South Pacific" when I had occasion to be in Cleveland.
I recall seeing "Psycho" with that shower scene that haunted me for some time. I did eat some popcorn and drank coffee when occasionally attending some drive-in theaters where one movie our family viewed was "Star Wars" -- the children stretched out behind us in our station wagon. My movie-going was erratic through the years but there were numerous other films I enjoyed.
I watch movies on TV some. Ideally, I think a movie is best viewed uninterrupted and have always resented the tv commercial breaks. I think the mood created by a movie is an important element and occurs best on a large screen in a theater. Large home TV screens with quality audio is available now so a viewer can create their preferred desired environment far superior to the small TV set screens in use for so many years.
The focus of so many movies on special effects for so many years has been excessive for my tastes. I like stories, drama, comedy, music, dialogue, intriguing plots, good acting -- what might be considered adult films compared to so many movies made for a number of years. Recent years I did attend theater movies occasionally before this pandemic but am not ready to return.
Joared--Thirty-five cents went a long, long way back then. I don't think it buys anything now; not even a postage stamp.
DeleteOf all the movies you mentioned, I've only seen one of them! And as I said, we finally saw Star Wars much later as a video at home. I've seen other versions of Hamlet, but never the Olivier version in full, just scenes.
I agree completely with you in that a movie is to be viewed as a whole with no interruptions. That's why I am so irritated by the behaviour in the cinemas. Anything that prevents me from being immersed in the film is an unwelcome distraction.
I also agree that the focus on overwhelming special effects for their own sake has detracted from filmmaking. I've always stayed away from action films and that sort of genre--the Michael Bay stuff--because it doesn't interest me. It seems like a lot of bombast and running. Not my thing.
Fingers crossed that it's not too long before you can get back to the theater.