Harvester on 15/5/2008 at 21:23
Glad I don't live in the States then. Most of the stuff you mention doesn't happen over here. Still, I hardly ever visit the theater anymore.
nickie on 15/5/2008 at 21:38
Last time I went was for Return of the King which I saw somewhere in West London on a massive screen with massive audience and even more massive sound. My eyes might be getting a bit dodgy but my hearing certainly isn't. I very rarely go now because it's always too loud.
But I'm quite sure there's only been one or two occasions when there's been a lot of 'munching' noises and chatting stuff going on. Perhaps we're more civilized this side of the pond. :cheeky:
jay pettitt on 15/5/2008 at 21:57
Open air movies = awesome. Cheering & Booing allowed. Less sticky carpet.
Scots Taffer on 16/5/2008 at 02:06
I found that rant rather disgusting, anyway, movies are made for cinemas and you're a fool if you openly choose to shun the cinema in favour of DVD, unless you have a balla home cinema set-up.
My experience of the cinema is largely positive, I go in with an open mind, ready for escapism, and ready to enjoy myself - I can't understand people who go to see films with "low expectations" and so on, just don't fucking go in the first place if you're going to show up and start criticising it.
Yes, the cinema experience can be ruined by fuckwits, but that's why I choose my times carefully. Midweek 8pm or later showings are perfect for serious/atmospheric movies, weekend/opening nights are typically perfect for big noisy popcorn flicks because the buzzy/chatty atmosphere actually enhances the sense of SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER for me (because it's the way it's always been).
Messy seats, phones ringing, arseholes kicking seats or talking loudly about the movie (in a non-humorous fashion) will make me angry, but as long as I avoid them (and in my experience it's not hard to), I'm as happy as a pig in shit at the cinema.
BEAR on 16/5/2008 at 02:19
Quote Posted by Matthew
Nowadays I just pay double to get into the auditorium with only 32 seats arranged as double-seater sofa recliners.
This is the reason I pay two dollars (used to be one) to sit in an even more sub-par theater with even shittier seats, but you get to drink beer and eat pizza at the same time. The afore mentioned problems tend to be less serious when you are getting you're drink on. Also less kids.
Scots Taffer on 16/5/2008 at 02:37
I'm largely against the idea of getting drunk in a movie theater, except in very specific occasions.
Muzman on 16/5/2008 at 02:52
US cinemas always sound like really variable experiences; from broken speakers and bad projection to idiots and general mayhem. Aus cinemas are almost uniformly Brave New Worldish in swishness and the experience is usually pretty painless (unless, as mentioned, it's a premiere of some teenybopper packing nightmare but who wants to see that shite anyway)
Quote:
Speaking of seats, don't kid yourselves: they're mostly covered in gum and cum. I've truly seen some freaky things, and don't know what people are thinking, mush less why they thought doing THAT was a particularly good idea at the time. One can only be led to the conclusion that as a whole we have lost all sense of dignity.
...the rain falls and washes all the scum out of the gutters and into my cinema. Some day a hard rain's gonna fall...
Scots Taffer on 16/5/2008 at 03:18
... popcorn kernels littered the aisles like spent bullet casings. The movie had either been a big flop, or a huge success, either way there was a real mess and I was the only man in this stinking city who could clean it up.
Angel Dust on 16/5/2008 at 04:51
That read like none of the film going experiences I have ever encountered. Do people really act that badly over there? If so I feel sorry for you.
But I am sick and fucking tired of all the people bemoaning the lack of quality in films today. Maybe if you looked outside the square and stopped lining up like a sucker for the latest mega-marketed blockbuster you might find the many great films that are still being made. Last year in the span of of about 3 months I saw 'Rescue Dawn', 'No Country For Old Men', 'There Will Be Blood', 'Sweeny Todd', 'Juno' and 'Gone Baby Gone' not to mention stuff like 'The Lookout' and 'Eastern Promises' which I caught on DVD since not everything makes it to the big screen here. All of these films I enjoyed immensely and most of them are pretty mainstream pictures so it's not like I was having to dig deep into the indie scene to find them.
Sure now is the time of the summer blockbuster and you get a hell of a lot a crap but there are always some quality blockbusters, like 'Iron Man' and most likely 'Wall-E' and 'The Dark Knight', and if you look around there are always some good little films coming out too.
Ko0K on 16/5/2008 at 05:22
What the OP said isn't representative of anything but his own isolated experience. I've been to just about all theaters in the greater Los Angeles area ranging from megaplexes to semi-private screening rooms, and each one has a different atmosphere depending on the day of the week, the time of the day, what movie is being shown, and so on. What seems true, however, is that newer theaters do have more seats.
