When I talk with Cake Man about the hallowed experience of going to the movies, it’s fairly common to hear him say, “I’ll wait for it to come out on dvd.” The man is patient and treats his movie going experience as an investment. It is an investment, one of time and money, and these days you can’t be putting out too many dollars that are going to have regrets attached to them. It’s not a good time for gambling, but I just can’t help myself when it comes to my twelve dollar gambles.
Let’s face it, a movie shown on the big screen is going to be better than the same movie shown on the 26 inch tv in your living room. And it’s not just bigger picture and bigger sound. There’s just something about the ripped ticket, the big dim room, the popcorn under your feet that makes the movie going experience special. The experience gets better when you know you’re going to see something critics have called a good movie and it’s a movie you know you will enjoy. (Cake Man’s full body orgasm at Dark Knight) In my opinion, the experience is at its best when you go see a movie that you haven’t heard the critics talk about, you know it’s going to be right up your alley, and you end up being right. Unfortunately I was wrong when I took the gamble with Body of Lies and saw it on opening night.
The movie wasn’t bad, but I thought Ridley Scott was poised for something big. I kept hoping for Gladiator meets Black Hawk Down. How awesome would that be? There’s no way the Somalis would have shot down those choppers if Maximus was there. But anyway, we’re getting off topic. I don’t really want to review Body of Lies. I’ll just say that ultimately I was disappointed with the movie and surprised that just about all of the action in the movie was featured in the trailer. But I did enjoy both Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe, and the juxtaposition of the CIA family man/shot caller and the in too deep government agent. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough. Cake Man got the last laugh on this one.
In a year, Cake Man is going to spend less at the movies and over all enjoy the movies he sees more than I will. But whereas he will be content with the dvds that turn out to be pretty decent movies, I think I will have tested the theatres enough to come away with a few more great movie going experiences that I wasn’t expecting to go along with the ones that I was expecting. It’s worth it, because once they pull that movie from the theatre, more often than not that experience is gone forever.
Could you imagine seeing some of the your favorite movies that were before your time in movie theatres? I remember an old boss was telling me about how he got into a fight while watching Predator in theatres. I don’t know if I was more blown away that he got to watch Predator in movie theatres or that he was crazy enough to be fighting while vintage Arnold was blowing people away on the big screen. That got me to thinking. What are some of the movies that you wish you could go back and catch on the big screen? Also, what are some of your most precious theatre going experiences? The first that comes to mind for me is The Last Samurai. I know a lot of people hate on Tom Cruise, but sometimes you just got to drop it and appreciate a solid flick. Cake Man and I are due for a swap soon. I’m giving him The Last Samurai and he’s giving me Requiem for a something or another. Some movie about drugs. If you haven’t gotten a sense of my values: Katanas = awesome. Drugs = Not awesome. Somebody wielding a katana in the war against drugs would just be off the charts. But I’m rambling now.
What movies do you wish you could go back in time to see in theatres?
What are some of your most precious theatre going experiences?
10 comments:
Great post, Onyx. I'm afraid I fall more into the Netflix boat, with movies being so expensive in NYC, but there are always tons of things that I can't wait that long to see, or just NEED to see in theaters.
Back in high school I used to go to the movies 3, 4 times a week. We had two dollar theaters, two drive-ins, and plenty of places that had $4 weekend matinees. Back then it was just something to kill time until we were old enough to drink. Going to the movies then were much like surfing channels - if it was playing and wasn't starring Meg Ryan, I'd see it. (One moment that sticks out: seeing Prince of Egypt just because we'd exhausted every other option.)
Since moving to New York, though, the movie-going experience has become much more of a luxury. I can't afford to see a $12 movie every weekend, but when I do see a movie I enjoy it a lot more.
I'm not sure if that's because I'm paying more for it, or just because I have so many options. I'm a complete sucker for the remastered foreign films that Film Forum or BAM will show - I could never see that sort of stuff in Ohio.
I probably see two movies a month in theaters - I plan weekends/evenings around them, travel out to my favorite theaters (BAM, how I love thee) and even splurge for the popcorn. You just can't beat it.
Now I'm suddenly missing the Moving Image's theater so closely located to our apartment. Man, I hope they open it again soon.
I remember seeing Prince of Egypt in theatres on a class field trip. After the movie everyone was putting up a front and pretending that they didn't enjoy it, but I'm pretty sure we were all singing "There Can Be Miracles" in the shower that night. Ha, come to think of it, the entire class sung that song at graduation.
I've started a rule that I only pay $12 if the movie is a thriller/action. Since if it's only a nice little drama, I think a small screen during a quiet night at home works fine. However, this did NOT cut down my movie cost, since, well, most movies I want to see are thriller/actions anyway.
While yes, $12 is extremely expensive, there’re times which just call for going to a movie. It’s not even the specific movie, but the time and mood. My apartment is only 5 blocks away from a theater, so I remember lounging with friends, and suddenly someone will say, hey lets go see that fill-in-the-blank, and it’d be great to just get up and go, even when you didn't really intend on watching that movie before that moment. Other times it’d be me at home finishing dinner, and suddenly I’ll feel the need to go and see something blow up on the big screen. I’ve even paid money to see Catwoman. (although that really was a low point in my addition needs. Now it’s much more reigned in.) I remember watching X-men 3 and Lord of the Rings on opening night, and being with the pumped up cheering crowds just made the experience more than enjoying the large screen and surround sound.
As for precious theatre going experience, the one that stood out the most was when Fellowship of the Ring came out. Back then I didn’t even know LOTR were books. I was also trying to decide on my major. Screenwriting was only a mirky 3rd choice on the list. Then I got dragged to see LOTR. It blew me away. I actually went back and watched it 12 times, just on the big screen. (this was also easily done because after its run in the States, I was back in Taiwan where I could still catch it in the theater.) I think it was after the 3rd watch, that I realized, quite calmly, I needed to go into screenwriting.
A little epilogue on that. About a year ago my mom wanted to watch Fellowship again so I sat down with her. I haven’t seen the movie in a while now. And I suddenly realized how absolutely filled with logic and consistency problems the film is. Sometimes I wonder if the movie had came out after my time at NYU, would I have enjoyed it as much.
You saw Lord of the Rings twelve times in movie theatres!? That means you've seen at least 36 hours of LOTR, and that's not counting the views outside the theatre or the other two movies. All in all you've probably logged close to 100 LOTR hours. That's amazing. The last thing I devoted 100 hours to was Final Fantasy VII.
somewhat related, what's your hypothetical (hopefully) threshold for how expensive movies have to get before you simply refuse to see them?
At my current rate of income, $15 would be my cutoff point except for Disney/Pixar movies. And something that is too awesome to miss, like The Dark Knight. Even then though, they'd better get awesome reviews. That being said, if I own a nice television and a Blue-Ray player, the $15 cutoff might go universal.
There's another interesting way to look at it - I'm basically saying that the experience of going to the movies, except in the rarest of circumstances, isn't worth more than $15 dollars. How about you?
Onyx, thanks for putting me where I love to be - the center of attention.
More seriously, though, Onyx is right about my movie-going habits. We all work 40 hour or more weeks, making enough to cover rent, some food, and more beer outings than is probably healthy. Seeing a movie in the theaters is not just a financial investment, as Onyx pointed out, but a time one, as well. It's rare that at the end of a work day or on one of my two free days a week - should I be so lucky - I decide to make the trek from Queens into Manhattan to see a movie, an investment that I have to reserve at least 4 hours for all around.
Still, there is something to be said for the big screen experience. While I'm sure if you can stomach a movie like MAX PAYNE or were dying to see WANTED (Onyx and I did... for free), doing so on the big screen is the best way to go. There are also some movies that you know everyone will be talking about, and if you don't want it ruined, you better cough up the cash to see (think SIXTH SENSE).
I've figured out what works best for me when faced with a situation like those mentioned above: the AMC/Loews weekend morning matinee. $6 for the first show (at least here in NYC) on a Saturday or Sunday. More bargain brained viewers will often pay the half price and spend the duration of their morning and afternoon at a wisely-chosen theater, seeing everything and anything on the screen. Seeing a mediocre movie at half price is not a bad deal, especially if it's followed by another, hopefully better movie. (Ok, I admit it - I've done this, hypocritical as it might seem for someone who wants to work in the pictures industry).
I guess in the end, what those gambles come down to is your willingness as an audience member to be disappointed. If you're not, wait for the DVD.
I don't think theater cost could hit high enough that I swear off movies all together. It'll probably just turn into my relationship with stageplays, where I go see one maybe, every 3, 4 months.
Interesting way to look at it Joe. As long as it's a movie I want to see, I wouldn't mind paying $20 dollars, maybe more. I make enough money and see them at a rate where that is fine. If my wallet starts hurting, adjustments should probably go towards $4 slices of pizza and $7 beers. (Or the extra ticket I'm buying for the GF) We literally piss and shit away so much of our cash, but you don't really lose a great movie going experience.
Wait, Onyx: you literally piss and shit cash?
Hmmm, in the sense that 1 beer = X amount of cash, and 1 beer eventually = piss, so if beer = piss and beer = X amount of cash, piss must = cash. So yes, I piss cash. I'll teach you how if you give me a beer.
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