I imagine Lillerant has a thing or two to say about this subject. :)
Well, the short answer is I can't. I live in a small town, the movie theatre is the next town over, and they get everything a month after it comes out. It's a really good theatre, with great sound and comfortable seats, but I'm impatient.
So whenever I get to the city (be it Edmonton or Vancouver), I try to see a movie that's just opened. This time it was Ocean's Twelve, which was fairly entertaining and worth at least typing into a search engine next to "torrent" a few months from now. :)
What I don't enjoy is the opening weekend crowd. I used to be able to tolerate the teenage nonsense that comes with a new movie, but it's starting to get to me in my advanced years. But that's just the start. Once you get into the theatre, they run a continuous string of commercials before the movie starts. Oh no, wait, that's before the OTHER commercials start, all ten of them. That's right, ten. It used to be they'd show one or two commercials before the trailers. Well, no more. They load up and make you sit through a pile of inanity at full volume. Not cool. At least the trailers were palatable, including Batman Begins, which looks like it might break the curse of terrible, over-directed Bat-schlock the last two films devolved into. But good gravy, I just paid $14 for this?
And just to top things off, there was an actual, no-foolin' poster for a movie called "Karate Dog." I'm not kidding.
I imagine Lillerant has a thing or two to say about this subject. :)
Of course, on this Tuesday, December 14, after a short trip to A & B Sound, there is no reason to go to a movie theatre for at least a week.
Yes, it is the Mary Poppins 40th Anniversary DVD I am talking about.
Ah, so I'm not the only one with a Julie Andrews fetish...
By the way, I agree, opening weekend blows... probably compounded by the fact that the good theatres in Vancouver are all in the burbs. There aren't many kids downtown, but the theatres here are a little rusty... maybe once that new Paramount building opens up we'll have a decent place to watch a movie in this town.
Probably that's got something to do with the Yaletown "elite" more interested in catching an STD than Hollywood's latest offering. Though a lot of the time the pain and permanent mental damage would be quite similar, I reckon. :)
Where's this new Paramount dealy going up? Tinseltown isn't actually a bad setup, and it's relatively cheap, too.
Paramount is across Burrard from the IGA... it's a condo (surprise!) with a multiplex in the bottom 5 floors or so... perfect digs for future Freyburg residence in the downtown core if the lure of eight months of snow in Edmonton can be ignored... :)
We only get about 3 months of snow now. The rest is just mud. And 3 days of summer. ;)
I can't believe it's taken you this long to snap Frey. I couldn't stand theater-goers when I was 19. Remember when I wanted to FIGHT those football goons who were ruining the movie?
Now I've figured it out. I simply don't go. Don't ever see a film on a friday night you give 1/2 a shit about. See it on a Saturday mantinee (or even better--weekday matinee) at the end of its run. Sure the print in garbage by then, but you don't have to put up with some jackass kicking your chair, or some bitch nattering about what she ate for lunch. Or the guy who repeats all the punch lines. Or the "detectives" who continually update you on how they think the movie is developing.
Hell, I've got some close friends of mine I can't see flics with. They're chatters. 'Can't stand it.
When I see a movie I like to escape. I like to suspend disbelief. It's tough to do that with some ass clown tearing you out of the illusion with the heel of his foot.
And the advertising? Don't get me started. A certain "grocery store" is about to start playing FULL MOTION (and sound) ads in theaters to take the place of those quiz card stills. Ugh.
If you ask, theatres have to tell you when the FILM actually begins. Just arrive a few mintues before then.
Starting? They already do that in Vancouver. It's sickening.
Multiplex condos, eh? :) Man, that'd be sweet.
I went to the movies the other night, and there was 25 minutes of commercials and previews before the movie started. (I don't count the ones that run in between the trivia questions as that would only infuriate me more.) I remember a time when there used to be ushers in the theatres that would escort people out who would ruin the "movie experience" for he patrons. What ever happened to those guys? Alll they have now is some pimple faced kids nervously giving you a little speech before the movie about how to be nice and then leave. They need to put in huge bouncers to take care of the talkers and seat kickers. Make a peep, you're outta there. The major theatre chains should aslo look at getting a sort of cell phone blocker that would prevent phones from sending or receiving calls when inside the building. They are making money hand over fist charging me 10 dollars for 10 kernels of popcorn and 2ml of syrup mixed with 2 l of water. It's frustrating to go but I still keep going. nothing beats seeing a movie on the big screen. I blame the ability to watch movies in the living room to the decline of proper movie etiquette.
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