I am sure I am not the only one who has a fairly decent television with a good surround sound system. In other words, films don’t look or sound bad at home.
Still, there are some films that benefit with a 40 foot screen (my television isn’t THAT good) and gigantic speakers.
I usually go to the movie theater if the film is a big blockbuster, with either great special effects or lush scenery. Or a film I cannot wait to see. All three LOTR films fit easily into that catagory. Sometimes I will go see a small, independent film if I am afraid it might not come out on DVD, or at least, not in my local video store. And sometimes, on a rainy day, I just want to go see a film and gorge myself with popcorn and don’t care.
But other films, even if I am eager to see, I will often not get around to seeing and then decide to wait until it comes out on DVD.
So do you have a criteria for deciding what to see in the movie theater, and what can wait until DVD?
$30 bucks for a couple of tickets, asking my sister to babysit Little Case and kicking her $20 bucks {she’d do it for free, but she needs the money and there’s no-one else I trust}, parking, snacks and maybe a couple of beers afterwards - that’s probably $70 bucks to sit in a movie theatre full of hooting teenagers and Chinese college students answering their mobiles and explaining the plot to each other loudly. If I wait a couple of months, I can buy the damn movie for half of that. I think the last movie we actually saw at the theatre was FOTR, and that was back when we still lived in Japan.
As you say, sometimes it’s just a matter of feeling like going to the movies.
For me, the “now or later” choice is usually about the visuals, since my home system consists of … a 25" TV and a VCR. (I’m a girl – whaddya want?). Of the last five movies I saw in a theater:
Million Dollar Baby – bunch of “see it now” recommendations, lotsa buzz, wanted to see it before the Oscars. (Am glad I did.)
House of Flying Daggers – wanted to see it on the big screen. (Am glad I did.)
Sideways – we’d gone to the theater to see House of Flying Daggers, but were running late and had missed the first five minutes, so we saw this instead. (Liked it, and loved the scenery since I went to college out there, but have told everyone I’ve recommended it to that they can wait for it to come out on DVD.)
Kinsey – “ya wanna see a movie this weekend?” (Liked it very much, but could have waited.)
Space Captain and the World of Tomorrow – wanted to see it on the big screen. (Am glad I did.)
I’m not a big fan of movie theaters for the usual reasons - cost, comfort, courtesy… I’d much rather sit on my own couch in my fuzzy robe and pause when I need to. I do have to agree with the big screen being necessary for certain movies - LOTR, most recently. And I have consented to go with my sweetie since he’s a huge fan of almost any movie. But at the moment, I can’t think of a thing that I can’t wait to see.
The theater-going experience can be such a drag sometimes, with cellphones and people who chat as if they think they are in their living room.
Luckily I work part-time and will sneak out to a quieter matinee for see-it-now type movies, also for anything that benefits from the big screen. It is interesting to see which films benefit from the big screen, aside from colorful epics. I agree about Kinsey but was glad to see Closer on the big screen, if only to fully enjoy those pretty (and nasty!) people.
However, I can be picky.
When I do go out to a movie, I watch the preview trailers. It is amazing how many movies I rule out for the theater based on just watching the trailer. If the preview for a movie (some of them you feel you have seen the movie in just two minutes) does not appeal, there is a good chance I might skip it. Example: Son of the Mask? Don’t wanna see it. The Sea Inside? Wanna see it. Hide and Seek? Will wait for DVD.
I follow up by reading movie reviews and talking to other people, but the trailer experience, good or bad, can be quite accurate for me.
I find that no matter how good/big/expensive a home system is, it does not offer the immersive experience of a movie theater. You are in the dark with no visual distractions; the size of the screen, the light from the screen and the sound absolutely command your senses. In addition, the communal element enhances the senses: comedies are funnier (or not funny at all), scary movies are scarier (or not scary at all), &c., when shared with an audience.
Most movies are made to be seen on the big screen, not on a small screen. TV shows have specific compositional, design and lighting elements that are different for the small screen.
And as far as the price, I say they spent $100 million to make this and I can experience it in it’s full glory for only 8 or 9 bucks? I’m in!
That said, there are definitely B and C level movies that I won’t waste the money on, mostly genre stuff like action, cheap comedies, or horror. Those are DVDs all the way.
I have never, ever, in my whole life, been affected by the ‘movie theatre experience’. To me it’s just a big dark room. The size of the screen means nothing if you’re a certain distance back, and if you’re too far forward you have to crane your neck.
The crowds are just a distraction, with the sickly smell of popcorn and their constant chatter and their rustling bag or their frickin’ cellphones. Or their damn babies!!!
And don’t get me started on the overpriced snacks and tickets for what amounts to just a TV show in a large format.
The best I can say about a cinema is that when it’s a comedy, you get a lot of laughter from an audience which can make it a little funnier somehow. But I don’t see comedies in theatres at all anymore, so I obviously don’t care too much about that.
Mostly I only see a movie in the theatre if it is so visually explosive that it needs to be appreciated on a screen even bigger than my 57 inch RPTV OR if it’s something just so damned good and long-expected that I can’t wait the extra time for it to hit DVD.
I have some friends who are way more into movies than I am, and I trust their judgment. There have been a few that I wanted to see in a theater because I’m impatient. Spongebob Squarepants fell into that category, and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will too, when it comes out in May.
However, most movies fall into the “wait” category.
Not true, at all. My home theater (here’s a view from the door) provides better picture and sound than I get at the theater, and the screen is just as big in terms of angular size from the viewing position. I have a front projector, an 8 foot wide screen, and a 7.1 sound system that can play Dolby Digital EX, DTS-ES, and every other sound format at better than THX specs. This kind of setup is actually becoming quite common, driven by the drastic price drops in high quality projectors. You can buy a projector that will give you near HDTV quality for around a thousand bucks now - $2000 will get you an awesome projector that will project 720p HDTV in its native resolution.
I prefer to watch all movies at home. Not only is it cheaper, but it’s a nicer environment, we don’t have to drive anywhere, we can pause the movie to get snacks or go to the bathroom, and we can watch the extras that come on a DVD.
Tckets here in a good theater are $13 ea. Popcorn and a drink is about $8. So for my wife and I to go out, we’ll drop $40 at the theater, and another $20 on a babysitter.
It’s pretty hard to justify going to the movies when it costs you $60-$70.
Of all the films in the last few years, that is one I really didn’t expect to see listed here as a “must see on big screen”.
And Sam Stone, I would pay to come to your house and watch films! Wow, what a system! Duly impressed. No wonder you don’t go to movie theaters.
As far a theater ticket prices, we are lucky in Las Vegas. Lots of casinos have multiplexes and movies are half price before 6 PM so it costs about $4.50 to see a film…popcorn and a drink cost far more than price of admission.
I’m a lot pickier about seeing movies in the theater nowadays, especially because it’s harder to drag people out with me. I hate going to see movies alone! I try to only see “event movies” in the theaters now: superhero films, action, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, things with special effects and big budgets that will look better on the big screen than my 19" TV at home. And if I feel any loyalty as a fan to the actors or creators involved, I’ll try to see their movies in the theater to “vote with my wallet” and send support to the people I like.
$1800 for the projector, $70 for the homemade screen, and $125 for a progressive scan DVD player is all you need. I already had the audio gear. The rest was mainly sweat. The entire room cost less than most people’s big screen TV’s.
