I love going to he movies! I’m picky about the theaters, though, and even more about the movie times (avoiding Friday and Saturday nights, or opening weekend for a heavily-hyped blockbuster).
I see pretty much every new release I’m interested in, which is usually between 2 and 5 films a week. I have an Unlimited pass to one cinema near me, which costs £16 a month, and if the film’s not showing there I’ll go to the arts cinema nearby. Some months that can work out as less than a pound a film, cheaper than renting the DVD. Of course, that goes up drastically if I buy too much Coke or popcorn…
I love it, although I agree that you have to get to know the different screens, and where to sit for what film. Also, I’ll usually get there as early as I can, to get the seat I want, with my mp3 player and Kindle until the trailers start.
A 9ft x 5ft New York apartment? Do you own an investment bank or something?
I generally like going to the movies. Haven’t been lately though.
I love going to the movies but I do occasionally have bad experiences with talkers or phone users. 3D movies have helped with this, because there seem to be less plonkers at the 2D screenings.
I don’t go that often because it bugs me to sit still that long. I’m fidgety and then my butt starts hurting from sitting still. When I’m at home I can pause and go to the bathroom or get something to drink or grab a snack.
I have a pretty good set up with a big tv and surround sound so that helps, but there are still some movies that I make a point to go see at a theater because they just look better that way.
I’m not into comic book movies for the most part, but I’ll be going to see [del]Henry Cavill[/del] the new Superman when it comes out because I’m sure it’ll be great on a big screen.
I love it. I’m off the last half of the week. Which means I get to go at 10am on a Thursday morning when everybody else is at work. (Except for summers. Stupid teenagers and no going to school!)
It’s an awesome feeling having an entire theater to yourself while shoveling down handfuls of popcorn down your gullet.
I love going to the movies, but we don’t do it often. Some movies NEED to be seen on big screen (like the special-effects-driven flics or travel-type movies) and suffer, even on wide-screen high-def TVs.
I love it, but sadly for many of the reasons above I just don’t go as often except under certain circumstances. My biggest pet peeve is people who text. You simply cannot make it through a move nowadays without someone turning on the beacon of light that is their cell phone. It totally takes me out of the enjoyment of the movie going experience.
So; I saw Iron Man 3; but it was on a Wednesday or Thursday night at a local theater that always has seats available. I think there were only 3 or 4 other people in the theater that night. It was great.
I am the EXACT same way. I love going to the movies by myself, when it is completely empty.
Back when it was cheap I used to go all the time. Now I only go a few times a year. There are a few directors that I will always go see (Scorsese, Wes Anderson, PT Anderson, David Lynch, etc.) Shane Carruth has been added to that list.
I caught Upstream Color at the theater and adored it. I was a big fan of Primer, but he really elevated his game (to use a cliche.) Possibly the best film of the decade so far. Its definitely not for people who can’t handle abstraction in film, but for those who appreciate it, this is a big one. Must see.
I’ll go usually about twice a year. It has to be close, serve good food to a table or bar in front of me and at a time when there probably won’t be much of a crowd, the emptier the better. Father’s Day weekend with my daughter is one time, then my wife and I will go if there’s something that’s best seen on the big screen.
I enjoy those trips but all conditions must be met, I won’t go just to go otherwise.
Pretty much this - although I prefer to go at times where there is less likely to be a big crowd seeing a film.
Granted now a days I’m not going to movies as much as I’d like (kids and all).
I like going! I love the half hour of coming attractions, too. I usually go when the first flurry of activity has died down, and can’t say I’ve ever been bothered by other patrons - except loud laughers or talkers, mostly kids. The real problem is actually finding a movie worth seeing on the big screen. There are so few, IMO, I probably go to the movies once or twice a year, if that.
My Wife and I enjoy it. But we only go about 4-5 times a year. We always go to a matinee. Usually have lunch first and make a day out of it.
The closest theaters are 45 minutes from our house, but they are pretty new, and have always been clean. Never had any problems with rude people.
I like going…but I like watching movies at home more. See, at the theatre, I don’t buy any food, and we don’t go until 3-4 weeks after a movie is out, so that’s not a problem, but there is no doubt that people are obnoxious assholes, what with the talking, and worst of all the cellphones. Even if they don’t talk on them they’ve got this nasty compulsion to open them and check on them every few minutes and that light is pretty damn bright in a dark theatre.
(I personally think this is one of the things that is wrong with people: cannot focus on one thing for even two hours).
I have a really big TV at home and can get what snacks I want and pause it to go pee…but there is a delight in watching movies on the big screen, no doubt. Matter of fact we’re planning to see Iron Man 3 in the theatres this week, and Star Trek Into Darkness before long.
Movies are my religion. For me, there is something about the enveloping experience of a big screen in a dark room with good sound and a crowd of people. The reflected light of 24 still pictures per second entering my eyes and reconstructing into movement in my brain transports me. I am rarely distracted because my focus is captured by the movie. I get that other people do not necessarily have the same involvement level and consequently get distracted by others in the theater - but that’s usually not the case with me.
I have been on record on the SDMB chastising people for saying, “What’s the big deal about (some movie)? I saw it (at home, DVD, on cable) and wasn’t impressed!” Most movies are specifically designed to be viewed on the big screen (frame composition, lighting, focus plane, etc. is different than TV shows), so seeing them at home, even on a nice system, is just not the same experience.
I am deeply jealous of Equipoise - I would love to see every movie that is out in a theater. But, that is not how my life is constructed - ah, well.
I enjoy it, but I only go a few times a year, and the theater’s rarely crowded when I do.
I love it; I’m at the movies at least once a week on average in both the main summer and winter “movie seasons”, and every other week outside of that. I’d say that I’ve seen 40 or 50 movies a year at the theater for the last 3 years (when, not coincidentally, I’ve lived about a quarter mile walk from my front door to a multiplex that also shows the occasional indie movie). I’ll go to see anything that is in a genre I don’t actively hate that gets even remotely decent reviews. I’m not Equipoise, of course, but I see more movies than 99% of people.
The keys? I haven’t been to a non-matinee in years, except on Tuesday evenings when all shows are $5. I’m anti-3D for a lot of reasons, so I’m not paying the extra for that. I’m a 30 second drive or a 5 minute walk away, and I can live for two hours without snacks, so I’m not paying for any of that. It actually ends up being pretty cheap afternoon when you are just getting the tickets.
That said, I’m moving this summer, and it’s going to be about a 25 minute drive and an extra $.75 at the theater that I’ll be seeing most of my movies at. I’ll certainly want to go to just as many movies, but I’m not sure if I actually will, with the additional trouble. Then again, I’m going to be in a much better place to see limited release stuff in theaters…
I like going to the movies under two scenarios:
-
Opening night with the theater really packed. There is something about sharing the experience with everyone around you that I really enjoy (I saw No Country for Old Men like that, and it was really something to remember).
-
Go to the late show after the film has already been out for a while so that it’s not so busy, and less chance of there being immature little turds causing annoyance.
The worse is to go to an evening showing of a popular film and have a bunch of uninterested jerks more concerned with their own conversations and cellphones than they are with the movie. That makes me stabby.
Movies have priced themselves out of being regular things for me, so I just go see movies that I want to see on a big screen.
However, the city where I usually see movies now has a theatre that shows ~6 month old movies for $1.50, that’s a good deal even if I buy some popcorn.
There is an Alamo Drafthouse in KC and I love going there. it’s only 15 min. from the house, the food is good, the drinks are just fine, the seats are spacious and comfortable and if you don’t mind walking a block or two, there is free parking nearby. I prefer it to the AMC 30 Fork and Screen at the other end of town.
But as a whole, I don’t usually care to go to the movies. I prefer my comfy couch and there hasn’t been much I really wanted to see lately. I rarely buy pop and popcorn anymore. Although the local Cinemark is playing Blazing Saddles tonight at 6. I’m seriously thinking of dragging a friend along, actually getting popcorn and soda and seeing a movie the old fashioned way, without super special effects and 3D goggles.