What Do You Want to See in Theaters?

M

Midnight9

Theater owners are getting concerned, scared, alarmed over the dwindling numbers of folks willing to drive out to the local multiplex to see a show. Revenues are still in the billions but down from years past. Some blame TV, DVD's, home theater systems that rival theaters for picture and audio quality. So the question: What films have you been willing to drive out to a theater to see and was it worth it?
 
In order for me to visit the theater,

1) Films must cease to suck.
2) Remove the trailers and bring back cartoons.
3) Stop charging $8 or more for a ticket when a cup of popcorn costs the same.
4) Replace the hard-as-a-rock folding chairs with Lay-z-boy recliners that are spaced out nicely.
5) Serve beer.
 
I'll do a list too:

1) I don't like paying MORE for the food than I pay for the movie.
2) I don't like finding bandaids in my popcorn at the biggest downtown theatre.

I just hate commercial theatres. Famous Players is the worst. You walk in and it's like Vegas with all the lights. Hoochies and ginos running around trying to get in each other's pants before the new (insert popular name here) movie.
Thank god there are venues like the Bloor Cinema. An Indie house doing second runs and special screenings. And cheap.

I went out of my way to see Star Wars 3, War of the Worlds, Batman Begins.
Why?
Because they looked like quality movies from all the trailers, hype, reviews, etc.
If money hadn't been so tight I probably would have seen a lot more movies, but when money is short, you can only pick the movies you KNOW are going to please you. For me, that's Sci-fi/fantasy... er... and/or Lucas, Speilburg, Nolan... lol
 
That's pretty much all there is to it. That and a free ticket. It wasn't a USED bandaid, it was still in the wrapper. Fell out of the first aid kit, they said.

I know somone who used to work at that Famous Players and they said they have consistent problems with roaches....

And just so we're all clear, this Famous Players is THE famous players in Toronto.
 
I just went to our independent cinema to see "Broken Flowers", Jim Jarmusch. It's a slow, thoughtful almost anti-film film and I could really appreciate the situation of an older man assessing his life. But...

...when I take my 14-year-old to see "Skeleton Key" I know she'll be creeped out and we'll have a fun father-daughter outing. Sitting in a dark theater is a communal and irreplaceble experience that you can't duplicate at home with a dvd. I'll readily admit Hollywood turns out crappy eye-candy for the most part but I'll never forget watching "Jaws" when I was 12 or "Raiders of the Lost Ark" at 18 or "Blue Velvet" at 23 or the first time I saw "Casablanca" on the big screen. So I can't forsake it completely, I saw "The Wedding Crashers" after a particularly hard week at work and an even harder week of making some final cuts to my own movie. I enjoyed it, laughed at most of it and would not have wanted to see "Broken Flowers" on that particular night. So I readily admit that I'll still drive out to the mall for a matinee (hey, I am a cheap bastard) for something vaugly interesting if the mood strikes.

I've also heard this as an excuse for the revenue downturn - Hollywood produced fewer films this year and last year "Passion of the Christ" added $400M unexpected revnue dollars, hence this years lackluster figures over last year. I do think the quality has been terrible and "March of the Penguins" or "Murderball" or "Mad Hot Ballroom" have been a welcomed alternative.

The slate of films is particulalry crappy this year, no question about that.
 
The thing's I wish would change are:
1. lower ticket prices
2. stop serving stale food
3. have the movie start on time (not after 10 minutes of trailers)!
4. stop turning old T.V. shows into movies(ie Duke's of Hazzard)! give me a break!
5. stop repeating the same movies plots over and over again!! :yes:
 
this may sound absurd but I would love to be able to smoke in movie theaters. People will probably be pissed off but I think Cinema and smoke go together beautifully...

also:

1) Double features.
2) Short films before and after film
3) alcoholic beverages

that's just some of my brilliant ideas...
 
Duchamp78 said:
this may sound absurd but I would love to be able to smoke in movie theaters. People will probably be pissed off but I think Cinema and smoke go together beautifully...
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I have a vision of Robert Mitchum sitting in a darkened theatre smoking a cigar, much to the dismay of Gregory Peck.

Oh wait...
 
there's an art house theater in Philly that allows you to smoke cigarettes. It's such an awesome thater. They show cool films and it's a fresh, unique atmosphere.

The problem with the theaters in general is that they try and make the entire movie going experience homogenous and sterile. The films themselves are that way too. nothing is dangerous or out of the ordinary.

wouldn't you want to go to a movie that instead of seats has recliners or lounge chairs? Maybe couches instead of seats?
 
I've been to several indie theaters that serve drinks and allow smoking. They're called cinima cafe's and usually show movies that have finished their runs at the multiplexes. They also do comedy shows. These places really don't do any one thing really well though. Has anyone mentioned or experienced the disgusting bathroom facilities at some of these places?
 
Why do you need to need to be consuming anything when watching a film? You should be able to pay enough attention to the movie itself without putting something into your body (let alone things that kill you). I really don't mean to sound all righteous on this, but it seems too much like you'd rather be part of some cool, movie-going "image" where everyone is engaging in the same behaviors that the actual characters on the screen are. The only thing smoking in a theater would do is make even MORE people not go.
 
I don't think that people not going would force studios to stop making crap. It would just force them out of business. When the studios go out of business, then pretty much the whole idea of film as an industry is gone. I'm sure you're agreeing with what I'm saying so far, but the problem is all of this leads to the eventual DECLINE in all forms of film. All of the sudden no one's interested in film anymore so BAM, there go the abundance of good educational programs (such as college courses and master classes). Now with the decline of all that comes the decline of equipment. Why is anyone going to make equipment if there's no reason to use it? So now with no equipment comes no one making movies, which inevitably leads to...no more theaters. Sure a few MIGHT survive, living off old reels for a while, but that'll die too. But, if you're willing to destroy your theater that lets you smoke, just so you can smoke in that theater that no longer exists, then by all means wish for more smoking so that fewer people come.
 
elfmanlives said:
When the studios go out of business, then pretty much the whole idea of film as an industry is gone. I'm sure you're agreeing with what I'm saying so far, but the problem is all of this leads to the eventual DECLINE in all forms of film.
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I couldn't disagree more. The studio system is destroying film, or at least depriving it of the one quality that makes it an independent art form. I agree that there would be a decline in popularity and a decline in the obscene amounts of money spent on films if the studios went belly up (fingers crossed). This would, in turn, drive out all those pariahs that make/produce films for money's sake and cinema would be left with those that do it for pure love of the art. They would do it with a Bolex or VHSC camera if necessary

so hell yeah, light up in theaters. smoke joints, drink beer and have a blast. If you don't like it go to a multiplex and watch Bewitched or some other crappy remake.

or, watch my film which will never make it through the studio monopoly on theaters http://www.thecoatroom.com :yes:
 
I want to see movies that make me think.

I want to leave trying to figure out or comprehend what happened or is going to happen.

I want to question reality.

I want questions with no answers or answers with no questions.
 
The studio system itself is not what's destroying film. The problem is the studio system is run by a bunch of greedy, money-loving pigs so what they do is make whatever film will make money. If you want to talk about a "utopian" film world, it would not be one without studios. It would be one where two things occur: 1. the people involved in making the films are actually concerned about the aesthetic quality of the film itself, and 2. the people WATCHING the film are actually concerned about the aesthetic quality of the film itself. Hmm, I see a pattern there. It seems that NO ONE is involved with the aesthetic quality of a film, or really anything for that matter. We are all taught to accept everything just for acceptance sake. What does that lead to? It leads to laughing at something just because it was supposed to be funny. It leads to crying at something just because it was supposed to be touching. It ALSO leads to thinking something is good just because it was supposed to be deep (that is where independent film goes way wrong). See, it's not the studio system as much as it is a complete ignorance of true aesthetic beauty. If people were not so accepting of crap, crap wouldn't make loads of money. The true, utopian film world is one where you can go make a good, beautiful movie and it will make money because of that reason. In this same world, Bewitched will make NOTHING because people will see what it truly is (actually I haven't seen Bewitched so I probably shouldn't use that example, but I'm assuming it's as bad as I think it is).
 
Sweet, sweet "Bewitched"
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Okay, okay... it was a typo at IMDB that wasn't corrected for a week
 
Hmmm,interesting topic here.As long as there is money to be made,there will always be a studio systemAs long as there are Joe and Jane six packs out there who are only concerned with what star is in a particular movie (not to mention the droves of people who really care about the stars' private lives and read and follow all the gossip/scandal crap.This really gets my goat since I work in TV news,a horrible studio system of it's own),there will be a studio system.Is this necessarily a bad thing?In it's own right,no,that's like saying politics and government are evil and need to be destroyed,yet anyone with any sense knows,they have to exist.What is evil,is the ABUSE of the system which is only a by product of unbridled capitalism.Every industry involved in entertainment laments the same thing.Music,fashion,journalism,whatever,artists get exploited by the greedy corporate moguls,it just goes with the territory.The smart consumer of entertainment laments that movies are formula crap just as all popular songs sound alike.Is it ever going to change?Not likely.Face it,it's an unfair world where the golden rule is "He who has the gold rules".
Independent films will always have to contend with smaller budgets and niche market venue.
 
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