What do an ageing illegal immigrant in the US, a couple vacationing in Morroco whose marriage is on the rocks, a teenage shepard in the morroccan desert and a deaf Japanese girl stuggling with daddy issues have in common? Not much apparantly.
That's about it for the movie.
On to the movie theatre. Why do we continue to patronize them?
Here's my summary of a trip to the theater. First, it has an 18 dollar entrance fee for a couple makes it just about the most expensive date possible, even with a relatively inexpensive meal beforehand. Then you are crammed into room with hundreds of strangers. Airplanes excepted it is probably the most crowded place you are likely to experience in contemporary American life. Even with stadium seating and the bigger modern seats you cannot escape the stifling crowdedness of the place. As you walk in the popcorn crunches and the soda sticks underfoot.
Then you're stuck. The seat even if comparably comfortable quickly annoys. It doesn't recline and there's nowhere to put your feet. You can barely change position without disturbing someone--not that there is any reasonable way to change position. And you can forget about going to the bathroom. Not only will you upset everyone between you and the aisle, but you can bet that they'd all be upset if you asked them to pause the movie for you.
In addition to all this you have to be quiet. I can't talk to my wife about the movie as it's happening, and I can't laugh when I find things funny unless the filmaker intended them to be so (which is why I didn't watch An Inconvenient Truth in the theater). I got caught a couple times during Babel and got the evil eye from my wife. And if I miss something I can't rewind the movie to understand it. I just have to make up the storyline as I go.
When I compare this to watching a movie at home I conclude I must be crazy. At home it's free, comfortable, uncrowded. I can pause when I want, and even stop it for a few hours to be continued later.
SXome would say that there are movies that the theater improves, by which they mean it is louder, brighter and more likely to induce nausea. To that I say, Bah! give me a movie at home with my wife over one in the theater any day of the week.
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3 comments:
I like going to the movies in the theatre. I love the previews. You know, they can make any movie look awesome in a preview. So even if the movie is going to be terrible, you are still excited by it.
I never get anything to eat. Or if I do, I smuggle it in. Also, you have to go to the afternoon matinee. The best time to watch a movie is Friday afternoon. We used to do it for all the new releases.
If the theatre is relatively uncrowded, you can talk to your heart's content. Ryan and I used to talk through movies even when they were sold out.
I love previews too! Sometimes, I think to myself "I better not watch the real movie, because it couldn't possibly be as good as that preview makes it out to be."
You are, however, displaying the Crawford aversion to large groups of people. Which is why I like the theater in Oak Park. Last time I went, there were a total of five people in the theater. And usually they give me a student discount without even asking. Also, some movies I just want to watch right now instead of waiting 6 months. Which is why I'm going to see Babel tomorrow.
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