Is It Still Worth Going to the Movies?
Is It Still Worth Going to the Movies?
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/6578850
After 23 years of film criticism, I was back in front of the screen as a civilian. I had no idea what I would find. --by former NY Times film critic A.O. Scott
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You can't replicate the cinema experience at home, regardless of how big your TV is or how impressive your audio setup is.
Watching some epic sci-fi on the big screen, or communally experiencing some creepy horror movie, or a whole crowd of 100s laughing along together at a ludicrous comedy is something I don't want to give up.
Sure, a lot of films are fine to watch at home but with a decent audience the cinema experience can't be beaten.
Sometimes I have the opposite problem, where the audience is more disruptive than anything. I haven't been in a while, but I'm thinking back to the random cheering and clapping that pulls you out of the movie.
I also find that a lot of theatres are too loud now, but maybe my ears are getting old
I also find that a lot of theatres are too loud now, but maybe my ears are getting old.
I do too and I've probably damaged my hearing in my youth by being careless & invincible. I bought a set of fancy concert earplugs ($30ish) that protect hearing without muffling the sound and they were well worth it. They fit in a little capsule on my keychain so I've got them if I wind up someplace unexpectedly loud.
oh dang, the Eargasm ones? I just got a pair last weekend
Yup, a friend recommended them to me and I'm really happy with them. I haven't quite gotten the hang of gauging my own speaking volume when I have them in at a loud bar or something but I'll figure it out with more practice.
where the audience is more disruptive than anything.
I have a talent to always get or pick the seat where the tallest dude or the highest hairstyle is present and in the row before me.
Yeah I'm not an av fanatic so I could really care less about the Dolby Atmos plus extreme ultra©️ speakers nor how big the screen is or if it's on film or whatever. I saw Oppenheimer at an IMAX theater with film or whatever because I kept hearing it was the correct way to watch it or whatever and it was basically the same as every other movie I've seen. And for the audience I purposefully go during matinees on a weekday so I don't have to hear other people talking, digging in their popcorn, seeing their phones go off, or laughing way too hard at something for way too long. The only reason I still go to theaters is because I like seeing things when they come out and sometimes I just want a slushee and some bunch a crunch.
We saw the Lego movie opening weekend. I still remember it as one of my favourite movies, largely due to the experience of laughing along with a sold-out theatre.
That is only true for the top of the line theaters. The mid to low range are not worth it.
I went to see Avatar 2 in a DTS certified theater in my town and was severely disappointed. Even the opening DTS advertisement where they try to brag that “this is black” looks way better on my home system and overall I wished I just waited for the 4K to come out and watched it at home.
I haven't been to a theater in several years and I couldn't care less
Cool, thanks for the valuable insights.