I watched the first "Pirates" movies on my 50" plasma before attending a movie screening of "Pirates 3." Nice loge seats good quality presentation and lousy popcorn. Thing is I wasn't all that more wowed by the theatre experience versus the home experience. We got 10 free tickets so it isn't about the price this time but two adults and three kids is $40 or twice the release price for the typical DVD. And housing bubble tie in? What can you do with all these obsolete structures? Nothing I can think of. There's nothing about these purpose built buildings that offers value to alternative uses. Cafeteria Christianity? "Feel good, shout out evangelism? Church 4 to the left. Tickets please." Dinosaurs.
73 comments:
First Loosers!
hehe...I'm back!
Sunzabitches!
With movies being released to DVD months after being in the theatre, we just netflix them and watch em on our plasma.
I dont know why folks would spend that much money for a movie night.
well not everyone has a 50" plasma
Do you have a 25000 gallon pond and a BMW too?
There is something about going to the theatre and watching with a crowd. Depends on the movie, summer action blockbuster types benefit from the crowd.
I prefer our local "speakeasy theatre". They serve decent food (pizza, pasta dishes, etc), VERY nice desserts and beer... seats are couches with end tables. Older building, small-ish screens, but far more fun than the normal google-plex.
The old google-plex buildings either get bulldozed or turned into churches. You could convert to retail (already has the parking!), but by the time you flatten the floor and do infill, it's not really cost efficient.
Also, theatre chains are notoriously bad about maintenance, the buildings are usually in terrible shape by the time they are done with them.
What flopper said: moviegoing is a group experience, and a good crowd can really enhance the experience. Comedies are often funnier in the theater than at home. Why? Because laughter is infectious.
My two best movie experiences: Finding Nemo in an audience filled with kids who were _totally_ into it. And Touching The Void in an audience who were _totally_ into it: tension so high you could have heard the proverbial pin drop.
That said, a bad audience can be a truly awful experience too.
As for the $40 tickets vs the DVD price: what price the 50" plasma? My $400 Costco TV serves me for now, and the price difference would pay for a lot of movie tickets...
(Housing bubble tie in 2: how do you think those $10K+ home theaters are being paid for? Same way the H3 on the driveway is paid for: pull out the equity.)
A 50" plasma is pricey, but you can get a 42" lcd or plasma for a very reasonable price right now. My 42" plasma died, and since it'll cost more to ship it just to find out if it can be fixed (out of warranty too), I'm just going to replace it. (Long story short, but I got it over two years ago for $1100 - when i buy I find deals).
Right now, you can get a 37 - 42" lcd or plasma for around 1K at most retailers, and Costco has some VERY good deals. They won't have all the bells and whistles, but they're 720p, which is midrange HDTV, and you would be amazed how nice they are. Just buy the extended warranty. 37-42" is enough tv for most people - it's a big screen. 50 is cool, if you can afford it and have the space - you don't want to sit too close to a 50"
I hate theaters, in my area. It's either Oakland with people talking to the screen, starting fights, or just talking out loud on cell phones, or my new neighborhood with drunk/stoned teens, cell phones, babies crying, people getting up constantly to buy food or go to the bathroom, talking, farting, burping...and the worst pet peeve of mine, eating constantly.
When did it become impossible to sit through an hour and a half movie without shoving food in your mouth? On top of that, i hate, hate, hate people that eat with their mouth open, and smack their lips constantly. It makes me physically ill to hear it. It's just rude. Even worse is the smell of the stale oil from the pocorn, and then pocorn breath as people breath it all over you.
Ugh. Forget theaters. The seats are too small, the siund systems these days are set up wrong (i actually called Lucasfilm about one place, their THX was completely fucked up and so boomy you could'nt hear the dialog) and since i live in Selfishness Central (SF Bay Area), people are rude, inconsiderate and annoying.
I invested a small amount of money into a small starter ome theater for my small apartment - 1.1k for a plasma, $200 for a 5 channel surround receiver, Direct TV with HD, and an upsampling dvd player for $60. It's my couch, I can make a pot of good coffee and the kind of food I like, if I eat, I know who will be there, and it's a better experience. (I smoke too, so I can smoke. Yes, i know, i'm going to quit. Someday.)
I used to go to the movies every Friday night, and the money I saved paid for all of it. Add a Netflix account and it's awesome.
The inly issue is first dates. It's sketchy to invite someone over the first date, so once ina while I endure theaters. Ugh. No thanks!
Plasma TV's use 4x the energy than a conventional television.
I try to avoid the cinema these days. The one near our town has become the local teen-sitter; and we spend most of the movie either telling packs of teenagers to shut the fuck up ten billion times, or getting the losers who work at the cinema to come in and do the same thing by proxy.
People just drop their little snotty, entitled bastards off there for hours and let them screw up the movie for everyone else.
We either go to the latest show possible, and hope the kids have moved on to the 7/11; or we Netflix it.
I get tired of demanding reimbursement every time.
Mouse and Pencil:
Try the Parkway Speakeasy (one in Oakland and one in El Cerito):
http://www.parkway-speakeasy.com/index.php
The site has directions, schedule and lots of other info. Definitely a different experience.
Usually second run movies (with occasional random wierdness thrown in), but a nice change from the google-plex.
My other half and I were just discussing this last night.
I think movie theatres are starting to be passe'. The picture quality on our plasma at home with HD DVD or BluRay is superior to that of a traditional movie theatre. Combined with a decent sound system, it's a vastly better experience. We can relax on our sofa, have friends over if we choose, and we don't have to worry about cell phones or babies crying.
I'm just not seeing the point of going to the movies any more.
I have a nice little 5 point surround-sound system from Inwall.com; it came in a kit--complete with a generic subwoofer we call 'thumpy'.
They work great--and it wasn't overly expensive. We have a normal television. Nothing fancy; but it still rocks the house when needed.
@ Anon 11:04
The point? To spend $30 on two tickets, popcorn and a soda of course. :)
People still buy DVDs? I thought everyone downloaded torrents now.
A few clicks and the DVD-rip downloads in less than an hour on the 1st day the DVD comes out.
Good quality bootlegs are put out the 1st day the movie plays in theaters.
"The inly issue is first dates. It's sketchy to invite someone over the first date, so once ina while I endure theaters."
Didn't anyone ever tell you that going to a movie is a HORRIBLE choice for a 1st date?
Theaters suck, mainly because they are full of people who suck. I've spent too long earning my hermitude to be assulted by the presence of others, sit through fifteen minutes of un-color-corrected slideshow commercials for salons, pizza parlors, and bicycle parts stores, then watch a battered print with distorted sound while idiots chat on cell phones and babies cry and the sound from the theaters next door showing explosion movies bleeds through the walls and shakes the place. I usually bypass the whole thing by downloading the R5 or impromptu telecine DVD-R that shows up online, sometimes before release. Frugality prevents me from buying a megabuck TV though, when I have a perfectly-functioning oldschool 27" CRT in almost every room. My living room has the deluxe theater. It's hooked up to a stereo.
On an unrelated topic: What is it with people who buy widescreen hi-def TVs, the main selling point of which is a better viewing experience, and set it to display standard-def TV stretched out and squashed because they're "bothered by the black bars"? Every house with hi-def I've visited lately has the shortfat people on the screen, usually at the behest of the female of the house who finds the black bars on the sides of the screen "unsightly".
@Property
I forgot about that place! Thanks! My ex wanted to go there, but we broke up before we could. Awesome concept, and I got rave reviews from people wo went.
@Stepanie
Subs are fun, but not in apartments. :) I have mine dialed pretty low, I'm upstairs.
@Anon. But, that's wrong. *wink*. I would never do that. *Nudge*. Pirates III is awsome...er...yeah, in the theater! (Spidey 3 sucks)
Everyone already knows I am a "Cheap B@st@rd" so no surprise the 50" was $1497 last Christmas. It replaced a 15yo 32" CRT box. What it also did was open up 6 additional square feet of family room which in my insane neck of the woods is worth $2000. Because it replaced an old model it only consumes about twice the energy but for 4x the screen. Anybody who wants to make energy efficiency claims had better be ready to defend the gas used to get to the cinema.
Am I the omly person here who thinks that dropping $1000+ on a TV set is an insane amount of money?
@Mouse & Pencil,
I agree wholeheartedly about Spidey3. What a pile of crap.
@Casey Fannn..
I agree about the streched images and the abhorrence of the 'black bars'. But please don't blame it on the girls. I know plenty of guys who flat out refuse to get anything but full-screen; even when they have one of those giant black monstrosities in their house that will turn the picture into crap.
People still buy DVDs? I thought everyone downloaded torrents now.
A few clicks and the DVD-rip downloads in less than an hour on the 1st day the DVD comes out.
Some of us place a higher value on convience, packaging, and hoping that the makers can afford to make another worth viewing.
Pirates 3, thumbs up.
Spidey 3, Ishtar redux. Bad movie that they didn't even have the sense to keep short. Okay, let's be honest. S3 exists to sell the far more profitable video games and ancillaries. They only made the movie as an afterthought to the profit centers because they had to.
@Rob
Add in the energy to run the projector, they are BIG beasts, I guarantee it's significantly more than a plasma TV.
I'm not gonna starta glabal warming fight, while I don't buy into it, I believe we as a species should live cleaner, and not foul our nest. I'll leave it there.
In PDX we have McMennamins theatres; there are a few around PDX metro. They're cool old theatres turned into pubs. You can sit down, order a pitcher of beer, some yummy food, and watch a new movie, or sometimes they do a series; like they have been running the Buffy TVS series recently.
There's a chain in New England called Chunky's that does something similiar, but the beer and food is far inferior.
Re:
>>...one of those giant black monstrosities in their house that will turn the picture into crap<<
Perhaps my density is showing. To what does the above phrase refer? The TV itself? A nine-foot-tall nubian who sneaks in at night and messes with the TV adjustments? Wha?
50" TV or not, some movies are just better on the big screen. For me, nothing beats stadium seating with surround sound and a giant silver screen for no brainer shoot'em up high action films like the Terminator or Star Wars.
Those eighties-style widescreen TVs that take up half a house; with the black pedestal.
If you go to a good theater then it offers a MUCH better experience than most home theater systems. However good theaters are few and far between. If I were limited to a 10 mile drive then my current home theater system would be more than good enough. However, to duplicate the experience of a good regional theater (not the crappy one crammed into a mall or, worse, a small strip mall), you need some pretty high end equipment.
Specifically, you need a completely dark room and a very bright projector or a good direct view TV. A TV that is a good theater substitute is about $3000 (52" 1080p LCD). To drive the TV, you need a high-def source (standard DVD's look crappy on large screens, even when played on a progressive scan DVD player or up-converted), so add $500-$1000 for that. You also need decent 5 or 7 channel sound. Doing this about costs at least $1500 if you want to do it well.
So, one could spend $5000-6000 on a home theater system or go to the movies regularly. The capital required for such a system costs around $122/month (assuming an 8% interest rate and depreciation over 4 years).
A typical trip to the movies costs me and my wife $18 for the movie plus $10 to drive there, so that's $28 per trip. To make such a system worthwhile I'd have to go to the movies 5 times per month. It's a really close call for me.
Actually, i buy more movies now, even with the occasional download - I have pretty much replaced most of those with the DVD when it ships - I fully intend to buy the big collectors edition of Pirates, and buy it off iTunes. I spend a lot of money on movies off iTunes, stuff I could easily pirate. Same with music. I tend to grab rare stuff when i do pirate, or have someone do it for me - I scored "Dark Star" and "Nomads". two movies i love but aren't available even on tape. If they put them out, i'll buy them.
I prefer digital downloading now, because the less dvd cases I have to deal with, the better. iTunes needs to start adding pdfs of the credits and such, like they do for cds.
And 1k for a tv isn't bad. I'm typing this on a 2.5K computer at work, and I use a 2K computer at home. My car was 20K brand new. My rent is $950.
10K for a tv, that's a lot. And yes, you can spend that much easily.
I have a 150 inch widescreen plasma HDTV with eight-point surround sound Pro Logic by BOSE and six full-length black pleather sofas with built-in recliners.
@Uber
True, if you're trying to replace the theater - in that case, i'd scrap the tv and get a projector and paint a wall and throw that sucker up big.
But, if you don't want/need all the bells and whistles, and shop carefully, you can cut that in half or better.
In fact, if you have or plan on havng your HD signal come from a sat box or cable box, you can shop for a lcd/plasma monitor, with no tuner, and save MORE money.
But, if you listen to the dorks at BestBuy, they'll spend 5K for you easily, and you'll never use or appreciate most of it. It's like the HDMI cables. $70? Screw you BestBuy, try $14.
Stephanie J. 11:01 AM,
Your teen-sitter central sounds exactly like my nearest theater. Luckily, there are a number of other choices nearby, but I generally watch at home anyway.
My ideal theater would allow dogs.
What to do with obsolete structures? Turn them into free hydrotherapy swimming pools for dogs.
M&P:
I can think of lots of ways to cut the cost in half, but they'd seriously impair the viewing experience. My price estimate was assuming I wasn't going to someplace overpriced like BestBuy. Specifically, I could switch from a good LCD tv to a cheap one or to a plasma, which would save $500-1500 bucks. I could also consider a projector, but the bulb life on them is too short and they don't work well with the lights on.
As for the sound, that's one of the big advantages of the theater and truly equivalent sound is pretty expensive. Also, remember that I specified a blu-ray or HDDVD player as a signal source. That's a big chunk of the estimated cost there. Doing less than this would leave me with a system where I would remain tempted to go to the movies.
I tend to grab rare stuff when i do pirate, or have someone do it for me - I scored "Dark Star" and "Nomads". two movies i love but aren't available even on tape.
Don't I know it. My twice dubbed Koyaanisqatsi tape was in sad shape until last year. Now if only "Lathe of Heaven" could get out of litigation.
Not only is the theater expensive, little of that money stays in the local economy unless you live near Hollywood. A large majority of the box goes directly back to the studio. In extreme cases (like at least one of the new Star Wars films), they've demanded 100% of the box. That's why food and drinks at the theater is so expensive: it makes up the vast majority of the profit.
By the way, the secret to successfuly bringing your own food to the theater is plausible deniability. Not for you, for the usher. Some pimply-faced 16 year old making minimum wage doesn't want to make you get rid of it, but he also doesn't want trouble with his manager. He's concerned not with the theater's profits but with getting through his shift with a minimum of hassle so that he remains in a good mood for his continued campaign to get that cute brunette who works box into the back seat of his '83 Accord. As long as he can legitimately claim that he didn't see it you're usually golden, but that goes out the window if you put your hibachi in the aisle for people to trip on.
Of course, all bets are off at theaters that have mandatory bag searches at the door.
@ Sprezzatura:
Agreed. My first car barely cost more than that.
When I move soonish to a new place where it's practical, I plan to get a decent surround system first and only then look at replacing the old 19" TV, probably with a midsize flat CRT. LCD would be nice, but the price has to come down a lot first.
Rob,
This is the anon that had mail land in your junk folder. I have sent you a few trying to tie up loose ends. Have you received?
One Pacific Theater building was torn down and a Best Buy was built over it.
Another one turned into a retro dinner theater (kinda cool) where old movies are being shown while dinner is served. I was in Saratoga Springs recently and they had one of these in a converted old theater as well.
Dawg, I see your point, but movie theaters will be one old media business that will survive. Kids go to hang with their friends. Couples go for a cheap date night (still cheaper for me and my wife than most things) and it beats sitting at home all the time.
It's funny...everytime people discuss the end of the movie exhibition business, it rebounds.
Oh and the black bars on DVDs? I'd much rather see the movie in it's proper aspect ratio than be forced to watch an annoying, screen filling pan and scan presentation.
Guess I'm one of those annoying purists :(
I have a 50" Plasma hooked to a HD direct TV reciever and a HDMI upconvert dvd player. Both sources link to a Dolby 5.1 DTS reciever.
You put on the Blues Bros dvd with a 1080i upconvert and it blows the original on the big screen away. And no idiots with ringing cell phones or senseless babbling to contend with.
yeah, we are talking $2.5K but I keep my stuff a long time. I had one of original projector tvs for 19 years before lighting took it out.
Ditto the reciever. Over time it pays for itself. Plus we get our sports in HD which kills std TV even in bars. And the fact I can pause the sucker to mix a fresh rum & OJ makes it all the better.
I don't have a koi pond, but Finding Nemo is pretty impressive when you see the Computer generated waves etc.
H
PS Be sure to check out the new Simpsons movie coming to a theather near you on June 27th!
I read EN on my 42 inch LCD Panel TV with the wireless the WII!!!
So fun.
Big flat Panel screen on my PC too.
WHEEEEE.
Paid cash, both under $1000.00, well, if you do not count sales tax.
@M&P: And 1k for a tv isn't bad. I'm typing this on a 2.5K computer at work, and I use a 2K computer at home. My car was 20K brand new. My rent is $950.
Comparing a TV to a computer isn't really apples to apples. The TV is more like the monitor than the entire computer.
I'm a very late adopter when it comes to this kind of thing. I've already had to replace my entire music library once, when the industry went from cassettes to CDs. I've had to replace my old VHS tapes with DVDs. I'll be damned if I upgrade my entire system again and then have to re-buy all my favorites in some newer content format -- especiually now, when it's not even clear which format is the winning choice.
It's a sure bet that 10 years from now I'll be doing the upgrade dance yet again, and then another 10 years after that, until I either get off the upgrade train entirely or die.
How many times am I supposed to buy the same damn stuff?
Oh, and the I-Max is fun and new, or go to the movies at Universal Studios, everything is nice and even cocktails are served.
Am I spoiled?
They only thing I do not like at the movies is air born flu or TB, kinda takes the fun out of it.
"yessssssssssss!. Real(non you know who convo) Finally!'
I have one of those HD TV's but I don't have cable now. When I did have cable, I had to pay extra for HD access. Now I have to use a special $100 attenae. The reception is awesome when there is good weather, but I'm not crazy about being able to see the tiniest hairs on someone's chin. I don't have much time to watch TV and there is really nothing much on TV that interests me except the news and some PBS programs. The non "you know who" banter on blogs such as these is more interesting.
@ Spezz,
I feel ya, lost that battle with cassettes years ago, and gave up.
Has anyone here watched a movie in DLP? It kind of feels like high def except on a movie screen.
I didn't even own a TV until about 2 years ago and I live in a city where I can walk to the movie theaters (as well as my workplace and just about everywhere else). Does this mean I've earned a 4x power consumption plasma TV on energy grounds?
11:38
No, with a plasma, you do not need a dark room. And the quality of the picture blows away projecters (theater or tv).
But you need to buy quality and get it sized to the room. I have a 32" hdtv I used until I got the plasma that just does not get the job done even in a small room, never mind a big one.
Unlike the theaters, in the winter I have the heat on and in the summer, I have the a/c on. Yes, you do not have to be uncomfortable to watch a movie.
I can watch a flick without worrying about being in the cross fire of nitwit gangsta members in cinema #4 that spills into the hallway.
The movie cinemas are going to go the way of the drive in. And that will be followed by the concert. I can actually see what is going on a band dvd and using the sound processer I get solid music that is not bouncing off of a steel ceiling. Never have to yell DOWN IN FRONT or pay crazy money to park my car. Or worry how am I going go get home afterwards.
Youngins like to go out and talk about the latest media. Us old dogs like to relax at the end of day. Spend the money to set the house up as you use it. You can put a plasma in half the rooms in the house for the price of a granite countertops in the kitchen. So where are your priorites mon???
Oh, I forgot the main point. I've read that many companies in the movie industry have long term plans to expand to other forms of entertainment.
Once projection and distribution migrates to being completely digital, theaters can start showing live events like the super bowl. Also, people will be able to rent out theaters to give high def presentations. Essentially, theaters will upgrade from movie houses to become more like media centers.
I only go to movies on Tuesday because it's "Bring Your Own Bucket" night and popcorn is only .25. I can get 2 tickets, a giant bucket of popcorn and soda for under $20. That's the only time I go to a movie.
When I lived in LA, that was a different story. Part of the enjoyment was going to see movies at the Chinese Theater, whatever its name is as well as the theater in Hollywood. They put regular theaters to shame.
Pshaw... 42" plasmas this, 50" plasmas that.
You people are pusses...
THIS is a TV:
http://www.engadget.com/2004/12/16/samsungs-102-inch-plasma-tv/
Sports and music are still events that i will go see live, if the prices are reasonable - as a former roadie and lighting designer (non pro, college activities) I still spend more time checking out the lighting plot and the sound system than the band. :)
I personally think a lot of the megaplexes should be torn down and parks put in their place.
And at night, show movies on the lawn, so you can bring your dog.
Dog-In.
It'll work.
Pig ear and popcorn concessions to pay for it.
Spezz said:
Comparing a TV to a computer isn't really apples to apples. The TV is more like the monitor than the entire computer.
Actually a HDTV is a computer. It processes digital signals both for video and audio. I even have a RS232 port and a USB port to add a memory device on mine. I have an IR remote for a pointing input device. My mfg can download firmware changes should they be needed.
If you go back in history around 1982-85, Congress fearing the Japanese would take over HDTV like they had traditional television (Zenith had just gotten out of that business as the last US tv mfg) decided not to use the Japan standard for High Definition so that they could not flood the market with products they were already manufacturing until US companies could compete.
The idea was the likes of Data General, Prime, Digital, and SGI would compete with Sony and Matushita (eg Panasonic in US). The minicomputers already had boards for digital signal processing and large displays (up to 21") some of which had been boiled down to chips. And they were starting to hurt from the the new fangled PCs and Macs eatting their margins.
But the delays by the broadcasters put nails in that coffin and the offshore models were the only game in town by the time we could buy in.
enough of the history lesson. Bottom line is that a HDTV is a specialized computer, just like the first models that calculated shell tragectory in WWII. A base tv gets an analog signal and displays it on the Cathode tube screen.
This one has an extra inch, but something bad happened to it.
We finally got the cable guy to our new house! Man, I didn't realize how addicted to the internet I am until we had to live without it for a week.
Anyway, on topic, I really don't care for the theater experience anymore either with the exception of our local drive in theater. The screen is old and crappy but there is just nothing like going out with your family with a carload of treats and drinks and catching not 1 but 2 movies for a grand total of $12. On top of that the nostalgia of sitting back in your carseats or pulling out the lawn chairs to watch a movie on a 50 foot screen is just awesome.
As long as theaters get to show a movie first, they will continue to succeed. Never underestimate people's desire to be first to see a movie, adopt a new technology, comment on a blog entry, etc.
I just had a wonderful theater experience this weekend. $12.50 tickets, minimal choice of snacks, but reclining in a comfy lounge chair covered by a blanket (provided) made "Casablanca" even more enjoyable.
Cinema Under the Stars
Being in the entertainment biz, I see all the plans and trends and such regularly. That being said, theaters will exist because people NEED to go out and be around others. Not everyone, mind you and that is why it's good to have freedom of choice.
Will the exhibition industry downsize at some point, sure. We are seeing consolidation from many regional players to a few national 800 lb gorillas. I still like to go see a movie in the theater. If the theater has good picture and sound that knocks my socks off a matinee is not such a bad thing.
I own an HD LCD with HD DVD, Blue Ray and Satellite Directv HD DVR. I love it (and yes, I paid for it all with money in my pocket or with one of those 12 months no interest deals - paid off in 12 months of course).
I am an early adopter. Music is one of my loves so I have the 5.1 sound receiver that can handle high bit rates of sound ala SACD, DVD-A and many others. I use the digital connectors for the optimum sound output along with HDMI.
I'm really a geek you know :)
I am listening to Casey last pod cast now. It is hilarious that Casey feels he has to do the podcast cause he can't cancel with them. And M. SINGH is great.
Too all who wishes to buy a LCD/Plasma TV here... wait. All current HDTV has 8 Bit pixel resolution, that is when RGB (Red/Green/Blue) data get transmitted from source to pixel on your screen, the pixel contents for each color is 8 bit deep. The TV manufactures are pushing for 10 Bit Screen this summer/fall, which will drive all current TV prices (8 bit version) down. Buy at that time if you don't want the 10Bit TV. And if you decide to get a 10 Bit TV, get the HDMI interface w/ it, which works way better than the traditional analog interface. Traditional analog interface are normally 10 BIT ADC w/ 8 bit resolution, when extending to 12 BIT ADC w/ 10 bit resolution at high speed, they are hitting the limitation w/ 4 times the power consumption. HDMI uses pure digital interface.
We're so excited about replacing obsolete structures with canine hydrotherapy pools we created a 6 Degrees badge for our cause.
I'll only donate if these pools also have kong-cannons and cat-flingers to promote good diving skills.
idiot you dotn get it.
you are also probably the guy taht says why pay $6 for a beer in some snotty bar. when i can enjoy a six pack for the same price at home.
Mouse And Pencil,
The dog-in sounds great. Introducing the pig ears could create some issues though...What happens to the pig ear-less dogs? Of course, they'd take them from smaller dogs with the pig ears and all hell would break loose.
ok - you stay at home and stare at your popcorn ceiling. I'll pay $6 at a snotty bar for a beer and stare at chicks and play pool.
Stephanie,
I hear there's an acupuncture clinic in the works, but I don't know about kong-cannons and cat-flingers...
I would like to take us back to a better, simpler, more relaxing time.
Before the big screen, the plasma, and StephJ marrying some jerkoff-there were the drive-in movie theaters.
Now this was a cinema experience. Going and seeing a truly big screen on a friday or saturday night.
Bringing your own snacks and soda. The sound of cars driving on the gravel.
I still remember the first drive-in movie I ever went too. On the screen in front of me was some lame kids movie..and on the screen to the right was a R-rated movie. I still look back fondly on a HUUUUUGe boob being exposed for my young juvenile imagination.
Now this is what entertainment was about..but in my area, the only drive-in's left are in Newberg and Hood river. Both over an hour drive away.
Hell I still remember the time the last drive-in in portland--about 6 months before it was sold for industrial warehouses to sprout up on it.
StephJ and I would go there and watch movies every friday and saturday. Albeit the same movie was playing most of the time....but we were making movies with the new fangled invention called a video camera in the back of the van we borrowed from casey, who didnt need it anymore down by the river because he met some chick named galina.
Yep, that was all a simpler time back then..much has changed now with the exception of casey living in his van down by the river.
One new marketing strategy for cinemas is to go upscale. E.g., the ArcLight (Sunset/Vine) has reserved seating where you can pick the exact seat you want, nice reclining seats with extra leg and elbow room between them (sort of like business class on a plane, lol). The usher even stands up in front of the theater before the film and welcomes you and says if there are any problems just let them know. They have a fancy bar/restaurant in the lobby where you can have a decent meal or a drink before the show. It costs $11-12 for a reserved seat but it may be worth the value added. Also, you're less likely to have to deal with idiots.
BTW, I don't know if I'm like most folks but I'm getting more and more picky about what films I consider worth seeing on the big screen versus waiting for the DVD. I see maybe 5-6 films a year in an actual cinema and most of my friends are the same way. The last thing I saw in a cinema was "Grindhouse" at Mann's Chinese, which was well worth it (more for the venue than the film...looking at the decor inside was almost worth the price of admission itself.)
I couldn't really care less about whether the new claptrap wallet raping cinemas die off or not, but I love vintage theaters. I'm not even into old movies that much, but something about these buildings evokes a time when going out to the movies was much more of an event. And what incredible works of architecture they are. There is a strip of about 20 blocks out on Brooklyn where there are about 10 old school theaters, all of which are now either churches or shitty sub-Walmart department stores. The most gorgeous one of them all sits there rotting away, forgotten. It's such a shame.
@Flailing
That *is* a pity.
Galina took all the money and paid bills - no movies for us unless I use the corp credit card. We did watch DVDs on the laptop when in bed, but can't do that anymore either.
Now we just sit in the living room with Yulina and watch whatever she wants.
But good things are coming - and once things are more settled, I'm getting me and Galina a nice 48" plasma.
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