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Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

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Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#301

Post by mosura »

ozim wrote: post #227
tyjen wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The last movie we attended people were incredibly disruptive throughout the film, to the point that it was difficult to focus on the film. Some people enjoy screaming, laughing, and talking as part of the experience, but it's apparently been normalized beyond my tolerance threshold. Add in the cost and overall movie quality decrease of Hollywood productions, and it's difficult to justify. Presently, we watch foreign…

With current TV setups or projector technology I basically have cinema in my living room. As a kid who grew up in 90’s I would say it is easily better than what cinema had back then. I don’t have that high expectations of sound/video as many people will point out that streaming kills the quality but for all its worth still much better than what I need to enjoy a movie.

Back pre digital I was once lucky enough to see Aliens on one of the private cinemas at Fox, and it was astounding. I think people underestimate how poorly operated most normal cinemas used to be, combined with maybe not the best prints etc.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#302

Post by dylan604 »

telotortium wrote: post #275
pipes wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everyone I know with an Espresso machine still goes to coffee shops. Beer is cheaper from a super market but everyone I know prefers pubs. For some reason this does not hold with cinemas. I way prefer the escapism of the cinema to sitting in my house surrounded by my usual ambient domestic Todo list. Sure I have a very good oled, amazing surround sound, but I'd take the cinema every time. But I can't due to kids. How…

> Beer is cheaper from a super market but everyone I know prefers pubs. It's a pretty frequent complaint that drinks at pubs, bars, and restaurants have become extortionately expensive, to the point that a lot of younger people are drinking less for that reason.

I avoid "bars" where the bar tenders only pour beers. I much prefer the higher end places where every drink is hand made in front of you where the quality of the bartender is everything. I recognize the skill and accept that the price of the cocktail will be set accordingly. There are places that make cocktails with the same ice they use for soft drinks from premade cocktails charging the same price. I do not go back to those ever again after I slog down the one drink. Luckily, I'm a freak where I didn't actually start drinking until I was in my 30s so I didn't have to suffer being broke at a bar.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#303

Post by mschuster91 »

dylan604 wrote: post #295
ozim wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With current TV setups or projector technology I basically have cinema in my living room. As a kid who grew up in 90’s I would say it is easily better than what cinema had back then. I don’t have that high expectations of sound/video as many people will point out that streaming kills the quality but for all its worth still much better than what I need to enjoy a movie.

One of the criteria for me to go to the theater was the big screen and big sound would really add to the experience. The last film I saw in the theater was was so loud that it physically hurt and ruined the experience. As you say with the image quality being as high at home now plus a decent surround system really makes the theater experience at home very enjoyable.

If you got a house of your own, yes.

If you are in an urban area and are not a millionaire, you probably live in some kind of apartment or studio. And yes, you can stick up a projector and a good surround system... but it might be that the builder cut corners on the floors and your neighbors already come knocking when you are talking, much less turn up the audio system to a tenth of the sound pressure a good cinema sound system provides.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#304

Post by mosura »

jghn wrote: post #177
no_wizard wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Avatar is a good example. I enjoyed each one in the theater but I tried watching Avatar: The Way of Water at home and despite having an entire media room devoted to good sound, proper lighting well calibrated projector and such it was not all that great. The movie fell a little flat without the theater experience to go with it. I saw the limited run in advance to the 3rd one coming out in theaters again and it was go…

Exactly, Avatar was literally what I was picturing when I wrote that. They're not good movies. But damn they're fun to watch in 3D, on a giant screen, and with great sound. That's not to say that all movies in this category are *only* worth watching in the theater like Avatar is. For instance I would have still enjoyed the recent Dune movies either way but they were a lot better with all the pomp & circumstance.

At that point what you are describing is a theme park ride. It only works a handful of times though before people get bored of it and want something else.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#305

Post by mosura »

drstewart wrote: post #116
Detrytus wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can watch a movie without popcorn, you know. Not only cheaper but also healthier. This American obsession with popcorn always seemed weird to me.

Do Europeans know you can watch soccer without drinking beer? It's cheaper and healthier. Absolutely bizarre obsession you lot have with it.

Soccer without beer would be like college basketball without the gambling.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#306

Post by DiscourseFan »

msabalau wrote: post #244
epolanski wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The biggest competition for movies is actually from Youtube. While the streaming business led to a growth of the movie industry, pre Covid and pre strikes at least, it's difficult to compete when millions of people can produce good content for low prices. On top of that, it doesn't help that movies stopped innovating, 2025 box office was entirely dominated by prequels and sequels. I don't care about avengers, I reall…

Maybe one could reasonably blame on-line video and or video games if this were a global phenomenon. But it isn't. China and India are going gangbusters. Japan is thriving and doing strong work. Nigerian cinema is projected to hit 3 million ticket sales for the first time this year. The UK--is at least stealing work from Hollywood with tax breaks. Korea had a rough patch, which they turned around by doing more mid-mar…

To be honest, a lot of the YouTube content creators, especially the most successful ones, actually moved to LA and Hollywood already, suggesting that its not Hollywood itself, as a place for developing fresh ideas, that is dying, but its more established institutions. I would say that if you are in LA right now, there is no end to the amount of young people ready and willing to work on some creative entertainment project, but the market is YouTube, and the biggest studio is MrBeast's (among others).

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#307

Post by wombat-man »

fhdkweig wrote: post #274
WarmWash wrote: post #96

My fiance mentioned we haven't gone to see a movie in theaters in years and it would be fun to go. I checked what was playing and: 2 tickets, 2 sodas, 1 popcorn. $86 dollars. Don't know if I'll ever go to a conventional movie theater again.

I don't know where people get these crazy prices. Try to find a little hole-in-the-wall theater. I like the local Landmark Cinema. It is about $8 a ticket and I skip on the junk food. There is another theater on the other side of town that does midnight showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Those kinds of places are also cheap.

I think it's more relevant to talk about theaters showing current new movies because that's kind of what Hollywood is focused on. I'm in a more expensive city where a weeknight non-matinee will run $20 a pop for a current release. Comfort is average but food is pretty solid. Not Alamo, but similar service level. Not unusual for a couple to leave paying more like 80 after concessions.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#308

Post by spacechild1 »

jrjeksjd8d wrote: post #45
pkorzeniewski wrote: post #19

I haven't been in cinema in the past ~10 years and to be honest I wouldn't care if no more movies were ever made, simply because there are hundreds, if not thousands, amazing movies made since the beginning of the cinema that I didn't watch. Most of the new movies are crap anyways, so why waste time and money when I can watch a classic movie instead which has a much higher probability of me enyjoing it.

Theatres don't just show new movies. There's something very special about being locked in a dark room with a big screen to watch Alien or Barry Lyndon. Older movies especially look great in a theatre and some of the magic is lost on a smaller screen. 90% of any content is crap but you're missing out if you like movies and you haven't seen Sinners, The Bone Temple, or NOPE (to name a few recent great theatre watches).

I regularly go to a nearby cinema that also shows older movies. Watching a movie like "Ran" (Akira Kurosawa) in a restored 4k version on a big screen is quite an experience. (Tickets are 10€ btw.) Often I go with a friend, but occasionally I also go alone. There's something about spending 2 or 3 hours in a dark room entirely focussing on a piece of art.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#309

Post by padjo »

radiator wrote: post #232
m-hodges wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Should art not of a point of view?

That is the whole point . Since decades, it has a single point of view, failing to represent the majority of the people.

I think you need to get out more if you really believe all movies have the one point of view

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#310

Post by deadbabe »

1shooner wrote: post #262
deadbabe wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the millennial suburbs some people have converted their garages into small indie move theaters with good sound systems and people from around the neighborhood show up to watch obscure movies together and eat barbecued food.

Is this actually a broad trend, or more just your personal experience? There is very little that could get me to move back to the suburbs, but this kind of thing is compelling.

Similar to people building a bar in their garage.
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