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Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

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Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#381

Post by jjmarr »

Telemakhos wrote: post #364
mosura wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I remember seeing In the Mood for Love on the big screen in my local arthouse cinema back around 2000. It was shot with analogue film and projected as such, and the sheer details of the textures were astounding. It's not a bad film on my 4k monitor, but I don't feel the same awe.

Blame lossy compression to save bandwidth. There's no way to legally stream in Blu-ray quality.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#382

Post by danpalmer »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #380
danpalmer wrote: post #378

People like to point at prices and bad audience behaviour for the downfall of cinemas, but I'd suggest that it also comes down to availability and home experience. When I was growing up we went to the cinema regularly, but the only options for watching a film were VHS rentals and the cinema, both of which required going out. Films were rare. Sometimes there would be a film on TV, but it would have ads every 20 minute…

And yet I have no interest in watching any of the current few decades of superhero crap that Hollywood has been grinding out—at home or anywhere else. Maybe movies also suck these days.

I think it has always been true in most media that the mainstream is boring and devoid of artistic value while the fringes are interesting and valuable. There are plenty of excellent films around at the moment.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#383

Post by bitwank »

danpalmer wrote: post #378

People like to point at prices and bad audience behaviour for the downfall of cinemas, but I'd suggest that it also comes down to availability and home experience. When I was growing up we went to the cinema regularly, but the only options for watching a film were VHS rentals and the cinema, both of which required going out. Films were rare. Sometimes there would be a film on TV, but it would have ads every 20 minute…

I totally get how much more convenient home viewing is, but there’s something about going out and watching something in a group that is special, like we do with opera or theater, sporting events or concerts.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#384

Post by ryandrake »

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.

Even outside of pubs and restaurants. Six packs and cases in the grocery store are all hugely inflated. Since I like beer, I got an old freezer and built a kegerator out of it and now buy my beer by the keg. (For now) keg prices are barely reasonable. $10 for a glass of beer at a restaurant?? Fuck right off with that.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#385

Post by TheOtherHobbes »

tombert wrote: post #279
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…

I don't drink alcohol or coffee, so I can't really relate to the others. I will admit to having good experiences going to the theater with friends and/or family, but I don't really enjoy watching a movie with strangers. Nowadays if I want to watch a movie with friends, I will simply invite them over and we'll watch it together. More power to you if you like going to a theater, I'm not trying to convince you to stop,…

My ideal movie experience is to go during the day towards the end of a run when there's a fair chance the theatre will either be empty or almost empty.

But I haven't even done that for a while.

If it's going to be crowded - no thanks.

Tangentially, because my gf works in opera I've been to some productions, and real theatre - a real stage, with real people, and real stage effects - can have a presence and magic that cinema can't touch.

So I'd much rather spend money on that now. It's physically less comfortable because of the seats, but as an experience it's so much more hands-on, hand-made, and satisfying, and creatively it leaves so much more space for atmosphere and implication.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#387

Post by next_xibalba »

tyjen wrote: post #157
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.

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…

This is why I no longer go to the theater. The norms around how one behaves in theaters have been destroyed (at least to my preferences).

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#388

Post by cadamsdotcom »

What if all the good stories have been told? I conjecture Hollywood is out of ideas but there’s plenty new if you look elsewhere.

Recently watched a fantastic Chinese movie: Upstream (2024) - a dramatized view of a culture driven by algorithms where everyone is plugged in but opportunity does exist if you work hard. Optimistic and pessimistic, with an underdog you want to see win, and a bunch of beautiful human and touching moments. Highly recommended.

Hollywood will keep going maybe in a smaller form. It’s ok for industries to change or run out of steam, and it’s ok for new to replace told. It’s ok for a place to run out of stories to tell, because new stories will get told by others in other places.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#389

Post by pwthornton »

alsetmusic wrote: post #379
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…

This is why I strongly endorse buying a projector if the space allows for one. Changed the home experience. I thought I might be making a mistake when I bought my first (720p) years ago but I'd never go back to a traditional television.

Idk, a giant OLED is a pretty great experience, and the visual quality of them beats a good chunk of professional cinemas.

Re: Hollywood Enters Oscars Weekend in Existential Crisis

#390

Post by danpalmer »

bitwank wrote: post #383
danpalmer wrote: post #378

People like to point at prices and bad audience behaviour for the downfall of cinemas, but I'd suggest that it also comes down to availability and home experience. When I was growing up we went to the cinema regularly, but the only options for watching a film were VHS rentals and the cinema, both of which required going out. Films were rare. Sometimes there would be a film on TV, but it would have ads every 20 minute…

I totally get how much more convenient home viewing is, but there’s something about going out and watching something in a group that is special, like we do with opera or theater, sporting events or concerts.

I'm not sure I agree. If I'm there to enjoy the film I don't want to notice the audience, much like at the opera or theatre. If I've seen the film before and want to enjoy the atmosphere (like a concert or sport) then a cinema would often be a bad place for that (I've had that experience once in my life).
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