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The “Oscar movie” is dying

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Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#51

Post by tzs »

jdlyga wrote: post #6

Going to the movies was always a habit left over from an earlier time. Of course when all you have is a standard definition tube TV and VHS movies, going to see something on the big screen is exciting. But nowadays, large 4K HDR TV's are cheap now, and you can get almost everything on streaming. Covid really hit the big reset button and made people question a lot of their habits, including still going to movie theate…

But what about the children?

A movie in a theater was great for early stage dating. It gets you in a dark place in neutral territory with the other person where you sort of have some privacy but still public enough that it is safe, and you have a good excuse for sitting right next to them.

There you can do things that try to inch up the intimacy but with plausible deniability, such as the classics we've all seen a billion movies and TV shows like hand touching while reaching into a shared extra large popcorn ("it was a better deal than buying two smaller sizes...yeah, that's why we have to share!") or the arms resting on the back of the seat that sort of turns into a side hug.

I don't think that would work with movies at home. It is not neutral territory. There might be parents, or worse, obnoxious siblings around limiting privacy or even actively trying to see how your date is going. For the person who is the guest it isn't as safe as a theater. There isn't an excuse to sit right next to each other so the arm trick is out. You probably each have your own bag of microwave popcorn.

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#53

Post by rockostrich »

nandreev wrote: post #30
jdlyga wrote: post #6

Going to the movies was always a habit left over from an earlier time. Of course when all you have is a standard definition tube TV and VHS movies, going to see something on the big screen is exciting. But nowadays, large 4K HDR TV's are cheap now, and you can get almost everything on streaming. Covid really hit the big reset button and made people question a lot of their habits, including still going to movie theate…

For me, it depends on the movie. I'm glad I saw Mad Max: Fury Road on the big screen - it grabbed, and didn't let go until the credits. And the audio is a big component of that (at home, I just have regular headphones). But for 90% of dramas, comedies, etc.? The 4K TV in the living room will do just fine.

Eh, I disagree on comedies. Seeing a good comedy in a theater is much more enjoyable than watching it at home. Laughter is contagious.

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#54

Post by JKCalhoun »

mc32 wrote: post #2

I wouldn't overdramatize it. The movie business didn't start with Oscar awards and it does not need them to continue. The Oscars are essentially a self-congratulatory award which often were at odds with the public. The critics and audience don't always agree. And now with less capture by the studios and cinema resulting in people having more choices of what to watch, people are choosing the more basic and entertainin…

My take from the post was less about the Oscar per se — more about the decline fit the theater experience (sans Marvel/Pixar flicks).

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#55

Post by vanilla_nut »

nayroclade wrote: post #15
jdlyga wrote: post #6

Going to the movies was always a habit left over from an earlier time. Of course when all you have is a standard definition tube TV and VHS movies, going to see something on the big screen is exciting. But nowadays, large 4K HDR TV's are cheap now, and you can get almost everything on streaming. Covid really hit the big reset button and made people question a lot of their habits, including still going to movie theate…

Cinema's latest brainwave, at least in the UK, is to run patronising adverts about how great the "big-screen experience" is, and how we shouldn't ruin films by watching on our TVs, laptops, phones, etc. Except, like the old anti-piracy ads, they run these adverts in cinemas before movies, to a group of people who've literally just made the decision to go to the cinema. Like a priest ranting at his congregation about…

Funnily, the big picture is the least interesting part of the experience for me.

Back when I lived in NYC, I used to go to Nighthawk cinemas every once in a while for a date night. We'd pick a movie, shell out for some fancy cocktails and dinner, and enjoy the drinks and food while watching the movie. It was a great experience, really loved their menu. They even had a really smart ordering system, where you wrote your order down on a piece of paper and the servers picked them up silently so as not to disrupt the movie.

But most cinemas are just typical garbage big chain locations with way-too-loud, poorly balanced speakers, crappy food, crappy drinks, full of screaming children. Why would I go to all the trouble and expense for an experience that's just worse in every way?

I also prefer watching all content with subtitles, which makes me want to go to the cinema even less because so few showings have subtitles. Given that something like 70% of Gen Zers watch content with subtitles most of the time, I wonder how long it will take that to change?

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#56

Post by schaefer »

jdlyga wrote: post #6

Going to the movies was always a habit left over from an earlier time. Of course when all you have is a standard definition tube TV and VHS movies, going to see something on the big screen is exciting. But nowadays, large 4K HDR TV's are cheap now, and you can get almost everything on streaming. Covid really hit the big reset button and made people question a lot of their habits, including still going to movie theate…

I went to the movies last weekend. I was one of 5 people in the entire theater.

The posted movie start time was 1:30. At 1:50, the movie still hadn't started. Even the previews hadn't started. They were still spamming us with TV quality advertisements for Coke-a-cola and other stuff I couldn't care less about.

20 solid minutes of ads. Under no circumstances is that acceptable. If I hadn't been with other people I would have walked out and lobbied for a refund. But as it stands, It's hard to imagine why I would go back.

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#57

Post by gfxgirl »

mc32 wrote: post #2

I wouldn't overdramatize it. The movie business didn't start with Oscar awards and it does not need them to continue. The Oscars are essentially a self-congratulatory award which often were at odds with the public. The critics and audience don't always agree. And now with less capture by the studios and cinema resulting in people having more choices of what to watch, people are choosing the more basic and entertainin…

> The critics and audience don't always agree.

The Oscars are not decided by critics. They're decided by peers. Directors vote for best Director. Actors vote for best Actor. Composers vote for best Music. Etc...

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#58

Post by JKCalhoun »

havblue wrote: post #28

I would think film criticism is dying as well. Was there a true successor to Ebert? When I think of film criticism now I think of YouTube reviews and not writers who eloquently describe what makes a good movie good.

Critics are on YouTube (for better or worse). I rather like "Terry Talks Movies" but he rarely talks about current films.

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#59

Post by bitwize »

allturtles wrote: post #35
dangus wrote: post #10

This article feels so very out of touch, like a car enthusiast telling parents with 4 kids that their minivan should have a manual transmission since it's a better driving experience. It gets the whole situation backwards: it blames the modern audience for not wanting to take the time and money to go out to the theater unless they get a theme park-style spectacle. In other words, the article is blaming the customer.…

> The article laments that things aren't right in the world when Steven Spielberg can't draw a theater crowd. Well, Steven Spielberg is an old, wealthy man now, and he is making movies for himself, not for the kind of audience that made Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park massive successes. I sort of agree. I've enjoyed many of Spielberg's movies, but I have no interest in watching a fictionalized Spielberg biopic. West…

Fun fact: Spielberg didn't get his bachelor's degree until 2002, having dropped out in the 60s for a hiatus to, you know, have a successful filmmaking career.

He submitted Schindler's List as his senior project and got an A on it.

Re: The “Oscar movie” is dying

#60

Post by messe »

mc32 wrote: post #34
havblue wrote: post #28

I would think film criticism is dying as well. Was there a true successor to Ebert? When I think of film criticism now I think of YouTube reviews and not writers who eloquently describe what makes a good movie good.

Mr Plinkett is not everyone's cup of tea for various reasons. But it does some deep dives into some key movies.

I think Half-in-the-Bag (also from RLM) is closer to the Siskel and Ebert style reviews than Plinkett.
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