What Is Your Favorite Way of Watching a Movie
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alamo drafthouse (Score:4, Insightful)
you asked what's my favorite, not what I do most often, so i put at the theater. nothing like having your beers delivered to your seat, and them throwing people out for talking.
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:3, Funny)
at the theater. nothing like having your beers delivered to your seat, and them throwing people out for talking.
Yeah, nothing like paying extortionate prices for beer and the film being interrupted, first by talking and then people getting kicked out. Sounds great.
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:2)
The places I know actually sell them at restaurant/bar prices so it's not that different than buying drinks at a restaurant. If you're looking for the cheapest beer, though, of course you should just drink them at home.
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:3)
What the hell kind of theater sells beer???
If only someone had written an example in the post title. Some kind of drafthouse I would expect... But I guess we'll never know. :-)
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:3)
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:5, Informative)
Errr, you've never been to the Alamo Drafthouse, have you? Here, watch this. My response was a lot more succinct if you've ever been to one of their locations and understand their customer base. This video actually plays before movies in the theater. And the audience laughs at her. The average Alamo Drafthouse customer is probably 25, male, has a beard, knows at least two programming languages and can list their top ten independent film directors off the top of their head. Along with their preferred hybrid car and coffee drink. They're based in Austin, which is home to UT and a southwest mecca of technology.
I've never, ever seen a "family" go to the Drafthouse, especially at their downtown location, which involves going up four flights of narrow stairs. You go to the Drafthouse to eat pizza and drink a bucket of beer with your friends, then head out afterwards and go drinking downtown.
Don't Talk - Angry Voicemail [youtube.com] Quoth the Alamo Drafthouse, "We do not tolerate people that talk or text in the theater. In fact, before every film, we have several warnings on screen to prevent such happenings. Occasionally, someone doesn't follow the rules, and we do, in fact, kick their asses out of our theater. This video is an actual voicemail from a woman that was kicked out of one of our Austin theaters. Thanks, anonymous woman, for being awesome."
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:2)
With that said, your theater is significantly better than the ones around here
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:2)
That's when you bring your flask in!!!
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:5, Insightful)
My personal favorite is streaming from my own media server.
I didn't want to pick the "streaming" option because I presume that was selection intended to refer to some lame ARM based streaming appliance.
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:4, Insightful)
media server (Score:2)
My personal favorite is streaming from my own media server.
I didn't want to pick the "streaming" option because I presume that was selection intended to refer to some lame ARM based streaming appliance.
Exactly. And they got onto our media server in several ways, including from DVD and Blurry disks (our own and borrowed from friends), and downloaded. I occasionally watch stuff streamed from youtube or vimeo, but it's far from being my favorite (there is no netflix or equivalent in this country, so I have no opinion thereon).
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:2)
So to be "as accurate as possible" I should lump my usage in with "media streamers" that I despise.
That makes zero sense.
It would be more accurate if I had selected DVD or BluRay as that's the primary source for my "streamed" content.
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:2)
Your streaming isn't exactly streaming, the poll probably refers to the first initial source where you obtained the video from. That would be what you should vote for to keep the poll as accurate as possible.
So to be "as accurate as possible" I should lump my usage in with "media streamers" that I despise.
That makes zero sense.
It would be more accurate if I had selected DVD or BluRay as that's the primary source for my "streamed" content.
Wait. What? I get it that people don't RTFA, but is reading the comment to which you're replying really so hard?
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:2)
Obviously, he is saying the "first initial source" where he obtained the video content from was a DVD or BluRay, presumably saying he ripped the movie himself to a media server or maybe even has a jukebox media server (being a member of the 4-digit club, he might).
But picking streamed as a source would imply things like netflix or amazon streaming, where the initial source is some other content provider.
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't mind getting my own beer from the fridge, and the ability to pause a flick when someone has something to say is priceless compared to tossing them out. Add in the niceties of setting the volume to your own comfort level and scheduling the picture to start whenever you feel like it their is no way mass showings can compare to the convenience of a home theater.
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:3)
...and the ability to pause a flick when someone has something to say is priceless...
Agreed. I set up my media player so that when I hit the pause button the screen displays the text "Let the beatings commence!" Plus, my remote is custom, made from the guts of a Logitech Harmony One and a baseball bat.
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:2)
I wish they would do this for the annoying, mouth-wide-open-crunching-mother-never-taught-them-how-to-masticate-louder-than-a-jet-engine eaters.
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:2)
Depends on the audience.
When I saw an early screening of "No Country For Old Men" at one of those arthouse theaters, the place was packed and you could hear a pin drop, it was a thing of beauty.
Then a month later some friends and I went to see it at the multiplex, and some asswipe started talking on the phone during the final Tommy Lee Jones monologue, about the dream with his father. Goddamit.
The most extreme negative example was "Return Of The King". A full family arrived late at an uncrowded screening, then proceeded to sit in the immediate row ahead of my group. Then the father started asking loudly what kinds of soda and sizes of popcorn.
When I said "Would you mind keeping it down?", he barked back "MY DAUGHTER IS BLIND, OKAY? SEE NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT'S ON THE SCREEN, OKAY?" Then again, that's not what he was doing, but don't pay attention to that little detail, ok? Two minutes later, the father walks out of the screening, fuming in rage, towing his poor family along, his stupidity and temper ruining the vibe for everybody.
One more, for "Kill Bill Part 2". My wife and I went to a morning screening, there was only one other couple in the room, and they talked aloud during the whole fucking picture.
So I only go to the theater when it's a late screening on a weekday, and even then, the last time I went was a year and a half ago, for "Inception", because even then it's a coin toss.
Speaking of Nolan, I'll be there for "Dark Knight Rises".
Re:alamo drafthouse (Score:3)
Went to see a 12:05pm Saturday night screening of Act of Valor. The theater was essentially empty as it had been out for just over two weeks. Needless to say, I enjoyed the experience. The only hitch was that I had to remind the staff to turn down the lights during the previews. After attending enough movies, you get a good sense of when the staff is slacking off... (grin)
In my opinion, you cannot beat the movie theater experience without building your own mini-movie theater in the basement. I do agree, however, that it can be hit or miss. You can have a crowd that is noisy, constantly moving around (bathroom, food), etc. On the other hand, you can get a crowd that is respectful and quiet.
My favorite movie theater experience is going to a 70mm IMAX theater and viewing film shot using IMAX film. The most recent example is the last Batman movie. In fact, some IMAX theaters have sold out advance tickets for "Dark Knight Rises", scheduled to open in July. http://screenrant.com/dark-knight-rises-imax-advanced-tickets-sales-kofi-146768/ [screenrant.com]
Missing option (Score:5, Insightful)
DVR
Re:Missing option (Score:2)
Re:Missing option (Score:2)
Non-torrented rips
Re:Missing option (Score:2)
I figured that "normal" digital TV sent from a satelite is "streaming". Though mostly I watch from a PVR type device.
And what of downloading or renting of iTunes? That's not streaming as the movie is a file on my laptop drive. Missing options abound!
With my eyes. (Score:2)
"At the theatre" is the closest, but I prefer watching them on a screen/monitor in a house.
Favorite vs Most Common (Score:5, Informative)
Also inb4 "favourite."
Re:Favorite vs Most Common (Score:2)
Re:Favorite vs Most Common (Score:2)
(Non Bluray owner.)
Apart from the DRM and unskippable ads, what puts me off is how some of them look in a shop.
Saw Star Trek (2009) on Bluray on an LCD tv in a shop.
All I could see was the makeup on the actor's faces. It was obvious, way more so than on DVD.
(It was on a Samsung TV and they are often set to too-intense colours, IMO)
Is this common in Blurays?
It did not make me want a Bluray player.
Re:Favorite vs Most Common (Score:2)
on an LCD tv in a shop
Annnnd there you go. The TVs at stores tend to look like shit for a lot of reasons. The signal is apparently being delivered by coax...the settings on the TV have been set by an ape...whatever. They look good and if you can't tell the difference you're either trolling or blind. :p
But seriously...using a TV in a store to compare? Come on now.
Re:Favorite vs Most Common (Score:3)
Hmmm.
I have actually worked in shops that sell audiovisual equipment. Where I was, a bluray player would be connected with hdmi. The general display TVs would come from a satellite feed. The occasion I am talking about was a TV showing the Bluray of Star Trek.
The problem with the screen that I saw was that the resolution, possibly combined with the colour intensity, was showing up the makeup (pancake, not prostheses) on the actors' faces.
(It was the scene with young Spock talking to Nimoy).
I am not the only person to have noticed this, 30 Rock had a gag about HD cameras showing up all the flaws on Liz Lemon's face.
The issue was not poor signal quality, compression artifacts or anything like it.
If it was connected with coax and therefore a degraded signal, how could I tell that it was makeup on their faces? I can tell when I am watching a degraded signal.
But seriously...using a TV in a store to compare? Come on now.
Are you suggesting that looking at an item in the place where it is sold is not the thing to do? You don't generally get the chance to go home to try out a TV or Blu ray player and then return it for a no-questions asked refund, do you?
Furthermore, you may choose the place to buy on other criteria, too. Length of guarantee offered & price are 2 that spring to mind.
Re:Favorite vs Most Common (Score:5, Informative)
If you don't notice a difference and think it is a waste of money, that's your prerogative, but to claim as fact that they don't look any different is stupid. The jump in quality from DVD to Blu-ray is just as noticeable as it was from VHS to DVD. I've been through both.
I think the whole point is that he is noticing the jump in quality, you epic fucking space-case. He's pointing out that on VHS and DVD when you see a character in close-up, you don''t necessarily see every single goddamn pore, but because of the increased resolution and high fidelity reproduction from HD Camera to BluRay disc to HD LCD TV, he could see Leonard Nimoy's nose-hairs and that he doesn't necessarily want to.
Better advice might have been to tell him to step back and watch at a normal viewing distance, as if he was on his sofa. You, however, decided to rant about how he's deluded into thinking there's no quality increase, despite the fact that he's just fucking said that he can see the quality difference and its negative effects in one scene in a movie, and that's the problem. It's like he test-drove a Ferrari and said it might be too fast for him and you waded in and ranted about the Ferrari obviously being a lot faster than a Ford Focus. Please take your meds and read comments carefully before self-harming over the fact that someone isn't as fanatic as you are about your favourite content-delivery system.
Re:Favorite vs Most Common (Score:2)
But hey, it was the new Star Trek movie so maybe you were blinded from all the god damn lens flares. :p
Yes, yes, damnit yes!
I have never seen so much damn lens flare anywhere, and that includes old PC graphics demos when demo scene programmers first learned how to add lens flare efficiently to the graphics and everybody went overboard with it for awhile. That is my number one beef with the movie, with the lousy script being a close second.
(That said, I do think the new actors are a decent lot and could very well make a great Trek movie if they were ever given a good script. Considering the bulk of the TNG movies and the most recent Trek movie, I don't see that happening...)
Re:Favorite vs Most Common (Score:2)
If they are trying to sell you overpriced TVs, BD players, and spinny disk, then there's no good reason to expect that the stuff is sabotaged.
The problem is kind of obvious if you think about it. Extra clarity makes it easier to see defects. These could be coffee stains on Kirk's uniform or CGI artifacts in the latest spectacular.
Home Video in general is ample ground for nitpicks regardless. Increasing video quality may just make it more likely that you find the shoe or the potato.
Re:Favorite vs Most Common (Score:2)
I mean I understand that DRM is bad, etc, etc but in all practicality, I just want to watch a fucking movie sometimes, I want it to look good, and I'm not here to have a philosophical discussion about it. Thus far, I have always been able to pop a movie into my PS3 and watch it. If I want a copy without DRM, I know where to get it.
Re:Favorite vs Most Common (Score:3)
Well, of course you're not going to have problems with BD players if all you are doing is iLife on steroids. That's not the problem that BD players have. The problem that BD players have is the never ending cat and mouse games that studios try to play with DRM.
The fact that this constantly goes on is a real problem. Just telling a n00b to "update the firmware" is not an adequate response.
Consumer devices should never require that sort of thing. The fact that BD players require this is a pox on the entire format.
Streaming? (Score:2)
Are there people here who voted streaming and use a service that doesn't use DRM?
Re:Streaming? (Score:2)
Re:Streaming? (Score:3)
It wouldn't be so bad if Netflix actually had something worth paying for in terms of streaming. They are simply the bee's knees when it comes to disks-by-mail but they suck big donkey balls when it comes to "streaming".
Stuff "streams" great after you rip it. No transcode degredation. Audio in it's original glory. Modern video player controls. Subtitles if you want them. No network glitches.
Re:Streaming? (Score:2)
It wouldn't be so bad if Netflix actually had something worth paying for in terms of streaming.
You should compare to Hulu :). They have decided (in infinite, executive wisdom), that users want to pay $10/month AND suffer through 3 commercial breaks per 22-minute episode as a bonus. I am still struggling to comprehend that one
So Netflix is the "reasonable" one!
Re:Streaming? (Score:2)
Netflix streaming has some great content, it's just that it's mostly TV shows rather than movies. Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Arrested Development, Archer, The Office. That's like a hundred hours of quality programming right there, off the top of my head, at a fraction of the price of cable.
I've never been able to watch using Torrenting (Score:3, Funny)
Usually it goes 0:43:52-0:43:57 then 1:59:57-2:00:01 followed by 00:17:34-00:17:39 . . .
It gets very confusing after a while.
Re:I've never been able to watch using Torrenting (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I've never been able to watch using Torrenting (Score:3)
Re:I've never been able to watch using Torrenting (Score:3)
Re:I've never been able to watch using Torrenting (Score:3)
Re:I've never been able to watch using Torrenting (Score:2)
(P.S. It's spelled MEMENTO, but i still got the joke)
What? Nooooooooo...!
Missing Option (Score:5, Informative)
TV / Cable
(In the UK)
If it's not something I'm desperate to see then I just wait until it appears on Film4 etc. and watch it then.
Awwww (Score:2)
Re:Awwww (Score:2)
No need to hate saying it. It's the truth for a whole load of people, me included. Rip to my iPad, insert etymotics, enjoy, is how I consume most content these days.
At the theatre (Score:5, Interesting)
The big screen, the excitement, the chance to get away from the house. That makes the environment exciting.
The cost and noisy others are drawbacks but that doesn't happen as often as I read about.
Re:At the theatre (Score:5, Insightful)
Actually if I go to the theatre I am less distracted than if I watch at home. At home, there are always other matters that tempt my attention away from the screen. Once seated in the theatre, I've committed myself to 90 minutes or more without any chance to tend to chores, email, reading, or other matters, so I can focus exclusively on the story in front of me. Yeah it's expensive and sometimes there are inconsiderate people, but I'm more likely to get the fullest enjoyment that way.
Re:At the theatre (Score:2)
The big screen, the excitement
Yes, there are some movies gotta watch on the big screen as that is what they were designed for. However, there are no movies in the regular theatres these days that appeal to me.
Re:At the theatre (Score:2, Funny)
I'm usually allowed to leave the house any time I want... You should call for help from the police if they keep you locked up like that.
Re:At the theatre (Score:3)
oh yes! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:oh yes! (Score:3, Funny)
Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)
Re:oh yes! (Score:2)
Cool. Does that mean when we talk or write about Shakespeare we should do it like Shakespeare probably would have?
Torrenting (Score:5, Insightful)
Sorry, entertainment industry dicks, but until your releases meet the following criteria:
* Available digitally on day 1 of release ...I will continue to torrent. But the minute you do meet these requirements, I have no problem paying you for your product. Unfortunately, by the time you figure it out you will probably not be around anymore. :(
* Reasonable compromise between file size and quality
* Can play the media without your buggy piece of crap software
* No oppressive DRM such as rootkits
* Transportable to different players and locations
* No imaginary or irrelevant services or features bundled into the cost (I'm not paying you for anything but the content)
Re:Torrenting (Score:5, Interesting)
I second this post. (sorry now mod points)
At the very least get more content on to a single service such as netflix starting less than 1 week from release. I go through the steps of, check netflix, check hulu plus, check the distributors website if not found then torrent. I try to pay for it and can't in a convenient manor so I go around it.
I'd even pay more than 4-5x as much for a netflix that had everything (movie and tv) within a week of release. I pay more for that for cable and don't get to select what I want to watch and when. If my life doesn't fit the cable schedule for TV shows like walking dead then I have to torrent them if i want to keep up with them.
Re:Torrenting (Score:2)
check hulu plus,
They should offer a damn hulu-plus-plus, or whatever they want to call it with service that HAS NO ADS. What is it that makes them think that I want to pay a monthly fee and still be interrupted by commercials every few minutes?? I'd be willing to pay more than $10/month, but I am damned if I'll pay to watch commercials.
Netflix is ok, but I am still amazed with Hulu's decision.
DontMakeMeSteal.com (Score:2)
You need to sign up to http://www.dontmakemesteal.com/ [dontmakemesteal.com] If enough of us do, perhaps the movie industry will take notice. Already the European Commission did (who regulates the entire online, TV and Cinema worlds in Europe), but they say they if they see 100k sign-ups they'll pay attention. Until then it's all ACTA and similar...
Up to you.
Comment removed (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Torrenting (Score:2)
Torrenting? Seriously? You advocate torrenting a product that doesn't belong to you? If that's the case, you're a thief and scoundrel! Never mind that the entertainment industry is the same, I'm talking about you since that's what this poll is targeted at. You had the choice of not playing at all. Instead, you decided to not play fair too. You're are no better than the same industry you loath. There's no justification for your actions. None. Zero. Zippo.
It's not what you steal, it's who you steal from. Or, the car analogy of it's not how fast you drive, it's where you speed, I.e. speeding in a residential neighborhood or school zone is a dick move! There are valid moral grounds for committing what amounts to petty crime in most countries (stealing a $29.99USD DVD; which by the way is less egregious to the MPAA than grabbing a digital copy), and some of our rights here in the U.S. (right to assemble, free speech, for example) are crimes in other countries.
I am guessing due to your sanctimony that you are not someone standing in a glass house throwing stones, and you have never bent or fractured a law in your lifetime (more than once even)?
Life may not be for the lazy, but it doesn't particularly like busybody hypocrites either.
Re:Torrenting (Score:2)
Where do you live exactly? When one of the blockbusters is out, they put ads all over the place, on the radio, TV, in the subway, on the highway. They push so hard that you want to watch the movie.
If only they were that good at producing movies... But I digress.
So yes. I torrent. Much like I used to torrent music before Amazon MP3 came around. Not because I don't want to pay, but because it's the ONLY way to get my movies the way I want them. If I could give back $10, I would. BUT I CANNOT EVEN PAY THEM FOR THEIR OWN MOVIE!
Their model sucks so terribly it's a wonder they're still around.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Torrenting (Score:5, Insightful)
Most of your requests are reasonable, but the first one isn't.
Movies are expensive to make, and to recoup their investment, the industry relies on a tiered pricing structure in which people pay more to see it earlier. You pay the most to see it in first run theatres, a bit less if you wait until its in the cheaper theatres, even less than that if you wait until its on DVD, and you pay nothing if you wait for it to show up on TV. There's nothing unreasonable about them rolling out the film in such a way.
Now, if you meant that its available digitally on day 1 of the DVD release, then yeah, I agree 100%.
Re:Torrenting (Score:2)
Is there any evidence that the release windows [techdirt.com] actually help maximize profits? More often than not, pirates don't have to wait, and in the meantime you've lost a sale.
Re:Torrenting (Score:2)
Pirates also don't have to pay. The number of people who pirate your movie, but who would have paid had a digital version been for sale online at the time of theatrical release is likely pretty small. Let's be generous and call it 50k people. At fifteen bucks a copy, you're making $750k. But now you also lose some money, because if a family of four now buys the DVD instead of buying four tickets, you're out at least $40. The Lorax sold around 4.5 million tickets its opening weekend. If you put those people into groups of four, thats around 1.1M groups. Now, assume some such groups buy the DVD instead, and that each such purchase represents a loss of $40... it takes less than 2% of the groups buying DVDs to more than wipe out any increased revenue from moral pirates. And that's just from the opening weekend.
Admittedly, the numbers are rough estimates, but it seems pretty clear that release windows of this sort do make sense. Even the papers you cite seem to be talking more about how Hollywood likes to stagger the international release. I'll confess I don't know why they do that, but that's not really what I was talking about anyway.
Re:Torrenting (Score:3)
Theatergoing is a social outing; it's about the shared experience of seeing a movie on a giant screen with a bunch of people. I doubt any family of four would say, "Let's go out to the theater!" and end up at Wal-Mart instead. Conversely, I don't think suppressing $2 Red Box rentals forces people en masse into Marcus at $20 a head.
A pirated flick isn't a good substitute for a social outing, but it is a damn good substitute for a DVD. (Better than, even.) Anyone who pirated a flick opening day has zero incentive to buy the DVD afterwards, except whatever warm-and-fuzzy feeling they get supporting the MPAA and watching unskippable threats from the FBI.
That said, I agree with you 100% about international release windows. But, it's the same logic as the theater/pay-per-view/rental/DVD windows - try to extract every dollar out of your high-margin markets first, damn what your customers actually want.
Re:Torrenting (Score:2)
* Available digitally on day 1 of release
At least day 1 of non-cinema release. Any premium channel or whatnot will be ripped and torrented, as will of course any DVD/BluRay. If you're not available at the same time, you're too late. Oh and more applicable to TV series but day 1 of international release. Not waiting for the local TV stations to pick stuff up, sorry.
* Reasonable compromise between file size and quality
Reasonable choice of file size and quality I'd say. If I want to download the whole BluRay to watch tomorrow night, let me. Oh yeah and let us preload like with Steam games so we can get it on release time.
Of course I expect hell to freeze over first, but hey... one can dream.
DVD (Score:5, Insightful)
Obligitory pirate infographic (Score:5, Insightful)
If you are a pirate, this is what you get [i-am-bored.com]
Re:Obligitory pirate infographic (Score:2)
I've always wondered how accurate that graphic is... I only actually own a single bit of physical media, everything else is legal digital copies/streaming.
The one disc set I do have (avatar, a gift) doesn't exhibit any of that non-sense... I toss it in the PS3 and hit root menu and it goes.
Is this crap really that invasive on some/most discs?
Re:Obligitory pirate infographic (Score:5, Informative)
Yes. I find Disney disks the worst. Some DVD players and/or disks will allow you to skip and others do not. But none allow you to skip the FBI warnings.
I get a away with this nonsense by buying the DVD, ripping to Xvid, playing with some type of media player (I never share my media though). Better yet, I can place a bunch of movies on a small-ish USB drive. Use something like the WD Live Streaming player and you have a great travel movie player. I use it in my car on long distances and don't have to fumble around for disks; the kids select whatever is on the USB drive. Better still I don't run the risk of scratching the disks. And the WD Live Streaming has Netflix so if I go somewhere with free Internet I can use that service too.
This graphic reminds me of the frustrating times that I don't follow the above. It's really annoying trying to watch a DVD with your family and it takes 3-5 minutes from disk insert for the stupid movie to begin.
Re:Obligitory pirate infographic (Score:2)
Mixed reply (Score:2)
Just because one way is my favorite doesn't mean that's how I choose to watch my movies. It could be that my favorite way is unobtainable.
I voted for the way I watch most of my movies, though it's not my favorite.
Voted torrenting (Score:5, Interesting)
...but if I could buy the movies DRM-free for a reasonable price I'd do it - don't worry about supporting the MAFIAA, in my hypothetical alternate universe they aren't a bunch of dumb evil bastards.
Digital Media Player (Score:3)
Re:Digital Media Player (Score:4, Insightful)
This. In 2012, it should have been one of the options.
Torrenting because... (Score:3)
At the local lovingly-restored Art Deco theatre. (Score:4, Interesting)
Missing Option: With a Friend (Score:3)
I never really cared about how I watch a movie, but rather with who. A movie is always more entertaining to me when I can share the experience of it with someone. To me, that is what makes it into my memory banks of enjoyment or dislike.
Case in point, I once went to the theater on opening weekend with friend. The movie was hysterical because both my friend and I laughed, but so did the whole audience. The print actually screwed up, and we all got refunds, but to this day, I still remember the enjoyment of seeing that particular movie on that day with that friend and enjoying the entire situation around it.
Second case in point, I was sitting at home with my husband and we were bored, so we found something a freakish Short film on "On Demand". It was freakish, but I enjoyed it more because of the company.
...used to be the theatre (Score:2)
But now I checked streaming. I used to love the cinema. And I still go to our local Arthouse cinema for non-mainstream movies. And also every now and then with my spouse to the mainstream cinema. But the latter ist getting less and less attractive. Prices are insane, especially with 3D, and also for snacks and drinks. An evening there for a single person with soft drink and popcorn can cost as much as 20 to 25 EUR, depending on length of movie and if it's in 3D. I couldn't care less for the 3D, but alas many movies are released 3D-only nowadays.
In contrast, renting a nice movie on the AppleTV / iTunes for between 1 and 4 EUR plus homegrown food and drinks makes for a nice evening and still a good experience.
What I can't stand at all anymore are movies on TV with a ton of commercial breaks and bad editing! E.g. Die Hard was on a couple of weeks ago, and they cut out *every* scene that was deemed too violent. Which in itself is sort of understandable, but it ruined the plot. There was suspense being build up, you knew there would be a brawl or shooting and: BAM! Cut to the next scene, Bruce Willis is somewhere else, bleeding slightly more. What a downer.
Klingon with French subtitles (Score:2)
That way it sounds nicer.
Not at the cinema! (Score:5, Interesting)
We arrived a little early to get a good seat and the place was almost packed already. We then endured the terrible ads and some not so good and not so bad trailers. One of the ads was the one which ends with the exploding television and the line 'go big or go home'. I had not seen that before and frankly found it offensive. If they want people to come see the films 'big' then why do they sell them on disks? Truly idiotic.
So the film finally starts and overall it was just OK. Really nothing great. But the picture wasn't exactly crystal clear and the sound was not so great. So what exactly was I paying for? The noisy toddlers roaming around the aisles unattended by their parents? The poor quality popcorn?
My son enjoyed it, so, yeah great, but it was hardly worth that kind of expense.
Frankly I'd rather take a dump in a policeman's helmet!
Re:Not at the cinema! (Score:3)
Re:Not at the cinema! (Score:3)
yea, the last time I went to the cinema ... actually the last couple times I wondered how they could not only show but brag about using state of the art HD DLP projectors and yet the picture quality was lower than what I get on my CRT TV. Bland colors, fuzzy image and god help you if there is a long sweeping landscape shot, cause it jitters more than a crackhead surrounded by cops.
At a drive-in ... (Score:2)
Re:At a drive-in ... (Score:2)
Hey Pedro, is that you?
the first rule of Usenet is ... (Score:2)
...
Let's say whoever designed the poll either didn't know what usenet is or they knew very well the first rule :-)
Theater (Score:2)
I like going to the theater: It's an excuse to go people watching and get out of the house. I'm also able to focus on the movie because it's rude to pull out my phone or laptop.
Granted, I like the fact that I can drink or smoke anything I want from the comfort of my own couch. I'm sure I'll go to the theater less often when I have kids.
Favorite place to watch... (Score:2)
Re:Favorite place to watch... (Score:2)
Would work for me if I and my friends were the only ones in there at the time. I got to do this once, watching Terminator II. It was quite an experience being able to actually watch the movie.
split (Score:2)
My favourite way to watch is in a theatre, but with so few places close to where I live, it's DVD for me, usually purchased on-line or ex-rental. /sarcasm
Blu-ray is just a fad to make you spend money that you don't have, on stuff that you don't need, replacing stuff that still works OK,
It depends on the movie. (Score:2)
It depends on the movie. Most are ok on a smaller screen but there are some movies that only the big screen does justice to.
I want it to be theater... (Score:2)
I really really want my answer to be theater here. I remember when I was younger (and I'm not that old) going to the theater. Huge screens, well calibrated sound, good seats, reasonable prices. Always saw a movie, every week, at least one.
Now, dirty screens, seats falling apart, sound turned up to the point where it causes noise. Not to mention the 20 minutes of ads... before the TRAILERS start. All for $50 of ticket prices to see movies that are poor rehashes of stories told a billion times before.
Ahh yes, I'd love for it to be the theater... but instead, my favorite place now is in the original Klingon.
Missing option: Projected (Score:2)
...on a 14ftx8ft wall.
AR subs, Creative satellites, and a fucking LOCK ON THE DOOR!
Keep your multiplexes with ignorant little bastard chavs who arrive late, go out of their way to fall over those who have had the good sense to arrive while the lights are still on, talk and fart through the entire movie and laugh raucously at the unfunniest parts. Keep your 30 minute ad trailers and laughably inaccurate FBI warnings and seats that threaten to fold you in places that really shouldn't be folded. DOWN IN FRONT! Keep your overpriced, bland, aspartame-laden confectionery, I'll be here with a jug of juice, a bowl of nibbles and a couple cigarettes at the ready next to the remote.
I can think of far more enjoyable ways to part with £20 than to attend a public movie theatre. I'm sure, for example, that there's some masochistic carpenter somewhere who's been itching to test out his new surform on something other than a new chair leg...
Obligatory comic (Score:4, Funny)
There could not be a more appropriate comic for this poll:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones [theoatmeal.com]
Re:I can't believe this (Score:4, Interesting)
I can believe it. When was the last time you went to a theater? Annoying patrons, incredible volume levels, unreasonable prices for food, and ~20 minutes of ads and previews before the show.
Now that I'm pushing toward the middle of life with small children, going to the movie theater is more of a chore than anything else. Very few theaters around my location have anything starting after 5:15pm but before 7:30pm. I'd like to take the wife and kid to go see a movie, but I need to either take off from work and skip dinner, or go to the later showing and have the kid out late. This is just one example, but I know I'm not the only parent that is concerned about their children getting dinner and going to bed on time.
The second issue is cost. My understanding is that the theaters make very little per showing from ticket sales, but make it up with popcorn and sodas. If I were to get tickets, popcorn/snacks, and sodas I would be in about $60 for one evening's entertainment for the family. If we leave the kid with a sitter that can get even more expensive.
Volume levels, annoying patrons, and expensive prices are all what is keeping me from the theater. I don't have an extra $60+ in my budget to spend each weekend. If they can get that down to $20 that is something I would do on a regular basis. Until then it just doesn't make sense.
On the other hand, we are fortunate enough to live where there is still a double-feature drive-in movie theater. They are generally smart about their showings and will place a kid-friendly movie as the first showing and put an adult one second. This works out very well when the kid is asleep in time for the second showing, or we can go home if the weather takes a turn for the worse. $5 per person and I can bring my own food (or buy their reasonably-priced snacks, usually about half what the other theater charges).
This is really only the tip of the iceberg for me, but they have a long way to go before they get my movie theater dollars again.
Re:Only 1.0% got the joke (Score:2)