Of course, the answer is yes: Depends on the type of movie, and whether any of my minute circle of friends are likely to have seen it. Some movies, like the endless Jurassic series, become so similar and mechanical (like the original pre-CG dinosaurs). that there's little to say, except at which point you fell asleep. Other, more SERIOUS movies, require some time to digest and evaluate. That applies regardless of whether they were made in a cinema country, like France, or a movie country, like the good old USA. Sometimes the movie is universally understandable, sometimes it's so artsy, you wonder why it ever got financed. But, talking movies is a time-honored tradition since the Melies brothers first shot a cannon at the moon.
The movie theater is my church. There is something magical about consuming a story in a single sitting with a group of people. The collective experience is an essential part of that magic. It’s crazy to me that as humans we can watch something silently in the dark and feel closer to those we experienced it just by having done it together. Whether it’s a good experience or bad, it is shared and a intimate bond is formed. Ever see a movie so weird you end up talking to strangers about it in the bathroom after? That’s the good stuff.
A really long time ago I went to an art house movie in Madison Wisconsin ... I was in grad school. For the first time ever, I went by myself. It was the middle of the day and there were about three people in the audience. So it was a unique experience. I was transfixed from the very first moment. It was funny and sad and dramatic and winsome. I LOVED this movie! I talked my boyfriend into going. We went on a Saturday night. I couldn't wait for him to experience it . I watched the movie, the very same movie, in a full house. And ... it was kind of mediocre. Maybe I was seeing it though my boyfriend's critical eye. Or maybe, just maybe, it was a different experience because I was in a crowd. Anyway, I saw its faults. It was OK but it wasn't great. Our post-movie convo was also mediocre because I was backtracking on my enthusiasm. Since then, I stay kind of quiet after a viewing with friends. I'm sure I will blurt out something that I will regret later. Coward that I am.
Sometimes we fall in love for a moment, sometimes for a lifetime. But if you refuse to allow yourself to fall in love for fear it won't last, you're cheating yourself. I've had both experiences with films - Buckeroo Banzai does NOT hold up, but Midnight Run is as joyous a ride today as it was the first time I saw if. And sometimes hating a movie can be fun, too. I went to an art house experience in New York (St. Mark's Square, I think, back when you had to step over used needles to get into the theatre) to see Alain Resnais's Last Year At Marienbad and as the minutes crawled by, I slowly began to realize I was in Hell. And not the fun hell of The Devil's Advocate or Rosemary's Baby, but an agonizingly boring Hell only the French can do. I can still recite the dialogue in a very bad accent, and I do, whenever I describe how awful I thought it was to a new audience. And every time I do, I'm kind of glad I sat through it. Because when you hate, just as when you love, you're ALIVE!
Corridor after corridor, room after room… I think I am to blame for dragging you to that and I somehow remember (which seems improbable) that it was part of a triple bill(?!). Anyway, yay Will! This is a swell blost (my neologism for blog post). And yes, I like debriefing after movies and Beth insists on it. Unlike plays, where you can’t say anything for two blocks because the playwright and the director and two of the producers are bound to be lurking under the marquee.
Seeing a movie in a theater is the best. Reading the audience during and after is part of the fun. I try not to learn too much about a movie before seeing as it often removes the luster. Discussing (or arguing) it with friends immediately after the credits is the best. As an aside, I believe the true test of a movie's quality is how many times I rewatch it over time. Groundhog Day has become it's own Groundhog Day.
i love going to the movies so much. it’s my favorite way of escaping reality. (which is saying a lot because drugs exist.)
i can immediately debrief if the movie didn’t make me feel too many feelings. action? adventure? bring on the conversation. but the movies that shake my core? nope. i need a minute. or a week rather. seeing arrival in theaters immediately comes up- i went to see it alone and cried so hard in a room full of strangers. it was beautiful. and i couldn’t deal with my feelings for over a week. seeing casablanca had the same result as well (my first time was on the big screen!)
Of course, the answer is yes: Depends on the type of movie, and whether any of my minute circle of friends are likely to have seen it. Some movies, like the endless Jurassic series, become so similar and mechanical (like the original pre-CG dinosaurs). that there's little to say, except at which point you fell asleep. Other, more SERIOUS movies, require some time to digest and evaluate. That applies regardless of whether they were made in a cinema country, like France, or a movie country, like the good old USA. Sometimes the movie is universally understandable, sometimes it's so artsy, you wonder why it ever got financed. But, talking movies is a time-honored tradition since the Melies brothers first shot a cannon at the moon.
The movie theater is my church. There is something magical about consuming a story in a single sitting with a group of people. The collective experience is an essential part of that magic. It’s crazy to me that as humans we can watch something silently in the dark and feel closer to those we experienced it just by having done it together. Whether it’s a good experience or bad, it is shared and a intimate bond is formed. Ever see a movie so weird you end up talking to strangers about it in the bathroom after? That’s the good stuff.
A really long time ago I went to an art house movie in Madison Wisconsin ... I was in grad school. For the first time ever, I went by myself. It was the middle of the day and there were about three people in the audience. So it was a unique experience. I was transfixed from the very first moment. It was funny and sad and dramatic and winsome. I LOVED this movie! I talked my boyfriend into going. We went on a Saturday night. I couldn't wait for him to experience it . I watched the movie, the very same movie, in a full house. And ... it was kind of mediocre. Maybe I was seeing it though my boyfriend's critical eye. Or maybe, just maybe, it was a different experience because I was in a crowd. Anyway, I saw its faults. It was OK but it wasn't great. Our post-movie convo was also mediocre because I was backtracking on my enthusiasm. Since then, I stay kind of quiet after a viewing with friends. I'm sure I will blurt out something that I will regret later. Coward that I am.
Sometimes we fall in love for a moment, sometimes for a lifetime. But if you refuse to allow yourself to fall in love for fear it won't last, you're cheating yourself. I've had both experiences with films - Buckeroo Banzai does NOT hold up, but Midnight Run is as joyous a ride today as it was the first time I saw if. And sometimes hating a movie can be fun, too. I went to an art house experience in New York (St. Mark's Square, I think, back when you had to step over used needles to get into the theatre) to see Alain Resnais's Last Year At Marienbad and as the minutes crawled by, I slowly began to realize I was in Hell. And not the fun hell of The Devil's Advocate or Rosemary's Baby, but an agonizingly boring Hell only the French can do. I can still recite the dialogue in a very bad accent, and I do, whenever I describe how awful I thought it was to a new audience. And every time I do, I'm kind of glad I sat through it. Because when you hate, just as when you love, you're ALIVE!
Corridor after corridor, room after room… I think I am to blame for dragging you to that and I somehow remember (which seems improbable) that it was part of a triple bill(?!). Anyway, yay Will! This is a swell blost (my neologism for blog post). And yes, I like debriefing after movies and Beth insists on it. Unlike plays, where you can’t say anything for two blocks because the playwright and the director and two of the producers are bound to be lurking under the marquee.
Forget “Here’s looking at you, kid,” or “What we’ve got here, is failure to communicate,” Renais was the master of the snappy line!
we would have had a great time together after THAT movie
Seeing a movie in a theater is the best. Reading the audience during and after is part of the fun. I try not to learn too much about a movie before seeing as it often removes the luster. Discussing (or arguing) it with friends immediately after the credits is the best. As an aside, I believe the true test of a movie's quality is how many times I rewatch it over time. Groundhog Day has become it's own Groundhog Day.
i love going to the movies so much. it’s my favorite way of escaping reality. (which is saying a lot because drugs exist.)
i can immediately debrief if the movie didn’t make me feel too many feelings. action? adventure? bring on the conversation. but the movies that shake my core? nope. i need a minute. or a week rather. seeing arrival in theaters immediately comes up- i went to see it alone and cried so hard in a room full of strangers. it was beautiful. and i couldn’t deal with my feelings for over a week. seeing casablanca had the same result as well (my first time was on the big screen!)