Casual Conversation

Oh, I'm gonna get weird on you here, check it out:

As a very young boy back in the 70s, I remember being taken to a local theater by my brother, sister and their friends, and this theater was showing old movies or pre-movie reels, so my first cinema memory was what I now think was black-and-white Flash Gordon!

When the Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges version of King Kong was still in big city theaters, another theater in my town screened... check it out... Godzilla Vs Mechanikong! And I was taken to see that one.

My very first proper movie in a large city experience, was to go to two separate theaters that day, the first was to see the star-studded war film A Bridge Too Far in the afternoon. Then the other, later one in the evening, was... drum roll, please... Star Wars. Which involved standing in line, waiting for three hours, or so.

I actually keep a list on my Letterboxd of every movie I know I've seen in theaters. I go pretty frequently cause I just love the environment plus it's the only thing to do that's entertaining and gets me out of the house.

The amount of movies I have seen in theaters since I was 11 when saw my first in theater is just way to long. Hell the movies of 1999 were off the chart so many hits!

But my first was Curly Sue, then Backdraft, and Freddy's Dead.

I also remember seeing Terminator 2 in theaters and my friends mom snuck in a ton of snacks for us. Bio Dome, Halloween 6, and Power Rangers the movie.

Scream, then wasn't until 1999 that saw ton of great films.

Fight Club Matrix The Mummy Were some of my top favorites.

Two worse Star Wars episode 1 The Insider

An ok movie. Mostly just teaches men that it's ok to cry and hug. Ryan Gosling crys about 3 or 4 times and hugs Rocky at least twice.

Glad you liked it! I heard from my colleagues that they liked Project Hail Mary too

I... am one of the only people I know who basically don't watch movies at all. When I was younger I'd get a fever if I had to concentrate & watch a 2-3 hrs long movie (some weird Autism thing I think), so I didn't watch movies... The habit stuck

I am a much bigger fan of nonfiction and don't generally care that much for visuals, so whenever I want to watch something (mostly YouTube) it's just on my laptop or phone lol

I've seen many. Personally I like going to movie theaters because it is a great way to vote with your wallet. Many movies coming out these days are pure nostalgiaslop; remakes or sequels nobody asked for. I will not under any circumstances pay to see them. But I will happily pay to see something new and original. Most recently I've seen "Lee" and "Juror #2" which were both absolutely wonderful. I am eyeing Project Hail Mary too!

Movies on local cinemas are the usual bland/slop Hollywood/Hollywood-like creations, so I am avoiding those for a while now. What I'd watch usually is on DVD/bluray, through Youtube officially for indie contents, or, in rare cases since it's not much better than Hollywood stuff, through Crunchyroll if it's anime and since I've been dragging to cancel my subscription there.

I actually love going to the theater, I go there all the time. That's also because I have a subscription that allows me to go there as often as I want for a fixed monthly subscription.

I mostly go to smaller cinemas to watch indie films, that don't run in bigger theaters. The last movie I've seen was two days ago "Love me tender" which was really beautiful but also really sad. Before that, I watched "The chronlogy of water", which was also really well made and interesting but hella traumatic. Before that, I've watched Marty Surpreme, one day after it came out. I really liked the intensity of that one, it really reminded me of "uncut gems".

I think what I like about the cinema is that it's such a distinct "experience". It forces me to go outside, into the city, go to the cinema and watch the movie the whole way through, when I watch a movie at home, I often watch it in multiple sessions, which can ruin the experience. And on the way back, I have plenty of time to reflect about the movie.

I think I get the whole anxiety thing though. Until about a year ago, I only got to the theater with other people, because I thought it looked weird going there alone. The problem with that was, that I couldn't go there nearly as much as I wanted, because I don't know any other "cinephiles". That's why at some point I just tried going alone, which felt weird at first, but now is just normal to me.

The last time I went to the theater was last summer and it was an amazing experience because I chose a good theater out of the ones I had a choice of.

I went to see the 3D rerelease of Laika Studio's Coraline and it was a blast! I don't have much to compare it to in terms of other 3D movies, but I absolutely LOVE how the use of 3D wasn't constant, but used sparingly instead.

If possible, it's a movie I do highly recommend seeing in 3D for that occasional pop of it.

Only thing I wish was that I had more money because they advertised Coraline merch I would have gone to the mall near where I live to pick up. At least I still have the 3D glasses I got with the movie.

Project Hail Mary was the first movie I went to watch in theaters since TMNT Mutant Mayhem and Barbie were out. I did a Ninja Barbie weekend because those were my favorite toys as a kid.

The first movie I remember seeing in theaters was the Muppets Treasure Island movie. I don’t remember much except thinking how fun the movie was and how much I enjoyed seeing it with friends.

Congratulations dude!

Some people may not understand how debilitating anxiety can be. Good for you for overcoming your anxiety and going to a theater. I hope you had a nice time. 😌

I have mixed feelings about going to the theater these days because it's so relaxing and nice to watch stuff at home on my nice OLED TV (plus drinks and snacks are cheaper 😂). But it's certainly a good experience to go to a theater for the first time.

And now it'll be much easier for you to go again the in future. Or to go to other kinds of theater performances, like plays, musicals, opera, concerts or whatever. 👍

I think some types of movies benefit more than others from having the huge screen, the immersive sound, and people to watch the movie with, and this is one of the movies that benefits a lot IMO.

I feel the same way about the dialogue being hard to understand. One of the reasons I don't go to the movies much is that I like having subtitles (and generally quieter speakers) but when I do go I enjoy the loudness of it. Wicked, for example: I liked experiencing that movie loud, but I still had to go back later and watch the subtitles. Movies don't feel resolved if I don't know what they're saying. or at least an [indistinct sounds] caption so I know I'm not supposed to understand it.

I saw it last night and really liked it. The book seemed perfect for an adaptation, and I think they pulled off the tricky bits.

I'm old so I've seen lots of movies, but mostly in the distant past. In the 90s it was almost a weekly thing. This century it's very rare.

Don’t feel bad, I think the dialogue was outright unintelligible in some scenes. It’s like the only actual criticism I have of the movie.

It’s all very natural, credit to the actors, but in real life you can ask someone to repeat themselves. Not so much in a movie.

Too many movies to list them all so I'll give you my favorite movie experiences. The first few movies I remember seeing in theaters were actually in a drive in. Used to be a double feature drive in my parents would take me and my brothers to. Saw James and the Giant Peach/Men In Black in one viewing. Jurassic Park/Independence Day in another. Fell in love with Aliens and Dinosaurs because of those movies. Seeing Return of the King in theaters was a life altering experience. I was a huge fan of the first two films but didn't get to see them in theaters. Return of the King blew my mind. Again I was only 12. The Star Wars Prequel trilogy was a big deal because I saw all of those with friends. I'll be honest Barbenheimer was a blast. The juxtaposition between those two films was just too good.

Does a 77" LG 4k and Klipsch audio count as a home theater if it's just got one couch in front of it? If so, I recently saw the running man, and holy crap! It blew away my expectations in story, message and action. I highly recommend!

The most recent movie I saw in theatres was Scream 7. It was a really good time, considering I generally prefer to watch movies at home. It's an interesting experience being able to feed off the rest of the audiences emotions and reactions.

But at home I can go to the washroom whenever I want, I can announce to the room that

and I don't have to sneak in snacks and drinks in an oversized purse while trying not to crinkle and clank.

Going to the movies was like a quintessential part of being a teen when I was growing up. And once we could drive, going to the drive-in was fun too. Load up your parents' minivan with friends, chairs, and blankets, and go watch two or three movies back to back until the blankets are covered in dew at 2am. Replace "friends" with "partner", and "watching movies" with "making out" as needed. Good times.

I saw around 70 movies in theaters last year alone, I'm sure my lifetime number is in the hundreds. Here's a list I put together earlier this year:

https://lemmy.world/post/41059248

I can't justify the expense and hassle of going to a theater to potentially have a poor experience. Especially with a popular movie, I expect the theater to be crowded, or at least more so than my living room. Also, everything else--can't pause the movie to go to the bathroom, can't rewind the movie to see or hear what I missed, snacks are ridiculously expensive, people sitting in front of me, people talking, and like you said, no subtitles, etc.

Nope, I'll wait. I read the book, I know what happens.

I prefer watching movies at home. It’s just so much cheaper and more convenient. But if I like a movie enough I’ll buy a ticket and not go like I did for Iron Lung.

The first movie I saw in the theatre was Cinderella in the sixties. When I asked my mother what was for dinner she said green beans and stewed beef and I was SO disappointed because it completely ruined the vibe 🤣.

Do things at your own pace, and try to enjoy the experience. There can be a great freedom when doing things alone, which makes me think of this manga/show called Kodoku no Gurume

I love to see films in theaters, but have been recently been watching at home. I was able to see the recent re-release of Princess Mononoke (1997) and it was worth it just to hear the soundtrack at the theatre.

I love the theater experience. Even the pricy snacks and sticky floors are part of it for me, but I grew up with it, so that's likely 90% nostalgia. I go way less now because life gets busy, but there's still movies I prefer to see in theaters when I can

Ehm, how old are you to never have been to a movie theater? Surely people go with friends or family some time, especially as a child? And what kind of anxiety would trigger just sitting in the dark in a comfortable chair watching a film?