1st Annual State of the Movie-Going Experience Address
Last week, I discussed the current issue of the Academy making it clearer that they will only honor films that premiere theatrically, thereby disqualifying films that premiere on the internet from being considered for Academy Awards. So this started me thinking about the movie-going experience in general, and this week, I'd like to present my 1st Annual Movie Theatre-Going Experience Complaints, something I hope to update each year to comment on the state of movie-going as it exists today.
The movie-going experience is something unique and special. Ever since I can remember, I was thrilled by the magic of going to the movie theatre and sitting down in a darkened theatre and watching something that moved me, inspired me, challenged me.
In the beginning, it was STAR WARS, and seeing PINOCCHIO in a re-release with my Dad that cemented in me the love of movies, and not just that, but the love of seeing films in a theatre. Even today, with the incredible technology of DVD (which I love by the way), watching a theatrical film at home even on the biggest of TV screens cannot match the experience of watching a film on the big screen with a group of people.
So because that experience is so precious to so many of us, it's time to reflect on some of the terrible things that exist in our current movie theatres. Of course, gone are the days of the single movie palace that showed the latest movies to a crowd dressed in their finest. Now, for the most part, the latest movies are seen in multiplexes of 16+ screens, almost a mall-like atmosphere. Of course, I don't expect for the old movie palaces to come back (in fact, most cities do have at least one big movie palace that runs classic films), but there are certain things happening which are just plain wrong and need to be fixed.
Ever since I've been going to the movies, there have been events that have happened in theatres which have tarnished the experience of seeing the movie. In 1980, going to see THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK with my best friend at the time, the film apparently broke halfway through, and it was 45 minutes before the film was restored and started again. My friend got so upset he started choking on his lemon drops ... he ended up fine, but when two young boys aged 9 are at a STAR WARS film they love, having a film break for that long without providing a refund is something that shouldn't happen.
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