nope

@blogdiva I remember when I was excited by his acting. In the 90s.

@blogdiva actually, for me, it depends.

I have an Alamo Drafthouse nearby. And they're always putting classic movies every so often. Sometimes movies that I've never seen in a big screen, or movies that must be watched on the big screen.

For example. Next week they're showing ¨Three days of the Condor¨. I want to go watch that! They've shown 2001, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Psycho, etc.

For new movies? Nah.

@blogdiva

Correct. They are overly expensive, and the last few times we have tried to see a film in the theater, 5 minutes after we find seats, there is someone behind us coughing their head off with no mask and usually not even covering their damn mouth.

Having a a good sized flat screen tv and a couple half decent speakers means that I can pay to rent a movie at home, eat my own food, and not worry about dealing with people who don't care if those around them get sick.

@blogdiva I still like going to the movies this is kinda a chicken and egg question. Are people going to the movies less because culture is genuinely moving beyond theaters, or are there just fewer good movies coming out since Hollywood still hasn’t returned to pre-2022 levels of production

@blogdiva I will say that most of the movies I go to see in theaters are foreign films/anime* that don’t get large scale releases in the USA. Very much a coastal elite privilege to be in Seattle going to small nonprofit theaters. If I still lived in the suburbs and only had access to mall theaters playing marvel movies, I would probably rarely go out to the movies.

*animated films really benefit from big screen, IMO. You can see the individual artists’ own pen strokes in Studio Ghibli movies.

@blogdiva
It makes me sad. I loved seeing movies in theatres.
It is just so not worth the trouble and expense now.

@chieroglyph @blogdiva subtitles, pause for pee breaks, rewind 30s to see what was missed during a yawn, no commute, no people, *and* not spreading infections??

@blogdiva
Why go to a movie theater?
I have a screen at home that fills the same portion of my vision.
I have high quality sound.
Snacks are cheaper, with better variety and quality.
I can pause to pee anytime I want.
My dog can watch with me.
My risk of infectious disease is near zero.

@blogdiva Movies and theaters both.

Why would I go to a theater? I've got a hundred inch screen, cheap snacks, a clean bathroom and the ability to pause the damn thing right here at home...what advantage is there to the theater? Louder audio maybe but that still won't cover up the screaming kiddos!

But the movies aren't the epic experience they used to be either. And I'm not talking about Michael Bay special effects. TV used to (mostly) be a short, self-contained, fairly light storyline while movies were able to do something much longer and more complex. Now TV is the one getting complicated plot lines designed for ten hour binges and movies can end up being what you turn to if you want something shorter and simpler. Movies just don't feel "big enough" to be the center of an entire night out anymore. Which also makes the twenty dollar box of popcorn feel even more insulting.

(...Says the guy who doesn't really do "nights out" to be fair lol)

@ellie @chieroglyph @blogdiva

Y’all, I live a country block down the road from a drive-in movie theater. On Saturday I paid $6.50 (cash rate) for a double feature Zootopia/Avatar, bought a giant Philly cheese sandwich, a locally crafted cane sugar soda, and obscure classic candy, for $21, and scarfed that down in my pickup with my comfy heated seats and premium sound system, zero contact with anyone but the cafeteria folks. It’s the best experience and you still feel like you’re around people without having them be *around* you.

@suzannealdrich @ellie @blogdiva

I remember drive-in theaters... I have the jealous!

if you need to know why i have lost my love of movie theaters: i learned in the worst possible way i can smell bed bugs.

we had an infestation and i had to throw out all our beds, furniture upholstered with fabric, half of our winter clothes. sent my kids away during fumugation, while i washed everything we had & slept on the floor.

this happened after my husband left me. i have never recovered from the trauma nor financial ruin.

i have smelled bed bugs in every movie theater in my area.

@suzannealdrich @ellie @chieroglyph that sounds amazing

@suzannealdrich @ellie @chieroglyph @blogdiva

We have a drive-in about 45 minutes away. My kids love it. We go a bit before sunset and they have a playground they run around on. Then we sit in lawn chairs or in the back of our SUV with candy and burgers. It’s a great time

@blogdiva ok weird question: do you hate the taste of cilantro? I read somewhere that the mutation that makes people taste cilantro as soapy was linked to bedbug defense.

@minmi nope. actually love it. i don’t think they aren't related.

@blogdiva not to trivialize or marginalize that trauma, that's horrific. I've never got them, but friends did and it was a BIG DEAL.

But: I didn't know they exhibit a characteristic smell. Do people commonly smell the bedbug smell? You could charge for this. "Aunt Liza's BedBeug Detection Servize"

@blogdiva @suzannealdrich @ellie @chieroglyph yeah drive-in cinema might be the only non-nature culture Thing I'm jealous of from the US

@blogdiva and now I'm itching for some reason.

@noodlemaz

I love winter markets so much and Europe is the only place for that.

@blogdiva @ellie @chieroglyph