Your good/bad theater experiences

Discussion in 'Random Thoughts' started by ColtMrFire, Mar 11, 2019.

  1. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Yeah for me that was The Matrix. Came out of nowhere and shocked everybody. That's probably the only time that's happened with that level of quality (I've been surprised by good movies but not at the level of The Matrix) and will probably never happen again. I wasn't alive when Star Wars came out but imagine it was the same (at least onening weekend). If The Matrix came out today it would be hyped to death, pre screened and all over Twitter before opening day. That's what I miss about pre internet (especially pre social media). Nothing is really sacred anymore.
     
  2. Craigo

    Craigo MOT: Mage Audio

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    Looking back now, Phantom Menace is probably the best of the second trilogy, mainly because Hayden Christensen wasn't in it. If Lucas digitally replaced him with a block of wood with a smiley face and all his lines were dubbed by Matthew Modine then I probably would have liked AofC and RofS. Also, it spawned Star Wars Episode One Racer for the N64, and that is a gift to the world.

    I was old enough to see Jedi in the theater in Florida with my family and extended family while on a Disney World vacation. I might have been 5 or 6. It had lasers, muppets and boobies, so yeah that was pretty fuckin awesome.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2019
  3. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    I was also old enough to see Jedi in theaters. My dad took me. I threw up in the popcorn bucket during the speeder bike chase. But that was my introduction to Star Wars and probably my number one theater experience.
     
  4. Craigo

    Craigo MOT: Mage Audio

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  5. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    Return of the Jedi was probably my favorite of all the Star Wars movies, mainly because of that scene.

    I was never a Star Wars nerd. I was in Jr. high and I resisted the original when it first came out. A local theater showed it for more than a year straight. Finally after a year I decided to see it and wasn't impressed. Even though MST3k wasn't around at that time, I remember thinking to myself some very MST3kish lines during the movie. Then again I was kind of a wise ass.
     
  6. Syzygy

    Syzygy Friend

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    It was MST2k back then.

    Was? So you've gotten better now?

    I'd heard about The Matrix from a co-worker. All he'd say was it was it had the best special effects he'd ever seen. So yeah, that was a good one, too.
     
  7. FlySweep

    FlySweep Friend

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    I remember the OG Jurassic Park being pretty f'ing epic in the theaters. I was 11 or 12, I think. Heard a lot of buzz about it before, and I was still shooketh.
     
  8. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    No, but I've gotten better with subtle sarcasm. I now reserve it mostly for those Dilbert moments during engineering meetings. I also like to attend wild gatherings with accountants. Those guys know how to party.
     
  9. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    JP is one of those weird ones that really bowled me over in the theater but I subsequently didn't really care for later on.
     
  10. FallingObjects

    FallingObjects Pay It Forward

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    Interstellar, hype aside, was definitely an amazing experience in IMAX than on repeat home viewing. I think it was the first movie that came out once I started getting into audiophile stuff, so it was well timed for me to just really appreciate the entire experience. The 'Those aren't mountains' moment is just sorely lacking in comparison on repeat viewings at home.

    Mad Max was also amazeballs in theaters.
     
  11. Craigo

    Craigo MOT: Mage Audio

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    Speaking of MST3K, that was was one of the few films I saw where I was one of three people in the theater. It wasn't Day the Earth Froze or Jack Frost caliber, but I enjoyed it,

    My wife and I went to see Cinematic Titanic when they came to Durham in 2012. Got my picture taken with Trace and Joel, and everybody signed my MST3K volume 7. Meeting all them was a high point for me. Can't remember the name of the Japanese monster movie they riffed but I was literally hurting from laughing so hard.
     
  12. SineDave

    SineDave Friend

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    I've been fortunate enough to be "inside the industry" for a while now. My best theater experience was seeing The Martian on the Fox lot about 3 weeks before it came out in a private screening for just members of our forum. The VFX supervisor and the president of Fox gave us an intro and did a cocktail hour before hand, and then we got to watch it in their best on-lot system. I just remember being so jazzed about seeing the film pre-release that the AV aspect wasn't a huge focus, though the picture and audio were both excellent.

    On the crappy side, I went to see Star Wars: Rogue One at a local AMC, and the seats were the old school bucket type with almost no leg room. At 6'5", that was a real shitty experience, and the guy next to me had mad BO, which truly ruined the experience.

    I have a home theater that is pretty hard to beat, so these days I watch most films at home, just for a superior AV experience, but still catch some in theaters just for a point of reference (Alita was my most recent film).
     
  13. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    I worked at Universal Studios (theme park) a long time ago and one of the perks was being allowed on the movie lot to special screenings. I took a date to see Nolan's Insomnia. This was before he was the mega director of huge movies and just made a little brilliant film called Memento, but I was super excited to see his next. Insomnia was a good movie, nothing amazing. The print was immaculate though... such deep inky blacks you just didn't see in normal theater prints.
     
  14. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    They're showing Terminator 2 on the big screen at Alamo Drafthous tonight. Got my ticket!

    This was also one of my best moviegoing experiences as an 11 year old back when it came out. It was rare to see an action movie that good in cinemas and it was the first movie I remember crying in (the ending). Gonna try and hold back the water works tonight though.
     
  15. Mystic

    Mystic Mystique's Spiritual Advisor

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    Just saw Captain Marvel and thought of this thread after. Somebody brought their baby to the movie, luckily didn't really cause an issue. Stupid parents, babies ears are too sensitive for the surround sound Atmos bombardment their tiny eardrums are going to be exposed too.

    I generally don't have any issues, if I do I am the guy yelling across the theater at teenagers to shut the f**k up (occasionally followed by some chuckles in the audience). Seems to work, if not I get management. Movies are way too damn expensive these days for me to let some assholes ruin the experience for myself and others.
     
    Last edited: Mar 18, 2019
  16. FallingObjects

    FallingObjects Pay It Forward

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    Depending on your theater at least, you can always ask to speak to a manager after the movie and they seem pretty chill about handling grievances overall and usually give out free tickets and concession coupons (probably because you're likely to bring friends with you who would be paying customers, and a bag of popcorn and a pop costs them like $0.15).
     
  17. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Just got back.

    Holy hell this movie is something else! We all know how great T2 is but seeing it on a giant screen loud as f**k with massive subwoofers just amplifies the experience. As good as some home theaters are, they just don't come close to matching this.

    And the crowd was great. Laughing and reacting in all the familiar place. There were even a few people who'd never seen it before amazingly enough.

    One thing that really stood out besides the awesome story, was all the practical effects and real stunts. You literally do not see stuff like this anymore, with real helicopters barely missing overpasses and a real motorcycle crashing through a fourth story window with a real guy on it. The movie is littered with this kind of genuine craftwork that's been replaced by CGI now. You can really feel the difference between the action in this and say Captain Marvel which comes off like cartoon in comparison. The reality of T2's stunts and action makes a HUGE difference and I feel like that's why movies don't feel the same anymore. You can feel the phoniness with today's stuff. Its like there's something in the mind that can sense when something is real or not and is either sucked in or just sort of passive. Maybe that's another reason people are swearing off theaters on top of all the texting and shit... the unreality of the experiences.
     
  18. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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  19. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Worst ever, Amsterdam Pathé. Usually a good location for cinema.

    2009

    MJ passed away and "This Is It" was in theatres. I was a bit sad.

    Two ladies in front of me talk semi-loudly and I had secured the perfect seat.

    I stayed silent to enjoy "This Is It" for what it was. Stirring up a scene was not worth it.

    P.S. I still have a weak spot for MJ. His "Off The Wall", "Thriller" and "Bad" period was filled with flawless and mostly inspired music. Quicy Jones deserves more recognition. Everything after that, meh...
     
  20. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    Saw Hobbs and Shaw last night. Got the theater 15 mins in while trailers were going and sat down in the dark.

    After the movie, I realized I sat on a giant wad of gum that stuck to a lot of my pants.

    Told the cleaning crew which seat it was but most was already on my pants.

    Talked to customer service and the guy apologized but then just walked away.

    That was a pretty shitty night.
     

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