Went to a movie

[Koolau]

For the first time in many years. There is a local Celebrity Theater a couple blocks from our condo. Matinees are $5.00 during the week. There are 10 auditoriums, nice recliners with table trays, and plenty of room between rows to recline and someone walk past you. Huge popcorn and large drink was $15.00
We'll probably go back whenever there is something we want to see.
Oh yeah, we saw "The Shift". Pretty good faith based sci-fi show.

Sounds like "Movie Museum" in Kaimuki (Honolulu.)

https://www.kaimukihawaii.com/d/c/movie-museum.html

It's a nice, intimate venue. You BYO food/drink (no alcohol, of course.) We used to go there before the pandemic. We've gotten out of the habit and, frankly, we are disappointed by most movies these days. I'll just leave it at that. YMMV

 

[folivier]

The Shift was done by Angel Studios. The same studio that produced The Chosen, and Sound of Freedom. And hopefully more they'll produce more movies. They're using crowd funding as a source of funds. Neil Mcdonough is one of my favorite actors. John Billingsley was good also.
But I'd still rather watch a movie at my house where the snacks are cheap and endless. And I can pause whenever I need to!

 

[aja8888]

When DW was alive she liked movies and used to go with her older brother and his wife. I would stay home as i don;t care for movies, in general (dull guy). The last movie I saw was Mission Impossible II a while back.

 

[lucky penny]

The naysayers should check out the cinema experience nowadays. I hadn't been to a movie since 2017 but I went to "Oppenheimer" in August. I was surprised how much things have changed.

First of all, you can reserve and buy your seats online. Similar to getting seats on an airline you can see which seats are taken and which seats are open, and plan accordingly. You can see how crowded it's going to be before you go.

Secondly, the seats are incredibly comfortable. Faux leather power recliners with cup holders and trays. Gobs of legroom.

Third, you don't have to sneak in stuff to eat. We walked in with bottles of water and pop plainly visible. My wife brought some snacks in her purse but I got the impression they wouldn't have cared if we walked in with a large see-through bag of store bought popcorn.

Totally agree. And for those who hate crowds & rude patrons, that's a non-issue if you go in the morning, especially if the movie has been around for a while. I don't go often because there aren't many new movies I'm that eager to see. But I did go for Oppenheimer, which I thought was tremendous; I look forward to re-watching it when it's streaming and/or on a DVD from the library. Saw Barbie on a DVD & thought it was silly (not in a good way). Look forward to The Boys in the Boat; the book is terrific.

 

[MichaelB]

The naysayers should check out the cinema experience nowadays. I hadn't been to a movie since 2017 but I went to "Oppenheimer" in August. I was surprised how much things have changed.

First of all, you can reserve and buy your seats online. Similar to getting seats on an airline you can see which seats are taken and which seats are open, and plan accordingly. You can see how crowded it's going to be before you go.

Secondly, the seats are incredibly comfortable. Faux leather power recliners with cup holders and trays. Gobs of legroom.

Third, you don't have to sneak in stuff to eat. We walked in with bottles of water and pop plainly visible. My wife brought some snacks in her purse but I got the impression they wouldn't have cared if we walked in with a large see-through bag of store bought popcorn.

I've seen trailers for that and I'm intrigued. Most faith-based movies, while earnestly produced, are done on the cheap and look it. I get the sense they might have spent some money on this one.

I’m no naysayer and have been back to the cinema a couple of times with the grandkids. For me certain films must be seen on the big screen, where I expect to see Dune this coming March.

Upkeep, appearance, fellow patrons is really specific to each location. Where I live there were 4 nice cinemas with all the amenities, now there are only 2. Most of the seats are reserved and comfortable, but selection of films is more limited and the owners aren’t as motivated to keep the highest standards.

I think part of the problem is the films, not the theater. Right now both are showing a mix of newly released films and rereleases of years old films. The decrease in production of new films affects the large multi-room theaters.

Nonetheless, my brother will be visiting early next year and will want to go.

 

[Dtail]

We still like going to the matinee movies and bring our own snacks.
Sometimes go to the theater with the recliner seats for longer movies.
Never any teenagers or loud patrons.

 

[MichaelB]

My children and I have such great memories of sneaking food into the movies during afternoon matinees.

 

[tmm99]

We went to watch Godzilla Minus One at our local Cineplex VIP last Monday. A great film! We got reclining seats and ordered alcoholic drinks and food. (A server came around, took our order and brought the food at the beginning of the movie. My friend ordered poutine and whisky sour. I ordered a chicken Caesar wrap with fries and bottled water. They had other restaurant-type food like burgers, pizza, steaks, etc) The seat was $18 CAD each (I live in Ontario, Canada). I really enjoyed the whole experience. They only have so many VIP theatres inside, but I will definitely do it again.

 

[fh2000]

Since I've retired, I go to roughly a movie a week at my local AMC. Since I have A-List, it works out to about $5/show including IMAX and Dolby Digital. At one movie a week, the dud ratio is kept at a minimum.

I mostly only go during weekday matinee showings which keeps the audience small and for the most part respectful. Weekend crowds tend to bring out the rude and obnoxious people so I avoid those showings.

Before pademic, we signed up for AMC free Stubs member (not A-List), the Tuesday tickets were $5, so we went almost every week. It later increased to $6 and we went still.

I just now checked our local AMC ticket prices for Stub members, it is now a discount from the full price. Tickets are now $18.38 for the 2 of us. Hmm...

 

[Koolau]

My children and I have such great memories of sneaking food into the movies during afternoon matinees.

Yeah, I had a technique where I would fake a loud cough or sneeze to cover the sound of popping the top of a soda I had sneaked into the theater. I never felt I was "stealing" from the theater (or lowering their bottom line) as I eventually refused to pay their inflated (ridiculous) prices for inferior products.

The final straw(s) for buying at the theater snack bar were (1) Seeing a mouse licking the delivery spout of a coin-op drink machine in the theater lobby and (2) Buying ridiculously priced pop corn at the window, only to have it "squeak" as I chewed it (Proof of being left-over and NOT fresh.) When I complained to the pimply faced clown (er, clerk) at the window, he admitted that they had bagged up the left over pop corn from the night before and saved it.

By the way, my niece's husband w*rks for one of the several pop corn companies (producer of the actual ears.) He told us that theater pop corn is grown to produce the largest possible pop corn so that it takes up more room and therefore delivers less actual pop corn to the consumer. (Can you say "insult to injury?") YMMV

 

[jim584672]

I haven't been to one in maybe 10 years now. Big screen TV, fancy audio system, good headphones, plus my library has most movies in a few months of release, can't see why I would need to go to a theater.

 

[DrRoy]

About once or twice a year we end up going to the theater. With the reclining seats and matinee prices, it’s a nice little outing. The best part is when you can go during retiree hours, there’s hardly anyone else in the theater. When a good movie comes out, I give it about a week to let the buzz die down and we’re off to a cheap date.

+1

 

[Nash]

My last visit to a movie theater was Rocky2.

I have recurring nightmares of movie theaters (and cruise ships too).

 

[Musica40]

We used to enjoy going to the movies. Nowadays, there are too many distractions and the cost of buying the snacks has risen quite a bit. We'd rather watch a movie at home with our 77 inch TV and great SONOS sound system. It gives us the option of pausing if we want. Picking p where we left the next day. NO distractions from people using their cells. Very little with regards to snacks. In addition, we feel that the quality of movies coming out these days do not match the quality of movies from the past.

 

[tulak]

I still enjoy going to the movie theater. But the theater I go to is 21+ with at seat service and comfortable recliners. You select your seats when you buy your ticket.

 

[Koolau]

My last visit to a movie theater was Rocky2.

I have recurring nightmares of movie theaters (and cruise ships too).

Seriously? That sounds like an interesting story to tell.

 

[rk911]

I watched the trailer, it looks like an interesting movie. Matinee is the only way to go with that 5 buck price tag.

VW

Matinee is the only way to for reasons other than price.

- Usually a smaller crowd, especially if the movie has been in theaters for a while. We like to wait anywhere from 1-week to several months, depending on the movie.

- Usually an older crowd. Older meaning actual sober adults vs 'adolescent' adults and kids.

 

[pb4uski]

My wife loves theatre popcorn, so we go when there's a movie we're interested in seeing. Probably every second or third month, or so. Try to go on Tuesday afternoon for the reduced ticket price. Although, two large popcorn and drinks runs about $29.26. I make her wait for about a week after the movie debuts, and there will usually be from 0 - 5 other people in the theatre with us.

I love movie popcorn as well. We had a local $3 theater for a while but covid killed it. Now two senior tickets, popcorn and a large soda woud run us about $35 so we are pretty selective and don't go as often. In the summer we have a local theater that we can get the same for about $20 all-in so we go more often.

 

[Walt34]

The last movie we went to see was The Martian. Actually the experience was pretty good because we were the only ones in the theater so no one else to spoil it. I guess that's why the theater closed and the building is now a church.

Ditto on seeing Oppenheimer. For a three-hour movie I want to be able to pause it and get up once in a while without missing anything so I'll wait.

 

[Aerides]

My cinemark does $7 tickets on tuesdays. They have a "premiere" level with reclining loveseats - also $7 on tuesdays, you reserve your seat number. Fancy.

It has the advantage of being the adult-only section, as the upstairs level is linked to a full service bar. Before Covid they had a whole restaurant too, now it's just quick bites but enough it you wanted to eat before the show.

 

[John Galt III]

Since I've retired, I go to roughly a movie a week at my local AMC. Since I have A-List, it works out to about $5/show including IMAX and Dolby Digital. At one movie a week, the dud ratio is kept at a minimum.

I mostly only go during weekday matinee showings which keeps the audience small and for the most part respectful. Weekend crowds tend to bring out the rude and obnoxious people so I avoid those showings.

I am a 'movie in theater' fan. Fun to get out of the house, see people. Sometimes have a rude person with cell phone glaring, and saying something to the person would ruin the movie for me (they know that, probably, and feel safe being rude). I like the captions devices and headphones you can borrow from the cashier for free. I get them every time. Sometimes I need them, sometimes not. Some movies have good audio, some don't. Cheapest matinee here is now $9, used to be $6 just 4 years ago. I never buy popcorn. There is an art theater here that shows old classics like Dr. Zhivago and Eraserhead, and Mulholland Drive, for $5 as a one time only thing. They get a big crowd there for those films. I go to them too. I still go the matinees, even though they are pretty high, at $9. But only one a month or so, since it takes a month to find a movie I want to see.

 

[jollystomper]

I had to check our Quicken. I knew it had been a while, but was surprised that the last movie we saw in a theater was almost 6 years ago (what Star Wars movie had just come out, in an Imax theater). Though we have engaged in many varied entertainment/recreational activities since my retirement, a movie has not been one of them.

I like how they have updated the seating (and in some cases food) facilities for theaters. They have opened a couple a reasonable distance from us and it might be a good dinner+ movie date night. We just have to find a movie that (a) we care to see soon after it is released, and (b) one that we can both enjoy together. I favor the action/sci-fi/horror/comedy genres, DW favors the "artsy"/foreign language/historical monarchy type films with a maximum of conversation and a minimum of cursing. During our dating years, if we went to a movie together, it would not be unusual for either her spending a lot of the movie with her hands over her eyes, or for me intermittently dozing off .

There are so many movies available via Amazon Prime and the free streaming services we access, plus with a home projector and recliners in my "man cave", that the home movie experience for us is very comfortable and easy. But I will have to look at going back to the theater again. Half the fun will be "dressing up" for the date night (and I really enjoy DW's date night outfits ).

 

[Trailwalker]

I haven't been to a movie since before the pandemic, but it's been longer than that since I really enjoyed the experience. Just not feeling it. Still enjoy watching movies at home, where the popcorn is always good and the pause button is always available.

 

[rk911]

Last movie in a theatre we saw was Top Gun: Maverick. We used to go to movies twice a week back in the day. Now, with cable and streaming it's more enjoyable to be able to pause the show to get snacks...or to dispose of them.

 

[Poopycat]

I haven’t been to the movies since COVID but I enjoyed going when there was a movie I really, really wanted to see. The last time may have been A Star is Born. I like the reclining seats and I like that you can reserve seats in advance now. I do wish the snack prices were lower. I have actually had the theater staff check my bag when I entered the theater to make sure I wasn’t smuggling contraband snacks! I haven’t had the desire to go to the theater lately because there’s no movie I really want to see, and these days is seems like movies get to streaming services quickly so I don’t have to wait long to see it.