Chat: Films, art and cinema

[Andrew Reid]

Official EOSHD chat thread for the arts and cinema.

[maxJ4380]

i'm first, not that its a competition or anything😉  however it doesn't take much to entertain me, so i'll lead off with the fact that i'm waiting for the accountant 2 to hit the cinemas. I liked the first one, so i'm quite happy go for a drive and watch a movie, buy some popcorn, consume that with the expectation that i should enjoy the second.   

[Andrew Reid]

Enjoy.

Do you prefer cinema when it's busy or borderline empty? I think I prefer to go on quiet days.

[eatstoomuchjam]

1 hour ago, Andrew Reid said:

Do you prefer cinema when it's busy or borderline empty?

Empty.  Hell is other people.

[maxJ4380]

2 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

Enjoy.

Do you prefer cinema when it's busy or borderline empty? I think I prefer to go on quiet days.

If i get caught up in the movie i don't really notice anyone else. Until its time to leave, then its form a line with everyone else and trample out. When its a good movie everyone is abuzz and there's a good atmosphere and thats nice to be a part of. I noticed that with the latest bay boys and the axel F sequel. I don't think either brought anything new to the franchise, however they were well received and everyone one walked out chatty like.

I try to do my bit for the cinemas and support them when i can. During covid and just after, crowd numbers were way down, even now i seriously doubt that they have recovered to pre covid levels. I do have prime and netflix  acc's watching a new release is $18-24 on prime here. I may as well go to the cinemas for that price or wait a couple of months till it comes down to $6 which is a much more reasonable price considering the internet speeds here. 

On a personal level, i have kinda discovered Noir movies. There's something about the absence of colour that i find interesting. Maybe its the period its set in, so different from today.  Once my camera turns up i intend to develop more of a black and white mentality. My other camera is slowly dying it has a couple of issues it still takes pictures and records considering its 16 years old i guess i haven't done too bad lol.

[MrSMW]

2 hours ago, eatstoomuchjam said:

Empty.  Hell is other people.

Me also.

I have 3 problems with the cinema these days and they are:

1. In the UK, they seem to be full of people who talk, scroll on their phones (distracting flashing lights in the dark) and munch munch munch munch munch relentlessly and the sound of other people eating is not a pleasant ASMR.

2. In France (where I live), about 1 in every 20 screenings, they offer a VO option (version originale) for language and being a Brit, of course I don't want to watch a movie dubbed into French. These screenings are usually pretty low attended...which is good, but they insist on adding sub titles in French and that is extremely distracting because you can't help but read them. Or you are focusing so hard on trying not see them...which is impossible.

3. The majority of movies released these days are shit. I don't know if it's due to the Covid years, the strikes, tastes or whether the market simply demands dumb stupid shit, but most of the movie posters even look like those stupid juvenile YouTube thumbnails.

I don't expect every movie to be made for me or be highbrow or a cinematic masterpiece, but for every movie released these days that I might be interested in, there's about 20 series I can find. And I don't have to go out to watch with French subtitles.

Mrs SMW is ging to the UK for a weeks as of tomorrow morning so I am temporarily regaining full control of the remote and the first thing I am going to watch (rewatch) is Ripley on Netflix. Best thing I have seen on that channel.

Then I am going to rewatch 'Tales From The Loop' on Prime as I especially enjoyed the cinematography of that one.

[TrueIndigo]

In recent years I have tended to go see films mid day, and that usually means it's just me and about seven other people, politely watching silently in the dark (even when it's a comedy, there's usually no laughing -- we're British). But many years ago I remember a full house group connection I have never experienced before, when the audience was at one with itself along with the emotional world building of the film. I had seen Aliens when it was first going around London, and took the opportunity to watch it again; they were showing a 70mm print in the historic Marble Arch theatre. And in that place, the escalating tensions of the drama was somehow felt more intensely. And when it got to the part where they decide to nuke the place, but the company guy says: "Wait a minute, we're talking about a billion dollar plant here." The collective audience release (from the humour in adversity) when Ripley answers "Well...bill me" was just incredible. And later when she says to the alien queen: "Stay away from her, you bitch!" the audience just erupted. That experience always stayed with me. An example of what cinema was capable of.

[maxJ4380]

12 hours ago, MrSMW said:

 

 

1. In the UK, they seem to be full of people who talk, scroll on their phones (distracting flashing lights in the dark) and munch munch munch munch munch relentlessly and the sound of other people eating is not a pleasant ASMR.

 

 

Then I am going to rewatch 'Tales From The Loop' on Prime as I especially enjoyed the cinematography of that one.

1) same  here  it seems... although i usually finish the popcorn about halfway through 🙄

i have seen tales of the loop advertised but never clicked on it. I'll have to give it a go.

i really liked the Peripheral on prime that almost did my head in a couple of times.. and night skies, that took a while to get started however,  and 3 pines i liked the scenery and somewhat quirky characters.

[kye]

Late last year I saw Goodfellas projected on 35mm film.  Absolutely incredible movie.

I've been going back and watching more classics, some that I've seen a long time ago and some I've never seen.  Lots to watch and enjoy if you zoom out and watch the best from the entire catalogue of cinema history.

[MrSMW]

4 hours ago, maxJ4380 said:

i have seen tales of the loop advertised but never clicked on it. I'll have to give it a go.

I personally loved it.

I think that because it was inspired and based upon an artists work, that it really inspired them with visuals.

It just struck me at the time that there was something about it.

It will be interesting to see if I feel the same about it the second time round.

I shall know this evening!

[ViciousMouse]

On 3/11/2025 at 12:03 PM, MrSMW said:

1. In the UK, they seem to be full of people who talk, scroll on their phones (distracting flashing lights in the dark) and munch munch munch munch munch relentlessly and the sound of other people eating is not a pleasant ASMR.

I'm in the UK too, and tend to go to Everyman. Sure it's a bit more expensive than Odeon, Cineworld, etc but at the risk of sounding like a tremendous snob, it keeps the riff-raff out. They show a lot of older films, too - I watched Mulholland Drive there last week. First time I'd ever watched a David Lynch film, would you believe! 

[fuzzynormal]

Here in my small town, during half the year, we're actually doing screenings at the local performing arts center and trying to curate an interesting mix of films.

Without that option, I'm not really able to make time often for an authentic cinema experience.  After all, a 3 hour round trip drive is a big commitment; especially to watch a movie that may or may not be good.  My reality is kind of frustrating for spontaneously catching a random movie at the theater.  I sure miss that experience that was a huge part of my younger days.

And, sure, I like to watch films at home, but nothing beats the communal experience of an engaged audience while watching a movie. 

https://www.borregospringsfilminstitute.org/