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Author Topic: Andy Rooney & going to the movies 60Min Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-02-2007 08:18 PM                        Andy Rooney had a nice piece on 60 Minutes tonite, prasing the joys of going to the movies instead of watching at home (with a side swip at NetFlix, saying their multimillion dollars yearly profit doesn't mean that watching movies at home is better than going out to the movies; he even doubted Leslie Stahl's NetFlix figures profit). He made the mistake, however of mentioning that one of the "good" things about going to the movies as opposed to watching at home is that in the theatre YOUR PHONE DOESN'T INTERRUPT YOU. Exactly! It's OTHER PEOPLE'S phones which interrup you at the theatre. I'm sorry, but isn't it kind of universally accepted that one of the MOST annoying things about going to the theatre is that idiots don't turn their cell phones off and even worse, ANSWER THEM during a film? He would have been a lot better off if he just didn't bring that up at all. But he goes on.... Then, during the piece, they showed shots of an audience in what was supposed to be a typical cinema -- you know, the one Rooney was touting as the better way to watch a movie -- and surprise, surprise, you could see very clearly that the projected image was spilling over the bottom mask by about 2 freakin feet! Typical is right -- schlock, assembly-line cinemas, not exactly what Rooney was romantasizing about when he reminsed about the movie experiences of his youth when his mom gave him 35c ticket to get him into a spectacular movie palace plus enough for a popcorn to boot. Then there was that other interesting stock shot of a "typical" cinema -- did you notice that the doors at the rear of the auditorium had enough light spilling out of them that there was no way it wouldn't have caused major light spill on the screen. He also used that tired cliche about how great it is to watch a movie with in a room full of strangers, all "experiencing" the same emotions at the same time (I know that works for me....when I get up in the morning that's the first thing that I wish for....to get a chance to experience similar emotions with a bunch of strangers). I am not sure THAT arguement is going to sway a lot of people! I am thinking most people would rather get that "community experience" feeling with civilized friends of their own choosing rather than with some of the moviegoers who have quite obviously missed a few rungs on the evolutionary ladder. Then he mentions that in a movie theatre if you don't like where you are sitting, you can just get up and mover over a few seats; then we get a stock shot of a theatre with people packed like sardines, quite obviously without any alternative seats to "move to." Good try Mr. Rooney, and don't get me wrong, I am glad there are media people putting in an encouraging word about the joy's of going out to the movies, but in fact, he really didn't come up with any compelling arguments about why I shouldn't have some friends over and watch on my big screen with great 5.1 sound and in the comfort of my own den, where I make the rules and anyone who dares talk during the show gets their fingers broken.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-02-2007 09:51 PM                        That was a re-run; it was originally shown early in the spring. I didn't notice any of the items you pointed out about the "problems" in that theatre because I was so glad to see something positive on TV about the moviegoing experience for a change. The whole "emotional experience with a crowd" thing has total merit, especially with a comedy. I don't care how nice your home tee-vee is, it's more fun to watch a comedy (or a tearjerker or a horror flick) with a lot of like-minded individuals in a huge room. Having a good audience around you can make a bad movie like "Wild Hogs" a lot funnier than it really is. It's nice to have other people around, just not "too many" of them. Actually I think it's easy to avoid most of the legendary "problems" of going to the movies by using my modern 2-point method: 1. Avoid the opening weekend 2. Avoid weekends in general We've been to lots of movies in big and small cities over the years and have avoided most problems by following these simple steps.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-02-2007 11:31 PM                        You're right Mike, I haven't gone to the movies on a weekend in decades and certainly never on opening weekends or first weeks either for that matter. But even avoiding that, it hasn't made the cell phone or rude, thoughtless orangatan problems go away. And as I said, I too was very glad for the piece, I only thought it was a bit funny that they would pick stock images that were, at least to us techies, indiciative of the bottom feeder operators, of which, unfortunately, there are many, even with big chain names slapped across their marquees. What are you gonna do -- it was TV people who put the spot together. Although I have to disagree somewhat with you on the communial experience thing -- for me, it's more hype than reality. For the most part, I can enjoy a movie pretty just as much with my friends and family at home than I can in a movie theatre; when we are all laughting or scared or shocked, we are doing it with people we know. How is that less sympatico than with people who we don't know? For me, it's not. Besides, why would I want to make a bad film like WILD DOGS seem better than it really is? I try to avoid watching bad films althoghter. Then there's the damn AT&T ad which shows a movie theatre with a film ending on the screen and the credit crawl and then you see dozens of cell phones going off. AT&T thinks this is a good thing (for them, maybe yah, for moviegoers, not so much). For me, it just reitterates a strong argument for putting RF attenuating material in the construction material of new cinemas to block cell phone signals. All that being said, I just realized that this thread probably should have been in Film Yak, not here, but I have no idea how to move it. Apologies to the moderators.  |  IP: Logged Mike Heenan Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1896 From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 09-03-2007 12:00 AM                     Cell phones and house lines have every chance of going off during home screenings just as they do during theater screenings. That is unless you take the phone off the hook and tell your guests to set their phones to vibrate, etc. Also if you or your guests have babies, well there you go, more disruptions. I guess the people lucky enough to have a dedicated HT away from the general living room/family room set up have a better chance of an uninterrupted screening than does Joe Six Pack.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 09-03-2007 05:28 AM                        quote: Frank Angel He made the mistake, however of mentioning that one of the "good" things about going to the movies as opposed to watching at home is that in the theatre YOUR PHONE DOESN'T INTERRUPT YOU. Exactly! It's OTHER PEOPLE'S phones which interrup you at the theatre. I'm sorry, but isn't it kind of universally accepted that one of the MOST annoying things about going to the theatre is that idiots don't turn their cell phones off and even worse, ANSWER THEM during a film? You know, I've never, ever, been in a public screening that someone's cell phone rang during the movie (or any other time). I'm not sure if it's because I live in the sticks, or because it costs as much for admission and food as it does for a monthly phone bill and everyone's chosen the admission and food over having a phone. Since most people have phones, I'd guess it's the sticks part, although I've seen lots of films in Toronto and Hamilton too.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-03-2007 09:56 AM                        quote: Daryl C. W. O'Shea You know, I've never, ever, been in a public screening that someone's cell phone rang during the movie (or any other time). You're one lucky SOB;> As bad as the cell phones going off, is the people constantly checking them through the show. Even worse, text messaging. The warm glow of randomly popping up cellphone screens is distracting to no end. And I can't count the number of times people have paid to see a movie and then spent a large hunk of their time in the lobby chattering away with friends on a cell phone. I have to agree that comedies work better in crowds. My Big Fat Greek Wedding was one of the unfunniest comedies I've ever seen, but the audience was in stitches the whole way through. Later, when people started seeing it on DVD in the privacy of their own homes, they kept asking me what the big deal was. Group think works well with comedy. It didn't make me laugh during Greek Wedding, but you could see the dynamic in action.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 09-03-2007 12:42 PM                     It's a little off topic, but I recently saw an episode of the Showtime TV series Californication. It had a pretty funny scene where David Duchovny deals with some jerk in a Hollywood movie theater who won't put away his phone. Eventually Duchovny takes away the phone and smashes it on the floor and the two guys get into a fist fight. Duchovny gets the guy in a head lock and smiles at the theater audience giving him a round of applause.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-03-2007 01:19 PM                        Martin is right, Daryl, you are lucky. I have been in a theatre where a woman behind us not only answered her cell, but proceeded to announce to the caller that she was in a theatre watching THE MATRIX. Good, I thought, the next sentence will be, "So I'll call you back later." Unlucky us, that was not what happened. Believe it or not, this inconsiderate imbecile continued the conversation explaining to the caller everything that was happening on the screen -- a play-by-play so to speak. When people finally got fed up and started to complain, she got all pushed out of shape as if we were the offenders. Incredible how stupid or inconsiderate or both people can be. I don't invite these people to my home theatre. I know it was a different era and all, but when I was growing up, I can't remember anyone ever saying that they hated going to the movies. That's gotta tell ya something.  |  IP: Logged Brad Allen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 688 From: Evansville, IN, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 09-03-2007 01:47 PM                     Andy Rooney probably hasn't actually stepped foot into a real movie theatre in the last 30 years.  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 09-04-2007 12:53 AM                        Frank, I should probably add another rule to Mike's list if you want to avoid other movie-goers. 3. Don't attend a movie in NYC. They actually have people in the theatre for a weekday matinee... Anywhere else in the country, you can get almost a private showing at the right time...  |  IP: Logged

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