Remembering Good Times at the Cinema

[Treadwell]

Went to a local UA theater a LOT in the 80s, and this is burned onto my brain:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m75c2b-d1o4

It's sooo long! SHOW THE MOVIE ALREADY! It's so long the music cue has edits in it to loop parts of it.

 

[Solos blaster]

Yup, I miss when the show times meant that’s when the show started, not when they start the 10-20 minutes of trailers and other ads before the movie plays.

 

[Astyanax]

Yup, I miss when the show times meant that’s when the show started, not when they start the 10-20 minutes of trailers and other ads before the movie plays.

Eh, I don't mind. Gives me time to get situated or to be late. Not terribly unlike the cover set before a big concert.

 

[Halliwax]

Last weekend we were talking about our old cinema 140… and how the theater had a curtain that would open up to reveal the screen…

They remodeled it and added 3 more screens, 4 theaters total.. then shut down in like 2001 I think…

Place was a hive for bed bugs…

(Just googled, closed in 2000)

 

[JediMichael]

Last weekend we were talking about our old cinema 140… and how the theater had a curtain that would open up to reveal the screen…

They remodeled it and added 3 more screens, 4 theaters total.. then shut down in like 2001 I think…

Place was a hive for bed bugs…

(Just googled, closed in 2000)
View attachment 1811296

Seeing those films sure bring back the memories. Like Austin Powers 2.
We were so worn out from all the Star Wars Ep. I crowds, I don't think we all anticipated them again for AP2.
I think it might have been worst, as Star Wars were still in the big theaters, so they put AP2 in some of the small ones.
Ever see a hallway, probably only meant to hold a few hundred people, and just walking through....but they scheduled showings to close together, so it got crowded before the show before it was out. So you had a few hundred people waiting in the hallway, while the last film, and others as well, all getting out.
Those could be some intense times.

 

[CB2001]

One of my childhood theaters was Ashely Cinemas on Ashely Street in Valdosta, Georgia. The second theater was Movies at the Mall. MaTM closed down when the new theater opened nearby in 2003. Ashley Cinemas became a dollar theatre. It eventually closed down and the land sold to Valdosta State University. It got demolished, now being nothing but an empty lot. One of my earliest memories I have is coming out of Ashley Cinemas at night, getting into my family’s car and “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” by John Parr playing on the radio when Dad cranked the car up.

The places that made up a large chunk of my cinema knowledge is now gone. Rest in Power Video Center USA, Movie Gallery, Movies at the Mall and Ashley Cinemas.

 

[Wakeem]

So many movie theaters I went to are now closed. I still need to go over that cinema treasures site. But it makes you feel old when things you grew up with don't exist anymore. And worse, there are few if any photos of them just personal memories.

Even if those theaters weren't the best. They were special then. And few people were making the sort of personal theaters you see possible today.

 

[Bloop]

I hate that the trailers are shown with the theater lights on too bright so the screen is completely washed out. What's the point? Obviously, they do that because people come in while the trailers are in progress (myself included), but it also means people are more likely to talk full volume during them.

I also hate reserved seats, which means if you get stuck by annoying people, you can't easily move. That's another reason I come later, buying my tickets at around the "start" time of the film so hopefully most people will have already bought tickets so I can give myself a buffer.

 

[pengbuzz]

So many movie theaters I went to are now closed. I still need to go over that cinema treasures site. But it makes you feel old when things you grew up with don't exist anymore. And worse, there are few if any photos of them just personal memories.

Even if those theaters weren't the best. They were special then. And few people were making the sort of personal theaters you see possible today.

Agreed; even a simple photo can hold so much memory and meaning. There's many places and things I wish I had pics of that I cannot find online (or anywhere else).

 

[Solos blaster]

So many movie theaters I went to are now closed. I still need to go over that cinema treasures site. But it makes you feel old when things you grew up with don't exist anymore. And worse, there are few if any photos of them just personal memories.

Even if those theaters weren't the best. They were special then. And few people were making the sort of personal theaters you see possible today.

This. I know its been 25 and 22 years but the theaters I stood in line for all night to get tickets to TPM and AOTC as well as dozens of movies I saw growing up as a kid and a teen are no more. The former is only a "second showing" theater in a seeing its age smaller "mall" and the other theater is gone altogether for something else, I can't remember what because I haven't been home enough to see what is there other than to see that I do not recognize the city I grew up in lol.

I'm closing in on military retirement and for the longest time the plan was to move back to be close to family for the first time in over 20 years. But the few times we would visit, we feel like strangers in our own home town. Kind of brings up a type of "homeless" feeling lol.
To quote Solo4114's statement: "You can't go home again" lol.
Sorry for the tangent.

 

[Laspector]

Agreed; even a simple photo can hold so much memory and meaning. There's many places and things I wish I had pics of that I cannot find online (or anywhere else).

Doubly agree. My family did not even own a camera until I was about 15 and I saved up to by a Polaroid, then later one of those little Kodak instamatics. The only pictures of me and my brother as children were pretty much just taken when relatives who owned a camera came over. And as a teen, film and developing cost so much (for a kid's budget) that all I ever wanted to take pictures of was really cool stuff. It never dawned on me that decades later I would be wishing I had pictures of me and my friends instead of just shots of my damn Star Wars models and KISS posters!

 

[Ron]

I hate that the trailers are shown with the theater lights on too bright so the screen is completely washed out. What's the point? Obviously, they do that because people come in while the trailers are in progress (myself included), but it also means people are more likely to talk full volume during them.

I also hate reserved seats, which means if you get stuck by annoying people, you can't easily move. That's another reason I come later, buying my tickets at around the "start" time of the film so hopefully most people will have already bought tickets so I can give myself a buffer.

You're singing my song. I don't buy tickets until I get to the theater just to minimize the chance of having to sit close to anyone. The nice thing about reserved seating though is you can scout how busy a screening is. If it's even half full, I won't go. I'll wait until it thins out before I go. Sometimes though you don't have a choice in the matter.

I went to see Spider-Man 2002 the other night. There was a four-night run of two screenings per night. Every screening I checked was busy. Well, I didn't want to miss seeing it so I picked the very last screening of the last night hoping it would be tolerable. It wasn't. The fanboys were out in force. So, I got the typical fanboy experience. Lots of unnecessary cheering and talking throughout the movie anytime a character said a memed scene or piece of dialogue. Seems to me if you love a movie, you'll keep quiet and take it in. Or at least stay quiet out of courtesy. I had a guy a couple of seats to my right that spoke out loud every line Macho Man said. I get it. You want everyone to know how much of a fan you are. Guess what? Nobody cares. Let us just enjoy the movie. At that point, you're just doing it for attention. It's like people are there for a party instead of for the movie. Spider-Man 2 is playing next week and I'm hoping to have better luck, but I doubt I will.

The Lord of the Rings extended editions are going to be screened in June for three nights in a row (which is another boneheaded move, but I digress). I've never seen the extended editions in theaters, and I was hoping to catch them this go around but if it's only one night each, it's going to be a madhouse and there's no way I'll be able to enjoy it. I'm really hoping they add multiple screenings.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[Bloop]

You're singing my song. I don't buy tickets until I get to the theater just to minimize the chance of having to sit close to anyone. The nice thing about reserved seating though is you can scout how busy a screening is. If it's even half full, I won't go. I'll wait until it thins out before I go. Sometimes though you don't have a choice in the matter.

I went to see Spider-Man 2002 the other night. There was a four-night run of two screenings per night. Every screening I checked was busy. Well, I didn't want to miss seeing it so I picked the very last screening of the last night hoping it would be tolerable. It wasn't. The fanboys were out in force. So, I got the typical fanboy experience. Lots of unnecessary cheering and talking throughout the movie anytime a character said a memed scene or piece of dialogue. Seems to me if you love a movie, you'll keep quiet and take it in. Or at least stay quiet out of courtesy. I had a guy a couple of seats to my right that spoke out loud every line Macho Man said. I get it. You want everyone to know how much of a fan you are. Guess what? Nobody cares. Let us just enjoy the movie. At that point, you're just doing it for attention. It's like people are there for a party instead of for the movie. Spider-Man 2 is playing next week and I'm hoping to have better luck, but I doubt I will.

The Lord of the Rings extended editions are going to be screened in June for three nights in a row (which is another boneheaded move, but I digress). I've never seen the extended editions in theaters, and I was hoping to catch them this go around but if it's only one night each, it's going to be a madhouse and there's no way I'll be able to enjoy it. I'm really hoping they add multiple screenings.

Sorry for the rant.

Yeah, audiences can be pretty terrible now. On a related note, I also hate that live music has become people singing along the entire time. It's partly like your experience with Macho Man guy, people wanting to show they're a fan by singing all the songs. Since everybody does it, it's just gotten accepted, so if you don't do it, you're not part of the group. And that's how they "listen" to music at home, by themselves, singing along the whole time. I was raised on concerts where you sit and listen, applauding or cheering at the appropriate times. Singing the whole way through just makes it all about "you." Why should I pay to see a performer when everyone around me is screech-singing the whole time?

Okay, old-man-off-topic-rant done.

Back to movie theaters, I kind of miss the old seats. The big reclining chair/loveseats are more comfortable, sure, but they also promote a living-room type of environment, so people act even more like they do at home, which includes talking and using their phones. I also see people wearing basically pajamas and bring blankets into the theater. I get it, the theaters are often cold, but it's also a public place. Why go out to a movie theater if you just recreate what you have at home?

 

[Bloop]

I realize I've been posting the opposite of the topic - bad times instead of good, so I'll post a good time.

I saw Watchmen on a weekday afternoon, after it had been out for a couple weeks, in an older style, yet well maintained theater - large screen, wide theater with the old stadium-style seats, non-multplex so there was no sound bleed from other screens. To top it off, I was the only person in the entire theater, so it was like having my own, private screening. Good times.

I find I tend to only desire the "shared experience" of being in a theater with other people reacting to the movie when it's a comedy, which lends itself more to reacting. Something about people laughing together (at the right momrnts, of course) can enhance a comedy film.

There's also been some moments where people cheer in action movies that has been fun - Yoda facing Dooku in Episode II, Captain Anerica using Thor's hammer in Endgame, and even Andrew Garfield's first appearance in No Way Home were all times where the crowd response enhanced the experience.

 

[Ron]

I realize I've been posting the opposite of the topic - bad times instead of good, so I'll post a good time.

I saw Watchmen on a weekday afternoon, after it had been out for a couple weeks, in an older style, yet well maintained theater - large screen, wide theater with the old stadium-style seats, non-multplex so there was no sound bleed from other screens. To top it off, I was the only person in the entire theater, so it was like having my own, private screening. Good times.

I find I tend to only desire the "shared experience" of being in a theater with other people reacting to the movie when it's a comedy, which lends itself more to reacting. Something about people laughing together (at the right momrnts, of course) can enhance a comedy film.

There's also been some moments where people cheer in action movies that has been fun - Yoda facing Dooku in Episode II, Captain Anerica using Thor's hammer in Endgame, and even Andrew Garfield's first appearance in No Way Home were all times where the crowd response enhanced the experience.

I was just gonna say! When it's a comedy and it's genuine laughter, it enhances the experience. With Spider-Man the other night, this was an audience that had seen it multiple times. I doubt the laughter was genuine. Although there was one guy that sounded like he was genuinely laughing. Maybe it was the first time he had seen it.

 

[Cephus]

I have nothing but bad experiences. It's why I've only been to a theater twice in the last 20 years and really have zero interest in ever going again. I saw Monty Python and the Holy Grail last December because a friend wanted to go and then I saw Godzilla -1. Both were bad experiences with people talking non-stop. Hard pass. I'll wait for the physical media to come out.

 

[JediMichael]

I guess I've just gotten lucky, as most the time I've seen movies, its been pretty quite, other than a part where everyone was laughing at the correct time, or cheering on a good part.
Now like when I saw Indy 5 last year, the lights never dimmed all the way down like they are suppose to. That was pretty annoying.

 

[moviebuff5]

When I lived in a bigger city, I preferred the second run theater. It had comfortable seats, the sound was not so loud I got a headache, and it had the polished metal and light arches in the halls I remembered from my childhood. It was vaguely like a spaceship or space station and brought a smile to my face just walking in. A bit of theming other than "movie theater" makes a world of difference in creating an experience. Google has photos: Google Maps. Sadly, it looks like it closed.
The megaplex cinemas seem to lack that. They just cover the walls in movie posters, portraits of famous actors and maybe a sculpture of a film reel and call it good.
There was a nice theater here that was small (I think 3 or 4 screens) and did not have an overly loud sound system, but it struggled to compete with the multiplex and eventually closed.

 

[Ron]

There seems to be a trend of movie theaters transitioning to smaller "boutique" auditoriums; 40-50 seats instead of hundreds with a focus on amenities like recliner seating and waited service. While recliner seats are nice, I never recline in them and I don't want waiters interrupting me during the movie. The smaller screens I find dismaying though. The whole reason to go to a theater is to get an experience you won't get at home. If the screen & audio is not much different than a high-end dedicated home theater setup, I don't see the appeal. I love the giant auditoriums.

If I hit the lottery, I'd love to build my own theater. I'm talking an actual commercial size theater. Preferably IMAX if a projector could be acquired. I'd install all the seats too even though they won't be used just to retain the ambience. I know, I'm kind of an oddball haha.

 

[Apollo]

There was a theatre in Alexandria Virginia, that was only one screen and before the show had a organ come out of the wall for some pre-showing music, now THAT was entertainment.

This was years ago early 60’s.

A grocery store occupies its space now