I have always loved going to a movie theater to see movies. There is something about sitting in a large, dark room with a ginormous screen in front of you that makes a movie more exciting than watching it on your tv while lounging on the couch. Although, I have learned that movie theaters frown upon sitting around in your underwear to watch their movies, so watching a movie at home does have some limited advantages over the theater experience.
Over the years I have learned to enjoy going to the movies on my own. However, it is possible that I have merely come to embrace the fact that I am single, and therefore I simply tell myself that going to the movies by myself is in fact extremely enjoyable. When possible, I try to go to a mid-week matinee so that I can save a few dollars, and probably be the only one in the theater at that time. (which makes me wonder why they care if I sit around in my underwear since no one is around.)
Lately, I have become a bit disillusioned with Hollywood. This disillusionment began a few years ago when all of the movies I took my daughter to see had to be in 3-D. Honestly, I do not see where 3-D adds to the movie experience in any way. Whoopity-Doo it looks like parts of the movie are coming out of the screen. I just don't see how that is worth an extra 5 bucks for my ticket. (you ladies may have enjoyed Magic Mike more if it were in 3-D, but then again maybe not). I really did not have a problem with the movies being made in 3-D, but felt like the reasoning behind it was to get more money out of me the consumer, and less about improving the movie-going experience. A return of smell-o-vision might be more agreeable.
The second step towards disenchantment with Hollywood stems from their need to remake movies. As I sat through what felt like hours of previews during my last visit to the theater my attention was nabbed by a preview for the movie "Red Dawn." About the only good thing the original "Red Dawn" has going for it is that it is a humorous look back at our paranoia in regards to the Soviet Union, and that it had a couple of hot women in it. Not really enough to warrant a remake. Add in remakes of "Footloose," "Clash of the Titans," "Conan the Barbarian," "True Grit," "Total Recall," (the list goes on) it makes one wonder if Hollywood has either given up on new ideas, or they think we are just dumb enough to pay to go see movies that we have already seen. A quick google search will show you that at least 50 more remakes are in the works for the upcoming years. I don't want to see "Dirty Dancing" again, and if I did I would want to watch the original version at home, on my couch, on a Sunday afternoon when I have nothing better to do; not at the theater where I have to now spend 10 bucks to see it, because apparently the 5 bucks I spent to see it 25 years ago was not enough.
The final straw for me (which proves Hollywood believes that if they show it we will come) is that now Hollywood has begun to re-release kids movies...in 3-D!!!! Not even a remake, just a change in format, same story. I liked "Monsters Inc." very much, in fact I own the DVD, but I have no desire to spend 15 bucks to now see it in 3-D.
All I am asking for is something new. The only people coming out with new story-lines at the theater are those making horror movies, and that really is not my cup of tea. Surely, there has to be some young screen-writers out there that would love to have one of their stories on the big screen, and are probably even willing to have it released in 3-D or smell-o-vision (or...gasp...both). It is disappointing to have to choose between a remake of "Arthur" and "The Thing" for my movie theater fix.
Now if you will pardon me, "Real Genius" is on tv for the 30th time this week, and I must watch it...again.
I think I'd be more amenable just having the older movies re-released in theaters at a affordable rate than remakes. I'll pay $8.00 for a chance to go see something like The Birds or North By Northwest at the Strand simply because I feel like we should see movies in theaters as they were originally intended to be seen. I refuse to pay $10.00 to see a remake of Red Dawn or $12.00 to see any movie in 3D.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more! I rarely go to the movies anymore. I also do not like 3-D movies, they give me a headache. There are movies I did not take my kids to go see because the only version showing at the theater was 3-D. Theaters also charge too much for a ticket and for food and drink. I'd rather wait and rent it at Red Box and buy my own popcorn, candy and drink at a much lower cost! Whatever happened to the $1 theater? Yeah, the movies were not the hot new releases, but it was affordable!
ReplyDeleteI also miss the $1 movie theater. I have found a few places that charge $2 to see movies that have been out for several months, but they are few and far between. I went to the $1 theater all the time as a teenager, because it was affordable; sure wish that place was still open. Partly because I am pretty sure I lost a shoe in there.
Deleteit isn't that America has lost it's imagination, or that no one can come up with any new ideas, it's just that the corporate for-profit mentality doesn't work well with imagination or gambling on something new. The weird thing is that Hollywood keeps making bad re-makes even though they tend to be bombs time after time. You'd think they'd notice the pattern and try to freshen things up a bit.
ReplyDeleteAnd why do they keep racing to come out with 3 different versions of the same story so often, e.g. the films based in LilRedRidingHood and the Wolf/Huntsman.
My fave outlet for film/tv imagination is BBCAmerica - they do remakes like DrWho and SherlockHolmes (the new British version is fantastico) and they do em right, plus they make great originals, only to be re-re-made with American versions over here, as in the new American "Sherlock" and the failed American versions of "Skins" and "Being Human."
anyway, i have to go download a Rolling Stones version of "Little Red Riding Hood" which i just discovered needed to be added to my Ipod. :)
Maybe that is the issue. I would not mind the remake if they found a way to make it fresh, and that does not mean simply adding new CGI.
DeleteCorrection: "Little Red Riding Hood" was done by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs. no info exists of a Stones version of the song per Allmusic dot com and wiki etc, although there are a ton of Youtube videos/songs attributed to the Stones or to the Animals/Eric Burdon.
DeleteI find it amazing how often people attribute songs to the wrong people on youtube. I have not heard that song in a long time.
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