There are good and bad movies, but many, if not most movies today are mass-produced, with the intent of making money hand over fist. Sadly, today’s movies are often not about real human beings and how they relate to each other anymore, and the characters are often paper-thin, with little, if any real dimension to them.
What’s equally troubling is that far too many of today’s films convey the message that people don’t have to be accountable for their actions and behaviors, or to own up to the fact that they were involved in a wrongdoing and need to pay for it in some way or other.
What you’re saying is true, Mike Rogers, but what’s really too bad about that is that most movie theatres don’t sell healthier foods in addition to sweets at their concession stands, although the idea of serving meals and/or dinner at movie theatres has definitely begun to catch on here in the United States. There are good and bad movies, but it does sometimes seem as if the bad ones outweigh the good. Maybe bringing back some more older classics will get more people of all ages back to the movies. Simply kowtowing to the younger generation has not worked, on the long run.
In the event that a movie does open at Border’s at downtown crossing, let’s hope it plays better quality films than the multiplexes that dot the highways and byways of the United States.
Maybe if the theatre chains embraced the idea of having film festivals, and therefore showing better-quality movies, instead of the schlock that they usually play, they might get people in the door, and they might end up with fewer troublemakers like that woman who was thrown out of the Alamo Draft House in Austin, TX, for refusing to cease and desist after being warned twice against cellphone use and texting. Come to think of it, it’s surprising that the jerk didn’t end up in even more trouble for leaving a phoned-in voice-mail message that was sprinkled with expletives. THAT’S against the law!
HH1, what you’re saying about bringing ticket prices down to five dollars, and the popcorn down to three dollars sounds like a good idea, but I really do question whether or not that would work in the shopping malls.
dhroc, the idea of a movie art house that’s supported by public government and becomes a “film society” that’s operated by people within the community, or who are members, whose “owners” are paid people on the board doesn’t sound like corporate welfare at all. It sounds like a damned good idea whose time may be coming.
To be perfectly honest with everybody, I make a point of avoiding those huge, antiseptic-looking multiplex cinemas with 10, 20, 30 or more cinemas like the plague. Not withstanding that they’re overpriced, they mostly show the junkiest movies, and have the rudest, most cellphone use/texting-prone audiences.
I generally attend the independent movie theatres in my area for movies instead.
Sorry, HH1. As a member of the baby-boom generation, this:
“Sorry boomers: you’ll have to be happy with the occasional Woody Allen or foreign film to remind you of a time when moviegoing meant seeing a film in which narrative trumped spectacle.”
is something that I cannot and will not accept. Therefore, I’ll keep on emailing or phoning both of the only two independent, non-profit theatres left in our area to play great, golden old classics and films like that.
Without knowing the facts, the whole thing sounds like a racket, that’s not only unethical, but could really contribute to the demise of the movie business if it goes unchecked. It got suspended? Good. It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie, as some say.
I hear you, Mike Rogers! I’m not a theatre manager, and I never have been, but rather than quit going to the movies, I’ve mostly avoided the multiplexes where that kind of rudeness seems to be a much bigger problem, and have a couple of yearly memberships at the only two independent movie theatres in our area, instead. The rudeness of cellphone use and texting seems to be considerably less of a problem in the theatres that show better-quality films, but it would be nice to have a ‘zero tolerance" policy in all movie theatres here in the United States.
Sometimes I wonder if they should concentrate more on quality, rather than quantity, when it comes to making movies. Back to the subject at hand, I also agree that film festivals should be aimed at all ages, and not just the younger crowd!
That’s very true. There lie the perils of starting something without the approval of the necessary higher-ups before embarking on whatever one is planning on doing. This is no exception.
I have to admit that slow-paced films don’t particularly turn me on, but asking for a refund simply because they didn’t like or understand the movie…that’s ludicrous! It makes me wonder where people’s heads really are, at times.
I also might add that, while unacceptable behavior in movie theaters always has been a problem, the advent of cell phones and texting has definitely helped take unacceptable movie theater behavior to new and unprecedented levels.
I still remember attending a midnight showing of “The Warriors” at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA afew years ago, and the audience, mostly young college kids, was fairly rowdy, many of them drunk off of the a**es. What was more annoying, this woman in back of me, who was also drunk off of her butt, began kicking the back of my chair. Fortunately, a polite request for her to stop got some good results, and I was able to continue to enjoy the film.
I did see “Sound of Music” back in October, as I’d planned, at an AMC in Cambridge’s Harvard Square. It was lots of fun, but there sure weren’t very many people there that night.
Sometimes, the idea of having at least a small meal and/or a drink at a movie theatre is a good one. The Strand Theatre, out in Clinton, MA, has that policy, and it seems to work quite well.
Thank you, TLSLOEWS. I agree that there’s plenty of time during the day for phone use and texting. I can never figure why people do it in the movies, either.
Having a movie theatre in Downtown Crossing would be wonderful, but the idea of having another luxury chain (such as iPic) theatre is questionable for at least a couple of reasons:
A) The high-priced ticket(s) that such a movie theatre would entail
B) There are enough of these multiplex movie theater chains that dot our highways and byways, and play the worst schlock regarding movies as it is? Why do we need any more of those? Why not have a movie theatre that not only plays older classics, foreign films, independent films, but also provides options for people becoming members, and therefore being able to get into the movie theater(s) at discount prices?
I saw “Raiders of the Lost Ark” when it first came out, and afew times afterwards, when it was out of date. It’s a well-done (if intense) movie, which is also rightly considered a classic, even though it admittedly does not hold the same special, sacred place in my heart regarding movies as “West Side Story”.
There are good and bad movies, but many, if not most movies today are mass-produced, with the intent of making money hand over fist. Sadly, today’s movies are often not about real human beings and how they relate to each other anymore, and the characters are often paper-thin, with little, if any real dimension to them.
What’s equally troubling is that far too many of today’s films convey the message that people don’t have to be accountable for their actions and behaviors, or to own up to the fact that they were involved in a wrongdoing and need to pay for it in some way or other.
What you’re saying is true, Mike Rogers, but what’s really too bad about that is that most movie theatres don’t sell healthier foods in addition to sweets at their concession stands, although the idea of serving meals and/or dinner at movie theatres has definitely begun to catch on here in the United States. There are good and bad movies, but it does sometimes seem as if the bad ones outweigh the good. Maybe bringing back some more older classics will get more people of all ages back to the movies. Simply kowtowing to the younger generation has not worked, on the long run.
I’m with Ron Newman on this one. A Boston meet-up would be cool!
I love this great old poster advertising the great, golden classic film, West Side Story! Nostalgia has set in! Ahhhh!
In the event that a movie does open at Border’s at downtown crossing, let’s hope it plays better quality films than the multiplexes that dot the highways and byways of the United States.
Maybe if the theatre chains embraced the idea of having film festivals, and therefore showing better-quality movies, instead of the schlock that they usually play, they might get people in the door, and they might end up with fewer troublemakers like that woman who was thrown out of the Alamo Draft House in Austin, TX, for refusing to cease and desist after being warned twice against cellphone use and texting. Come to think of it, it’s surprising that the jerk didn’t end up in even more trouble for leaving a phoned-in voice-mail message that was sprinkled with expletives. THAT’S against the law!
HH1, what you’re saying about bringing ticket prices down to five dollars, and the popcorn down to three dollars sounds like a good idea, but I really do question whether or not that would work in the shopping malls.
dhroc, the idea of a movie art house that’s supported by public government and becomes a “film society” that’s operated by people within the community, or who are members, whose “owners” are paid people on the board doesn’t sound like corporate welfare at all. It sounds like a damned good idea whose time may be coming.
To be perfectly honest with everybody, I make a point of avoiding those huge, antiseptic-looking multiplex cinemas with 10, 20, 30 or more cinemas like the plague. Not withstanding that they’re overpriced, they mostly show the junkiest movies, and have the rudest, most cellphone use/texting-prone audiences.
I generally attend the independent movie theatres in my area for movies instead.
Hey!! I wish that they’d at least try the Alamo Draft House here in the Boston Area! It looks like a nifty little theatre, btw.
Sorry, HH1. As a member of the baby-boom generation, this:
“Sorry boomers: you’ll have to be happy with the occasional Woody Allen or foreign film to remind you of a time when moviegoing meant seeing a film in which narrative trumped spectacle.”
is something that I cannot and will not accept. Therefore, I’ll keep on emailing or phoning both of the only two independent, non-profit theatres left in our area to play great, golden old classics and films like that.
Without knowing the facts, the whole thing sounds like a racket, that’s not only unethical, but could really contribute to the demise of the movie business if it goes unchecked. It got suspended? Good. It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie, as some say.
I hear you, Mike Rogers! I’m not a theatre manager, and I never have been, but rather than quit going to the movies, I’ve mostly avoided the multiplexes where that kind of rudeness seems to be a much bigger problem, and have a couple of yearly memberships at the only two independent movie theatres in our area, instead. The rudeness of cellphone use and texting seems to be considerably less of a problem in the theatres that show better-quality films, but it would be nice to have a ‘zero tolerance" policy in all movie theatres here in the United States.
Sometimes I wonder if they should concentrate more on quality, rather than quantity, when it comes to making movies. Back to the subject at hand, I also agree that film festivals should be aimed at all ages, and not just the younger crowd!
That’s very true. There lie the perils of starting something without the approval of the necessary higher-ups before embarking on whatever one is planning on doing. This is no exception.
I have to admit that slow-paced films don’t particularly turn me on, but asking for a refund simply because they didn’t like or understand the movie…that’s ludicrous! It makes me wonder where people’s heads really are, at times.
I also might add that, while unacceptable behavior in movie theaters always has been a problem, the advent of cell phones and texting has definitely helped take unacceptable movie theater behavior to new and unprecedented levels.
I still remember attending a midnight showing of “The Warriors” at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA afew years ago, and the audience, mostly young college kids, was fairly rowdy, many of them drunk off of the a**es. What was more annoying, this woman in back of me, who was also drunk off of her butt, began kicking the back of my chair. Fortunately, a polite request for her to stop got some good results, and I was able to continue to enjoy the film.
Interesting news. Glad to hear that the guy was allowed to stay in his apartment. He’s within his rights to live there. It’s his theatre, no?
I did see “Sound of Music” back in October, as I’d planned, at an AMC in Cambridge’s Harvard Square. It was lots of fun, but there sure weren’t very many people there that night.
Sometimes, the idea of having at least a small meal and/or a drink at a movie theatre is a good one. The Strand Theatre, out in Clinton, MA, has that policy, and it seems to work quite well.
Thank you, TLSLOEWS. I agree that there’s plenty of time during the day for phone use and texting. I can never figure why people do it in the movies, either.
I like this new website design.
Having a movie theatre in Downtown Crossing would be wonderful, but the idea of having another luxury chain (such as iPic) theatre is questionable for at least a couple of reasons:
A) The high-priced ticket(s) that such a movie theatre would entail
B) There are enough of these multiplex movie theater chains that dot our highways and byways, and play the worst schlock regarding movies as it is? Why do we need any more of those? Why not have a movie theatre that not only plays older classics, foreign films, independent films, but also provides options for people becoming members, and therefore being able to get into the movie theater(s) at discount prices?
I saw “Raiders of the Lost Ark” when it first came out, and afew times afterwards, when it was out of date. It’s a well-done (if intense) movie, which is also rightly considered a classic, even though it admittedly does not hold the same special, sacred place in my heart regarding movies as “West Side Story”.