What have you watched recently? (Please use the hide function for spoilers or plot lines)

[Taylor]

On 5/27/2024 at 5:06 PM, Tank said:

been splitting my tie today between yellowstone and band of brothers. 

Very on brand for you.

[Jay]

Amazon Prime has both Battlestar Galactica miniseries and the 4-season series. It's been 20 years since I watched it but I watched the miniseries again and it was great.

For those who haven't watched this, watch the miniseries first (3 hours) and then the 4-season series.

 

[Tank]

6 hours ago, Taylor said:

Very on brand for you.

i'm a big fan of people fighting for freedom, which probably offends your sensibilities. 

[Taylor]

14 hours ago, Tank said:

i'm a big fan of people fighting for freedom, which probably offends your sensibilities. 

I wasn't criticizing. Those are excellent shows.

[RallyMo]

Furiosa

9/10

This movie just kicks ass. It kinda drags a bit towards the end but is otherwise a more than worthy prequel to Fury Road.

[Taylor]

5 minutes ago, RallyMo said:

Furiosa

9/10

This movie just kicks ass. It kinda drags a bit towards the end but is otherwise a more than worthy prequel to Fury Road.

I thought it was excellent. Favorite movie of the year so far.

Unfortunately it bombed at the box office (like everything else this year except Dune 2), so they're probably not going to pay 79 year old George Miller to make the sequel to Fury Road.

[Tank]

kevin costner has a new western movie coming out at the end of the month. looking forward to seeing it. it's called Horizon and IIRC it's going to start off in theaters but then move to tv (i may be wrong about this). anywho, here's the trailer.

 

[RallyMo]

1 hour ago, Taylor said:

I thought it was excellent. Favorite movie of the year so far.

Unfortunately it bombed at the box office (like everything else this year except Dune 2), so they're probably not going to pay 79 year old George Miller to make the sequel to Fury Road.

Yep. It absolutely bombed, but I don’t know what they were expecting. Honestly, it’s not the 2010s and people don’t just go to the movies because movies anymore. Not many people give a crap about the Mad Max IP. It’s great, but failure was their destiny. It is truly a bummer because I’d love to see a Fury Road sequel.

Furiosa did a really great job of building out the area. Oh well.

Inside Out 2 should do rather well, though. People/kids have a connection with that story.

[St1ck]

43 minutes ago, RallyMo said:

Yep. It absolutely bombed, but I don’t know what they were expecting. Honestly, it’s not the 2010s and people don’t just go to the movies because movies anymore. Not many people give a crap about the Mad Max IP. It’s great, but failure was their destiny. It is truly a bummer because I’d love to see a Fury Road sequel.

Furiosa did a really great job of building out the area. Oh well.

Inside Out 2 should do rather well, though. People/kids have a connection with that story.

Enjoy the theater experience while you can because it could be gone in the next 10 years. 

[Slegnaac]

14 hours ago, St1ck said:

Enjoy the theater experience while you can because it could be gone in the next 10 years. 

Just saw The School Of Rock at a family own single screen theater (built in 1946).   There is something about seeing a movie on the big screen with a THX sound system. 

[RallyMo]

16 hours ago, St1ck said:

Enjoy the theater experience while you can because it could be gone in the next 10 years. 

True story.

[jsnpritchett]

22 hours ago, St1ck said:

Enjoy the theater experience while you can because it could be gone in the next 10 years. 

 

6 hours ago, RallyMo said:

True story.

Nah, not true.  The theater-going experience will evolve (e.g., more experimentation with variable pricing, subscription/loyalty plans, more non-traditional programming at theaters to provide additional revenue streams [additional concerts and sporting events, etc.]) and we'll likely see a further reduction in the number of theaters (it's already occurring), but it won't be gone within the next 10 years.  While there have certainly been some movies that have underperformed expectations this year, one of the biggest challenges theaters have faced has been a lack of steady product to get folks back in the habit of regular moviegoing--largely due to the lagging effects of the dual strikes last year.  There are still going to be rocky times, but the latter half of this year and into 2025 should be better for theaters.

[Tank]

2 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

 

Nah, not true.  The theater-going experience will evolve (e.g., more experimentation with variable pricing, subscription/loyalty plans, more non-traditional programming at theaters to provide additional revenue streams [additional concerts and sporting events, etc.]) and we'll likely see a further reduction in the number of theaters (it's already occurring), but it won't be gone within the next 10 years.  While there have certainly been some movies that have underperformed expectations this year, one of the biggest challenges theaters have faced has been a lack of steady product to get folks back in the habit of regular moviegoing--largely due to the lagging effects of the dual strikes last year.  There are still going to be rocky times, but the latter half of this year and into 2025 should be better for theaters.

i'm thinking movie theaters are going to be a lot like black & white film for cameras. the overall number will reduce, but will never quite disappear, and then there will be pocket movie theater societies that keep a few of them in business. 

[Tank]

it would probably help theaters if there were more summer blockbusters being released. it seems like those have pretty much vanished since covid. 

[jsnpritchett]

Just now, Tank said:

i'm thinking movie theaters are going to be a lot like black & white film for cameras. the overall number will reduce, but will never quite disappear, and then there will be pocket movie theater societies that keep a few of them in business. 

That's maybe the 50-year view, but that would essentially mean theaters are operating as repertory theaters, showing older movies.  Medium-to-large scale movies can't be supported by a drastically reduced theater count.

[jsnpritchett]

1 minute ago, Tank said:

it would probably help theaters if there were more summer blockbusters being released. it seems like those have pretty much vanished since covid. 

Well, this year has been impacted by the strikes and previous years have been impacted by covid, for sure.  That's why I said some of those issues will go away towards the end of this year.  There should be a steadier pipeline of bigger movies, as well as mid-level-budget movies.

[gotbeer]

49 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

 

Nah, not true.  The theater-going experience will evolve (e.g., more experimentation with variable pricing, subscription/loyalty plans, more non-traditional programming at theaters to provide additional revenue streams [additional concerts and sporting events, etc.]) and we'll likely see a further reduction in the number of theaters (it's already occurring), but it won't be gone within the next 10 years.  While there have certainly been some movies that have underperformed expectations this year, one of the biggest challenges theaters have faced has been a lack of steady product to get folks back in the habit of regular moviegoing--largely due to the lagging effects of the dual strikes last year.  There are still going to be rocky times, but the latter half of this year and into 2025 should be better for theaters.

But that's part of the problem.  Due to streaming, Netflix, Amazon, HBO, the product is getting diluted.  Only the tentpoles go to the theaters.  Used to be one of the backbones of the theater were the drama/comedy types.  They didn't make the huge money as the blockbusters, but the numbers would give you options in huge theaters.  Now these drama/comedy types and even the lower action go straight to streaming.  Leaving theaters relying on big stuff only.  And the problem with the big stuff, is that studios like Disney have been relying on the Superhero movies, which are dying a quick death, but still are taking astronomical amounts to make.  And these astronomical production amounts are requiring that ticket prices go up.  It's to the point, where you have to be selective on what movie you are spending your money on.  One bad review, and a film is done for, or puts enough doubt to watch in the theater and wait for a quick turnaround to streaming.  And let's not forget that there is no longer theater etiquette, people talking during movies, and the inevitable guy checking his phone, or texting, I've even seen guys answer a phone call.  Turns people off in going to theaters and dropping a bunch of money.   

[jsnpritchett]

3 minutes ago, gotbeer said:

But that's part of the problem.  Due to streaming, Netflix, Amazon, HBO, the product is getting diluted.  Only the tentpoles go to the theaters.  Used to be one of the backbones of the theater were the drama/comedy types.  They didn't make the huge money as the blockbusters, but the numbers would give you options in huge theaters.  Now these drama/comedy types and even the lower action go straight to streaming.  Leaving theaters relying on big stuff only.  And the problem with the big stuff, is that studios like Disney have been relying on the Superhero movies, which are dying a quick death, but still are taking astronomical amounts to make.  And these astronomical production amounts are requiring that ticket prices go up.  It's to the point, where you have to be selective on what movie you are spending your money on.  One bad review, and a film is done for, or puts enough doubt to watch in the theater and wait for a quick turnaround to streaming.  And let's not forget that there is no longer theater etiquette, people talking during movies, and the inevitable guy checking his phone, or texting, I've even seen guys answer a phone call.  Turns people off in going to theaters and dropping a bunch of money.   

I'm not going to go point by point through what you said, but I'll just say some of it is only the case because of the covid/strike-related issues I mentioned earlier. 

I generally agree that the theater experience needs to improve in terms of etiquette, modernization of facilities, etc. 

Production budgets aren't directly related to ticket prices. Pricing is generally set by the exhibitor, not the distributor, though in some cases, the distributor will set terms that don't allow tickets to be discounted below a certain level. But any rise in overall ticket price has more to do with increased labor costs, rent, other overhead costs, facility maintenance, etc than anything related to movie budgets. 

[Tank]

in my local glendale amc theaters:

furiosa

12:45 movie time: senior rate of $12.39

7:00 time: senior rate of $16.39

that's not as bad as i expected. 

lots of different food options there now, too, including flatbread pizzas, sliders, pretzel bites, and deep fried mac 'n cheese balls.

[Tank]

there are some directors who used to film their movies so that they were specifically earmarked for being shown in a theater - better view with a huge screen, enhanced sound, etc. I would hate to lose that experience.

while i enjoyed seeing the movie 1917 at home, it didn't compare to seeing it in a theater. it was an incredible experience for the senses.

@jsnpritchett, i hope you're correct about why there aren't as many "big" movies in theaters these days.

our local amc has 18 screens. i didn't recognize more than 3 or 4 of the movie titles. did you know there's a movie out right now called Summer Camp? it stars diane keaton, kathy bates, and eugene levy. didn't know it existed until i looked at the play list for the theater. can't recall much movie advertisting on tv over the last year for very many films.

[jsnpritchett]

Just now, Tank said:

there are some directors who used to film their movies so that they were specifically earmarked for being shown in a theater - better view with a huge screen, enhanced sound, etc. I would hate to lose that experience.

while i enjoyed seeing the movie 1917 at home, it didn't compare to seeing it in a theater. it was an incredible experience for the senses.

@jsnpritchett, i hope you're correct about why there aren't as many "big" movies in theaters these days.

our local amc has 18 screens. i didn't recognize more than 3 or 4 of the movie titles. did you know there's a movie out right now called Summer Camp? it stars diane keaton, kathy bates, and eugene levy. didn't know it existed until i looked at the play list for the theater. can't recall much movie advertisting on tv over the last year for very many films.

I was just at the AMC at Americana earlier today, btw, so I was in your hood. 

Yes, I was aware of Summer Camp, but it's part of my job to be aware of things like that. Ha. The distributor didn't spend much to market it.  They're essentially using the theatrical release as marketing for the home release. 

Traditional TV marketing has decreased significantly over the past few years, with a higher % of ad speed going to digital, ad-supported video on demand (Hulu with ads, Tubi, etc), and social media advertising. It's not uncommon for certain types of movies (especially horror) to literally have zero dollars spent on traditional TV marketing. But other types of movies that have older appeal or might appeal to folks who watch a lot of live sports do still have significant TV ad budgets. 

[Tank]

4 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

I was just at the AMC at Americana earlier today, btw, so I was in your hood. 

and you didn't stop by to help me clean out my old classroom? 

i'm a little bit offended. 

[gotbeer]

14 minutes ago, jsnpritchett said:

I was just at the AMC at Americana earlier today, btw, so I was in your hood. 

Yes, I was aware of Summer Camp, but it's part of my job to be aware of things like that. Ha. The distributor didn't spend much to market it.  They're essentially using the theatrical release as marketing for the home release. 

Traditional TV marketing has decreased significantly over the past few years, with a higher % of ad speed going to digital, ad-supported video on demand (Hulu with ads, Tubi, etc), and social media advertising. It's not uncommon for certain types of movies (especially horror) to literally have zero dollars spent on traditional TV marketing. But other types of movies that have older appeal or might appeal to folks who watch a lot of live sports do still have significant TV ad budgets. 

That's part of my point. A movie like summer camp would have been a huge driver for the older demographic. And it just seems like that demo for whatever reason do not go to theaters like they used to.

[jsnpritchett]

1 minute ago, gotbeer said:

That's part of my point. A movie like summer camp would have been a huge driver for the older demographic. And it just seems like that demo for whatever reason do not go to theaters like they used to.

The movie got abysmal reviews and there's a reason it ended up with Roadside Attractions as a distributor, rather than a bigger distributor. 

Older audiences will still come out for certain movies that are designed to appeal to them--this is just not an example of one of them. 

[Tank]

do they still have those theater deals where you pay a monthly fee and can go to several movies each month? i'll have some free time on my hands in a couple of weeks.