Meanwhile, the world … shrugs.
August 28, 2023 3:57 PM Subscribe
If one of the major narratives of 21st-century Hollywood has been the steady erosion of what were once referred to as midrange studio movies—films produced and aimed at a level somewhere between blockbusters and the indie/art-house scene—the increasing indistinguishability of theatrical and VOD aesthetics, in combination with the severe narrowing of theatrical release windows, has resulted in a crowded yet intangibly barren cinematic landscape. from Did You Even Know This Movie Exists?
....vibes start to feel downright dystopian; instead of offering escape from (or resistance to) some wider, corporatized hellscape, the movies become a grim mirror of their own underlying conditions
posted by clavdivs at 4:08 PM on August 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by clavdivs at 4:08 PM on August 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
It was clever of the author to slip in one fake movie to prove the point, but really, “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” isn’t a very plausible title.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:14 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:14 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
I mean… I just opened the page after finishing< Het Geheugenspel which was a pretty decent mid-range thriller. Seems that Dutch/Belgian/French/German flicks have returned to a pretty serviceable 3-4/month clip which made a good once-a-week theatre trip before corona… ::shrug::
posted by Seeba at 4:46 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Seeba at 4:46 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
For instance, did you know that in March, an original sci-fi movie starring Adam Driver—maybe the most crucial American leading man of the 21st century—laying waste to a series of CGI dinosaurs opened at a theater near you?
This one I was very aware of, my corner of online being slightly obsessed with it. It’s basically a live action Genndy Tartakovsky film with a Sam Raimi producer credit.
posted by Artw at 4:47 PM on August 28, 2023 [7 favorites]
This one I was very aware of, my corner of online being slightly obsessed with it. It’s basically a live action Genndy Tartakovsky film with a Sam Raimi producer credit.
posted by Artw at 4:47 PM on August 28, 2023 [7 favorites]
Heh heh. Le Jeu will make for good trauma for elder millenials — dinner party, everyone’s phone on the table… if it rings, read the messages to the group as a reminder to turn the damn things off when out with friends :^)
posted by Seeba at 4:49 PM on August 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Seeba at 4:49 PM on August 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ironically, I’ve been to theaters to see more movies in the last year than I’d seen in the previous ten. I even missed a few that I meant to see (one of which was Renfield; I’ll have to see The Retirement Plan to get my Nic Cage fix).
Hell, I even want to see Strays. It’s so much more pleasant to go to a movie theater now than it was 10 years ago — reserved seats! big-ass recliners! — that I sort of want to see everything.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:01 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
Hell, I even want to see Strays. It’s so much more pleasant to go to a movie theater now than it was 10 years ago — reserved seats! big-ass recliners! — that I sort of want to see everything.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:01 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
It was clever of the author to slip in one fake movie to prove the point, but really, “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” isn’t a very plausible title
Okay, I've read the article 3 times now and even did a word search for this title mention and can't find it. So - what am I missing?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:03 PM on August 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Okay, I've read the article 3 times now and even did a word search for this title mention and can't find it. So - what am I missing?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:03 PM on August 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
I miss the movie theaters. Looking the history of my area there are 3 old single screen movie theaters in a very few blocks of me. One is now a church, one is a thrift store and the one nearest me is sitting empty except for the persian rugs that the owner stores there. If the movies were just over there, I'd be there and it would be fine to go see an "ehh" movie. Otherwise it's too much dang work.
(And yes, I want to renovate the one empty movie theater and do a sorta Vidiots thing with it.)
posted by drewbage1847 at 5:06 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
(And yes, I want to renovate the one empty movie theater and do a sorta Vidiots thing with it.)
posted by drewbage1847 at 5:06 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
We lost a treasure we didn't know we had when Golan-Globus closed up shop.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 5:07 PM on August 28, 2023 [15 favorites]
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 5:07 PM on August 28, 2023 [15 favorites]
Oh wait, a new Guy Ritchie movie, thanks!
Are they all the same? Why yes. Do I still enjoy them regardless? Why yes.
But yeah, no idea that movie was made. I'll read the article now.
posted by jellywerker at 5:08 PM on August 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Are they all the same? Why yes. Do I still enjoy them regardless? Why yes.
But yeah, no idea that movie was made. I'll read the article now.
posted by jellywerker at 5:08 PM on August 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
I read articles like this with such despair, like it’ll be a miracle if we still have any culture at all in ten years. I’m sure it’s not that bad… right?
posted by Probabilitics at 5:17 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Probabilitics at 5:17 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
culture will still be with us, just different
posted by philip-random at 5:18 PM on August 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by philip-random at 5:18 PM on August 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
Operation Fortune is a Guy Ritchie film. Not his best, but not his worst.
posted by betweenthebars at 5:28 PM on August 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by betweenthebars at 5:28 PM on August 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Meg 2: The Trench was directed by former U.K.-horror hell-raiser Ben Wheatley
And it's dull?
This is the saddest thing I've read today.
posted by doctornemo at 5:32 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
And it's dull?
This is the saddest thing I've read today.
posted by doctornemo at 5:32 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
So - what am I missing?
It is one of the two Guy Ritchie films alluded to but not named. And while part of me suspects that a fake Wikipedia article is just part of the ruse, it does in fact seem to be real.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:35 PM on August 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
It is one of the two Guy Ritchie films alluded to but not named. And while part of me suspects that a fake Wikipedia article is just part of the ruse, it does in fact seem to be real.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:35 PM on August 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
culture will still be with us, just different
saw that episode, Josh Brolin/Rob Lowe as Captain Pike.
posted by clavdivs at 5:36 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm one of the 11% mentioned in the article for whom Barbie was the first movie I'd seen in a theater since the Before Times. I'd thought about going a few times prior but the enthusiasm died out before it could carry me to the multiplex. I think if I had a movie theater closer than a 30 minute drive to my house I might go more often but at least that one has a Dolby Cinema box, which is probably the best mall theater experience I can think of.
I'd heard of most of the movies mentioned in this article, but not the Stephen King adaptation which sort of surprises me. I do try to keep up with things being released.
posted by hippybear at 6:03 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'd heard of most of the movies mentioned in this article, but not the Stephen King adaptation which sort of surprises me. I do try to keep up with things being released.
posted by hippybear at 6:03 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
I've seen a lot of the films mentioned in this article, but the best film I've seen this year is the rerelease of Oldboy. That one still hits.
posted by betweenthebars at 6:09 PM on August 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by betweenthebars at 6:09 PM on August 28, 2023 [6 favorites]
Go to the mobile homepage of your favorite news outlet that employs movie critics and see how long it takes to find the movie reviews.
NYTimes: Tap the menu, scroll down, look for Movies and tap it
Chicago Tribune: Menu, scroll to Entertainment, tap it, look for movies, it’s not there, tap What to Watch
Washington Post: Menu, tap Arts and Entertainment, tap Movies
Some reviews do make it to the home pages, but mostly you have to deliberately dig to even see the headlines. Before the strikes there were still actors appearing on the late night talk shows, but who watches those anymore? And if you’re not going to the theater, you’re not seeing the trailers and posters there.
At this point, it’s not hard to keep up with what’s in the theaters, or on streaming for that matter, just like it’s not hard to keep up with what rock shows and bookstore readings are happening in your town. But you have to deliberately do it — it’s not like 20 years ago where movie reviews and advertising were basically inescapable on a normal media diet.
And I don’t think the studios or theater chains have really caught on that they need to find up-to-date ways to promote their movies if they expect audiences to even know they exist.
posted by smelendez at 6:50 PM on August 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
NYTimes: Tap the menu, scroll down, look for Movies and tap it
Chicago Tribune: Menu, scroll to Entertainment, tap it, look for movies, it’s not there, tap What to Watch
Washington Post: Menu, tap Arts and Entertainment, tap Movies
Some reviews do make it to the home pages, but mostly you have to deliberately dig to even see the headlines. Before the strikes there were still actors appearing on the late night talk shows, but who watches those anymore? And if you’re not going to the theater, you’re not seeing the trailers and posters there.
At this point, it’s not hard to keep up with what’s in the theaters, or on streaming for that matter, just like it’s not hard to keep up with what rock shows and bookstore readings are happening in your town. But you have to deliberately do it — it’s not like 20 years ago where movie reviews and advertising were basically inescapable on a normal media diet.
And I don’t think the studios or theater chains have really caught on that they need to find up-to-date ways to promote their movies if they expect audiences to even know they exist.
posted by smelendez at 6:50 PM on August 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
At this point, it’s not hard to keep up with what’s in the theaters, or on streaming for that matter
I find trying to keep up with what's being released on streaming to be nearly impossible. So many series, so many movies, so many services... and curation or reviews? Yeah, that's basically impossible. And then things just disappear from streaming, too. So a thing you might have put on a list a few months ago to watch might not be there when you finally are settling in to watch it.
Streaming is a giant black hole. I hate how things have developed. It didn't have to be this way, but this is what we have. I pray not for very long.
posted by hippybear at 7:09 PM on August 28, 2023 [11 favorites]
I find trying to keep up with what's being released on streaming to be nearly impossible. So many series, so many movies, so many services... and curation or reviews? Yeah, that's basically impossible. And then things just disappear from streaming, too. So a thing you might have put on a list a few months ago to watch might not be there when you finally are settling in to watch it.
Streaming is a giant black hole. I hate how things have developed. It didn't have to be this way, but this is what we have. I pray not for very long.
posted by hippybear at 7:09 PM on August 28, 2023 [11 favorites]
@hippybear: Have you tried using just watch.com? It’s updated daily.
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 7:20 PM on August 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 7:20 PM on August 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Seconding hippybear: streaming really is a black hole. I feel like every other day I read something along the lines of "this award-winning series is getting a fifth season" and it's like, fifth season? I've never even heard of this before.
posted by star gentle uterus at 7:33 PM on August 28, 2023 [11 favorites]
posted by star gentle uterus at 7:33 PM on August 28, 2023 [11 favorites]
I got tired of the TFA pretty quickly, but one thing that's relevant to me is that I've recently started following the subreddit r/badmovies , and one thing that I've noticed is that sometimes it's difficult to tell whether or not a particular movie should be there, because not enough people seem to have seen the movie to form an opinion about it.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:52 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:52 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
I find trying to keep up with what's being released on streaming to be nearly impossible.
The Pirate Bay has a Recent Torrents page that provides a total firehose of new releases, and a Top 100 page that works as a crowdsourced curator and is at least as likely as any review site to offer worthwhile viewing choices.
There is not now, nor will there ever be, a profit-driven distribution operation that can match the scope and quality of what people share because they want to, because the commercial operators always start from a position of trying to elbow aside and shut out their competitors.
posted by flabdablet at 8:48 PM on August 28, 2023 [8 favorites]
The Pirate Bay has a Recent Torrents page that provides a total firehose of new releases, and a Top 100 page that works as a crowdsourced curator and is at least as likely as any review site to offer worthwhile viewing choices.
There is not now, nor will there ever be, a profit-driven distribution operation that can match the scope and quality of what people share because they want to, because the commercial operators always start from a position of trying to elbow aside and shut out their competitors.
posted by flabdablet at 8:48 PM on August 28, 2023 [8 favorites]
That’s a lot of words to let us know there’s a strike going on. Maybe he’s missing some other writing outlet.
posted by q*ben at 9:08 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by q*ben at 9:08 PM on August 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
The Adam Driver dinosaur movie is currently at 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. I haven't seen it. I'm not going to see it. I'm guessing, based on its score, that it deserves to be forgotten. Meritocracy at work!
If studios want me to watch stuff, and then tell other people about that stuff, they should try making better stuff.
posted by dephlogisticated at 9:11 PM on August 28, 2023 [7 favorites]
If studios want me to watch stuff, and then tell other people about that stuff, they should try making better stuff.
posted by dephlogisticated at 9:11 PM on August 28, 2023 [7 favorites]
I've relied on a few forums and word of mouth for decades now to figure out what new. And I've actually had pretty good results with billboards here in L.A. believe it or not.
One that's curious is the Disney+ release a few months back of Crater, a YA scifi adventure, and it's odd disappearance from pretty much everywhere shortly after. Everywhere other than less-than-legal outlets, that is.
posted by 2N2222 at 9:34 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
One that's curious is the Disney+ release a few months back of Crater, a YA scifi adventure, and it's odd disappearance from pretty much everywhere shortly after. Everywhere other than less-than-legal outlets, that is.
posted by 2N2222 at 9:34 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
The Adam Driver dinosaur movie is currently at 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. I haven't seen it. I'm not going to see it. I'm guessing, based on its score, that it deserves to be forgotten. Meritocracy at work!
I watched about ten or fifteen minutes of it and was not inspired to continue...
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 9:53 PM on August 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
I watched about ten or fifteen minutes of it and was not inspired to continue...
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 9:53 PM on August 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Everywhere other than less-than-legal outlets, that is.
Right. Not only does file sharing offer a better selection of new content than any subscription "service", it offers a more reliable archive as well.
Just as a test, I went looking for Crater. There's a 2160p dub downloading onto my seedbox now. ETA 10 minutes, after which I will be able to view it on any device I own, at any time, for as long as I care to devote storage to it. None of the streamers can offer anywhere near as much convenience as that.
posted by flabdablet at 10:08 PM on August 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
Right. Not only does file sharing offer a better selection of new content than any subscription "service", it offers a more reliable archive as well.
Just as a test, I went looking for Crater. There's a 2160p dub downloading onto my seedbox now. ETA 10 minutes, after which I will be able to view it on any device I own, at any time, for as long as I care to devote storage to it. None of the streamers can offer anywhere near as much convenience as that.
posted by flabdablet at 10:08 PM on August 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
Crater is definitely on my viewing roster for this evening. From Terry Talks Movies linked above:
I find it fascinating to see the same dynamic operating inside the big US commercial studios as seen under repressive regimes like China and the Soviet Union, where filmmakers have to resort to metaphor and allegory to slip messages that threaten the prevailing power structures past the official censors. Looks like the Crater production team might have been just a smidge too overt about it, possibly because the internal corporate totalitarianism they're dealing with seems somehow less bad than the overseas State totalitarianism they've spent their whole lives swimming in unfettered criticism of. I'll be interested to learn how those people's fortunes fare in future.
posted by flabdablet at 10:51 PM on August 28, 2023 [9 favorites]
Now you can't watch this movie because Disney left it on Disney Plus for a total of 48 days. It was taken off with no fanfare, no announcements. They just took it off the way that Netflix has done with a number of their things. And it's an interesting thing that they particularly chose this movie because I think there's a reason. There is something happening here which directly relates to the strikes in Hollywood at the moment and particularly the targeting of Bob Iger (the head of Disney) and the stuff he is doing and not doing. And the reason I think that is that this movie is a trojan horse into Disney.Thanks for the heads-up, 2N2222!
There's a very dark understory. The world these kids live in is a world of exploited underprivileged and poor people so that privileged people can go and live on another world and have their life in a beautiful way. It's also a pro-union movie; as the movie resolves we find out that the lives of the miners end up being improved because they unionize, they negotiate with management, they get reasonable compensation and adjustments for the hardships they experience, and they actually kick-start a resurgence of lunar civilization by confronting and addressing the pseudo-slavery they've been living under for many generations, and I don't think that played well to Disney management.
This is just my take on them. I think Disney canned the film because it's pro union, it's anti capitalism, it's anti egregious capitalism and greed and neoliberalism and the unfettered power of corporations, and I don't think that the Disney brass like that. So what they did was, they simply took the movie off the platform and said nothing about it and that is really interesting.
I think had they left it on the platform some people would have watched it and then they would start talking about parallels between the plight of writers and creative people and actors and others during the current strikes in Hollywood and making parallels between the circumstances of the miners in Crater, and I don't think Disney wanted to try to spin that, so they did the next best thing for them which was to kill the film. Now there's no evidence that the movie is ever going to be shown anywhere ever again. I'm fairly sure they're not going to do a physical media release of it for decades, if ever (if physical media lasts decades). And the only way you can find it is through means both illegal and subterranean... I'll just leave that one hanging there. [picture of a Disney 3D cartoon pirate]
I find it fascinating to see the same dynamic operating inside the big US commercial studios as seen under repressive regimes like China and the Soviet Union, where filmmakers have to resort to metaphor and allegory to slip messages that threaten the prevailing power structures past the official censors. Looks like the Crater production team might have been just a smidge too overt about it, possibly because the internal corporate totalitarianism they're dealing with seems somehow less bad than the overseas State totalitarianism they've spent their whole lives swimming in unfettered criticism of. I'll be interested to learn how those people's fortunes fare in future.
posted by flabdablet at 10:51 PM on August 28, 2023 [9 favorites]
As someone who treads in these waters, always looking for the next mid-budget thriller/horror/drama/weird genre exercise, I've found the best net for 'fishing the waters' so to speak has been the review page at rogerebert.com. I've worked it into my weekly rhythm to check it out every Friday morning with my coffee.
Obviously Roger isn't with us anymore so the utility of the reviews varies - it's an ever changing roster of contributing critics and it takes a bit of trial and error to figure out whose tastes align with your own. But they're pretty comprehensive in what gets reviewed. I looked back at my favorite year end lists from 2022 and the only thing of note that didn't get a review there, movie or limited series, was Significant Other, a tiny niche film about a couple that goes camping and has strange things happen to them.
and when all else fails, there's always 366 Weird Movies
(65, the Adam Driver dinosaur movie, just looked bad. there's nothing else to it)
posted by mannequito at 11:20 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
Obviously Roger isn't with us anymore so the utility of the reviews varies - it's an ever changing roster of contributing critics and it takes a bit of trial and error to figure out whose tastes align with your own. But they're pretty comprehensive in what gets reviewed. I looked back at my favorite year end lists from 2022 and the only thing of note that didn't get a review there, movie or limited series, was Significant Other, a tiny niche film about a couple that goes camping and has strange things happen to them.
and when all else fails, there's always 366 Weird Movies
(65, the Adam Driver dinosaur movie, just looked bad. there's nothing else to it)
posted by mannequito at 11:20 PM on August 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
We pretty much only watch movies in theaters these days. But thats also because we have lots of (mostly?) independent theatres near us. There's an annual pass called Cineville here in the Netherlands that lets you watch unlimited movies for like 25 euros a month. We have 15 independent theaters within walking/biking distance so it is worth it for us and gets us out of the house.
Here's a list of the movies you can watch now, if anybody is curious. It is mostly independent films, a lot of classics but also "foreign" movies which I don't see get much mention here. We just saw the horror/comedy "Smoking causes Coughing" and it was amazing. "an existential absurdist good time." according to 366 Weird Movies (thanks mannequito!)
posted by vacapinta at 2:24 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Here's a list of the movies you can watch now, if anybody is curious. It is mostly independent films, a lot of classics but also "foreign" movies which I don't see get much mention here. We just saw the horror/comedy "Smoking causes Coughing" and it was amazing. "an existential absurdist good time." according to 366 Weird Movies (thanks mannequito!)
posted by vacapinta at 2:24 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
I was looking forward to watching "Crater" with my 9yo kid who's really into science. In theory I can pirate it but I'm not set up for that anymore.
One thing we did watch was "The Kid Who Would Be King" from 2019, which is a great movie for that age, and a good movie by any standard. But I'd never even heard of it till I scrolled through looking desperately for something to watch.
I think the article does make a good point that decent midrange movies can be hard to find out about. Unless it's a blockbuster that's shoved into your face, or a streaming service algorithm shoves it in your face, you have to make an effort to look out for them.
Unrelated gripe for parents of circa 9 year olds only: PGs seem to have almost disappeared. Everything is either a 12 with swearing and sex jokes and blood, or else its a U which a big grown-up nine year old thinks is for babies ("I'm too old for Toy Story!")
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:06 AM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
One thing we did watch was "The Kid Who Would Be King" from 2019, which is a great movie for that age, and a good movie by any standard. But I'd never even heard of it till I scrolled through looking desperately for something to watch.
I think the article does make a good point that decent midrange movies can be hard to find out about. Unless it's a blockbuster that's shoved into your face, or a streaming service algorithm shoves it in your face, you have to make an effort to look out for them.
Unrelated gripe for parents of circa 9 year olds only: PGs seem to have almost disappeared. Everything is either a 12 with swearing and sex jokes and blood, or else its a U which a big grown-up nine year old thinks is for babies ("I'm too old for Toy Story!")
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:06 AM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
You're never too old for Toy Story!
posted by chavenet at 3:17 AM on August 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 3:17 AM on August 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
Oh, okay, I have more info on Operation Fortune - it got pulled because just by coincidence, the bad guys were Ukranian (it was filmed before the war ramped up), and it was ultimately decided that it wasn't a good look to have Ukranians as the bad guys right now.
As someone who treads in these waters, always looking for the next mid-budget thriller/horror/drama/weird genre exercise, I've found the best net for 'fishing the waters' so to speak has been the review page at rogerebert.com. I've worked it into my weekly rhythm to check it out every Friday morning with my coffee.
I hit up Rotten Tomatoes' Youtube channel - which once a week releases a compilation of all of the newest trailers for upcoming films. I've found quite a few things that way.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:27 AM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
As someone who treads in these waters, always looking for the next mid-budget thriller/horror/drama/weird genre exercise, I've found the best net for 'fishing the waters' so to speak has been the review page at rogerebert.com. I've worked it into my weekly rhythm to check it out every Friday morning with my coffee.
I hit up Rotten Tomatoes' Youtube channel - which once a week releases a compilation of all of the newest trailers for upcoming films. I've found quite a few things that way.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:27 AM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
And it's dull?
This is the saddest thing I've read today.
The Meg 2's first half is a bit of a slog but the second half is glorious. It is so unhinged. I loved it. It falls under the category of "I will probably never see it again but I don't regret watching it."
posted by Kitteh at 5:32 AM on August 29, 2023 [4 favorites]
This is the saddest thing I've read today.
The Meg 2's first half is a bit of a slog but the second half is glorious. It is so unhinged. I loved it. It falls under the category of "I will probably never see it again but I don't regret watching it."
posted by Kitteh at 5:32 AM on August 29, 2023 [4 favorites]
I watched 65 on a plane recently. It's strange how dull it is, given the premise.
posted by TheKaijuCommuter at 5:34 AM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by TheKaijuCommuter at 5:34 AM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
65 did have one really good scare that I appreciated. Is it enough to redeem a film? No, but it was good.
posted by Kitteh at 5:36 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Kitteh at 5:36 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
I too was aware of 65, but not even my Adam Driver thirst is enough to make me want to watch it. I think it was available on the plane the last time I flew, and I decided it was not even good enough to watch on the plane (I had a pretty good run on that plane, though -- Bullet Train stands out as a really fun action movie with everyone and their cousin guest-starring, and which I thoroughly enjoyed).
I find out about movies and TV series I've never heard of all the time -- not always when they're new, but if they're the kind of thing I like, I find out eventually. I think my most frequent channels (in no particular order) are: browsing FanFare right here on MeFi, browsing Tumblr (where people love to make animated screencaps), laser-focusing on a particular actor's career history and future projects (because he is this month's particular obsession), hearing a throwaway reference in a podcast (wait, how have I never heard of that?!), random YouTube trailer walk.
I will never run out of things to watch.
posted by confluency at 7:34 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
I find out about movies and TV series I've never heard of all the time -- not always when they're new, but if they're the kind of thing I like, I find out eventually. I think my most frequent channels (in no particular order) are: browsing FanFare right here on MeFi, browsing Tumblr (where people love to make animated screencaps), laser-focusing on a particular actor's career history and future projects (because he is this month's particular obsession), hearing a throwaway reference in a podcast (wait, how have I never heard of that?!), random YouTube trailer walk.
I will never run out of things to watch.
posted by confluency at 7:34 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
File sharing robs actors, writers, directors from residuals. Heard of the SAG-AFTRA strike?
posted by Ideefixe at 7:55 AM on August 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Ideefixe at 7:55 AM on August 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
I have more info on Operation Fortune - it got pulled because just by coincidence, the bad guys were Ukranian (it was filmed before the war ramped up), and it was ultimately decided that it wasn't a good look to have Ukranians as the bad guys right now.
Not in the U.S. I saw it in the theater. (On one of those passes, mind you.) Its release was initially delayed, but that was because of financial problems with the distributor.
Frankly, while much less unnecessarily unpleasant than his last couple, it was a film that deserved to be forgotten.
posted by praemunire at 7:56 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Not in the U.S. I saw it in the theater. (On one of those passes, mind you.) Its release was initially delayed, but that was because of financial problems with the distributor.
Frankly, while much less unnecessarily unpleasant than his last couple, it was a film that deserved to be forgotten.
posted by praemunire at 7:56 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
File sharing robs actors, writers, directors from residuals. Heard of the SAG-AFTRA strike?
So it’s at parity with streaming now.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 8:13 AM on August 29, 2023 [6 favorites]
So it’s at parity with streaming now.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 8:13 AM on August 29, 2023 [6 favorites]
For something like Crater where it's not available without infringing copyright I'm pretty ok with it.
posted by Mitheral at 8:24 AM on August 29, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by Mitheral at 8:24 AM on August 29, 2023 [5 favorites]
mannequito, I almost wish you hadn't reminded me of rogerebert.com, now my "maybe on a slow night" movies is once almost endless.
Count me among those who thought, Sci-fi with Adam Driver and dinosaurs, how could they screw that up? Yet they did.
posted by gottabefunky at 8:43 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Count me among those who thought, Sci-fi with Adam Driver and dinosaurs, how could they screw that up? Yet they did.
posted by gottabefunky at 8:43 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
reserved seats! big-ass recliners!
If you live near a theater that has these (major upgrade, I agree, especially for the middle-aged back), the passes are not a bad deal at all, especially since, if you're willing to pay a little attention to the points game, you can get a percentage of your concessions covered. The breakeven point (assuming that you would spend doing something else at least as much as you spend on concessions) is two movies a month. Makes for a cheap night out any day of the week. If your theater happens to pick up the handful of prestige foreign films that might win the Oscar, so much the better. So glad I saw Parasite on a big screen!
posted by praemunire at 9:27 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you live near a theater that has these (major upgrade, I agree, especially for the middle-aged back), the passes are not a bad deal at all, especially since, if you're willing to pay a little attention to the points game, you can get a percentage of your concessions covered. The breakeven point (assuming that you would spend doing something else at least as much as you spend on concessions) is two movies a month. Makes for a cheap night out any day of the week. If your theater happens to pick up the handful of prestige foreign films that might win the Oscar, so much the better. So glad I saw Parasite on a big screen!
posted by praemunire at 9:27 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
At this point, it’s not hard to keep up with what’s in the theaters, or on streaming for that matter
Amen. I recommend The Film Stage's smartly curated roundups of what's new on streaming each week, which is how I found out the excellent How To Blow Up A Pipeline is now on Hulu and sat down that night to watch it.
We're really living in a Golden Age of access to small and mid-sized movies.
posted by mediareport at 10:41 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Amen. I recommend The Film Stage's smartly curated roundups of what's new on streaming each week, which is how I found out the excellent How To Blow Up A Pipeline is now on Hulu and sat down that night to watch it.
We're really living in a Golden Age of access to small and mid-sized movies.
posted by mediareport at 10:41 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
(Also, 65 is a great 25-minute short flick about fighting prehistoric beasts if you keep the remote handy.)
posted by mediareport at 10:42 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mediareport at 10:42 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Related: The great cancellation: why megabucks TV shows are vanishing without a trace [Grauniad; ungated]
posted by chavenet at 10:45 AM on August 29, 2023
posted by chavenet at 10:45 AM on August 29, 2023
File sharing robs actors, writers, directors from residuals.
Renting a European seedbox to make file sharing via BitTorrent fast, safe and convenient costs US$5/month, which is about half of the typical rate for one streaming subscription let alone the tens of subscriptions that such a seedbox will easily outperform.
Redirecting even half of the resulting savings to the donations page of your local actors', writers' and/or directors' union will put far more money into the hands of actors, writers and directors than the streaming outfits ever will.
The more streaming providers you're currently subscribed to, the stronger becomes the ethical case for dumping them all and just doing that instead.
posted by flabdablet at 11:11 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Renting a European seedbox to make file sharing via BitTorrent fast, safe and convenient costs US$5/month, which is about half of the typical rate for one streaming subscription let alone the tens of subscriptions that such a seedbox will easily outperform.
Redirecting even half of the resulting savings to the donations page of your local actors', writers' and/or directors' union will put far more money into the hands of actors, writers and directors than the streaming outfits ever will.
The more streaming providers you're currently subscribed to, the stronger becomes the ethical case for dumping them all and just doing that instead.
posted by flabdablet at 11:11 AM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Cool. Are you making such donations, then?
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:50 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:50 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
It’s so much more pleasant to go to a movie theater now than it was 10 years ago — reserved seats! big-ass recliners! — that I sort of want to see everything.
Reserved seats is a game changer because you can show up 10-15 minutes after the alleged start time of the movie, skipping most of the commercials and trailers, and still have good seats. Makes going to the movies much more doable.
posted by straight at 2:03 PM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
Reserved seats is a game changer because you can show up 10-15 minutes after the alleged start time of the movie, skipping most of the commercials and trailers, and still have good seats. Makes going to the movies much more doable.
posted by straight at 2:03 PM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
Reserved theater seats changed the game from being willing to stand in line before entry to get the seats you want to being the first to buy tickets to get the seats you want. I'm not sure I really appreciate it much in the same way I'm not sure I entirely appreciate concerts that aren't GA.
posted by hippybear at 2:06 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 2:06 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Piracy is a public service in the form of preventing material getting Zaslaved, taking issue with it is probably not very productive.
posted by Artw at 2:12 PM on August 29, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Artw at 2:12 PM on August 29, 2023 [4 favorites]
Reserved theater seats changed the game from being willing to stand in line before entry to get the seats you want to being the first to buy tickets to get the seats you want.
Reserved seats (and big recliners) also dramatically reduced the number of seats in a specific theatre, which of course requires that the price be increased.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:35 PM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
Reserved seats (and big recliners) also dramatically reduced the number of seats in a specific theatre, which of course requires that the price be increased.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:35 PM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
Downside to recliners - my old ass interpreting it as sleepytimes and starting snoring right there in the theatre.
Unrelated: lotta 3 hour movies these days.
posted by Artw at 4:23 PM on August 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
Unrelated: lotta 3 hour movies these days.
posted by Artw at 4:23 PM on August 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
I haven't gone to a movie in the theater in many years, since long before the pandemic. I'm not really a big movie fan - on the other hand, I love live theater. Also, at my age I can't sit for two hours or so without having to pee, even if I avoid drinking anything before or during the movie. Since I don't live downtown where the theaters are, and Muni is fairly unreliable at night, I would have to go during the day and I would much rather be doing something else during the day.
posted by mike3k at 6:29 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mike3k at 6:29 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Reserved seats (and big recliners) also dramatically reduced the number of seats in a specific theatre
Not sure I see how reserved seats require a reduction in the number of seats?
posted by praemunire at 7:10 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Not sure I see how reserved seats require a reduction in the number of seats?
posted by praemunire at 7:10 PM on August 29, 2023 [1 favorite]
Not sure I see how reserved seats require a reduction in the number of seats?
These new seats are gigantic motorized recliners. They've reduced the number of seats per aisle to maybe 1/3 of what it would be with regular theater seating, if not fewer. And they've required theaters to have their aisle design to be reconfigured because they take up a bigger footprint on the ground front to back and they also recline so they require more space front to back.
I don't know of any movie theaters that are doing reserved seating that haven't done this major reconfiguration of actual seats and auditorium.
posted by hippybear at 7:28 PM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
These new seats are gigantic motorized recliners. They've reduced the number of seats per aisle to maybe 1/3 of what it would be with regular theater seating, if not fewer. And they've required theaters to have their aisle design to be reconfigured because they take up a bigger footprint on the ground front to back and they also recline so they require more space front to back.
I don't know of any movie theaters that are doing reserved seating that haven't done this major reconfiguration of actual seats and auditorium.
posted by hippybear at 7:28 PM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
Where I live all mainstream theatres are now reserved seating, even the cineplex near us with no improvement to the theatre seating since it was built 35 years ago. The two independent theatre in town are still first-come-first serve seating though.
posted by fimbulvetr at 9:02 PM on August 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by fimbulvetr at 9:02 PM on August 29, 2023 [3 favorites]
Pretty much every theatre I know of where I am is reserved seating and by and large, they have not changed their seating. The only theatre I've seen that's moved to giant-ass recliners with really big aisles is a theatre that apparently wasn't particularly attractive before their renovations and now seems to be doing pretty well. And yeah, the recliners were a big reason why, but it's not something I think theatres need to do just to move to reserved seating.
posted by chrominance at 9:58 PM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by chrominance at 9:58 PM on August 29, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yeah, what fimbulvetr and chrominance said. Both AMC and Regal generally do reserved seating now, regardless of the kind of seat.
(Also...1/3? No way. I'd need to see industry numbers on that. The recliners are decent-sized but they are not three full regular seats.)
posted by praemunire at 2:52 PM on August 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
(Also...1/3? No way. I'd need to see industry numbers on that. The recliners are decent-sized but they are not three full regular seats.)
posted by praemunire at 2:52 PM on August 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
(Also also...aisles were too small before! Leave aside the joy of walking your butt along a bunch of people's eyelines, they were/are just impossible for anyone with any kind of mobility issue to navigate without stumbling into people.)
posted by praemunire at 2:54 PM on August 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 2:54 PM on August 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
they were/are just impossible for anyone with any kind of mobility issue to navigate without stumbling into people.)
Preach, I can only go to the cinema where I can reserve as I can only do an aisle seat, assigned seating at a concert last year in the middle of a row actually injured me. I do love the reclining seats though!
posted by ellieBOA at 3:16 PM on August 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
Preach, I can only go to the cinema where I can reserve as I can only do an aisle seat, assigned seating at a concert last year in the middle of a row actually injured me. I do love the reclining seats though!
posted by ellieBOA at 3:16 PM on August 30, 2023 [1 favorite]
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