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What is your "can't miss" movie that you will not pass up if showing in theaters?
For example, every so often (maybe every year or two) a local theater will do a showing of Lawrence of Arabia on 70mm film. I will plan my schedule around this when it happens, it is simply an experience I can't miss when I get the opportunity. I'm wondering what movies fall into that category for others!
Watching Lawrence of Arabia on 70mm is one of my bucket list goals. Unfortunately, I live in Denver where all of our classic theaters are closing down.
2001: A Space Odyssey however is one I did get to watch on 70mm out here, and it's one that I won't pass up. That and Apocalypse Now in either 70mm or IMAX.
I watched Lawrence of Arabia on 70mm back in 2001 :) Definitely worth your bucket list.
I saw 2001 in 2018. Will probably have to make a trip out to LA to see Lawrence of Arabia. But LA is cool. I can go check out some of my parents' hangouts when I go.
2001 is another I’ve seen in 70mm and it was stupendous. That would be on my list as well.
If I see a showing of Interstellar is in theaters again, I'm going
edit: 10th anniversary imax rerelease letsgooo
I got to see a 35mm print of Interstellar when it came out. I went before noon, so it only cost me five bucks. If you can see it on film, do it.
If there is an Satantango event nearby I hope I can make it, though it will likely be tricky with the family to clear an entire day for that.
Something I actually do manage is to see every new Bond movie with my dad. We have done that together since GoldenEye.
It would definitely have to be in a proper format. I watched the extended edition of Fellowship of the Ring in a theater a couple of years back, but they simply put on the blu-ray.. 1080p does not look very good on the big screen. Same thing happened with Lost in Translation around the same time.
But IMAX, 35, 70 mm? I would definitely consider that!
Jesus fuck. I saw Fellowship of the Ring on 70mm when it came out. If some theater tried to pass off a blu-ray projection as an exhibition (that I didn't pay less than a buck for) I'd ask for my money back. 1080p is fine for a home watch, but for a theater...
Surprise, the majority of films in movie theaters are shown at 2k resolution (approximately 1000 vertical pixels but not necessarily 1920x1080).
Pretty much any Arnold movie starting at Commando, up to True Lies.
Still sad that I missed Conan about a year or so ago because I was sick.
Nirvana (my favorite 1997 cyberpunk movie) and first Blade Runner.
Any of the Evangelion movies, any of the original Lord Of The Rings trilogies, because these are amazing films.
And then anything with (HK stand up comedian and awards winning actor) Dayo Wong, even/especially the ones that bombed, because I'm a big fan of him.
If I were super rich, I would organize, for my friends and I and anyone else interested, an all day all night all week marathon of the original 26 Evangelion TV episodes, the 1997 End Of Eva movie, and ending with the four rebuild movies on the big screen.
Did you go to see EoE when it was in theaters two weeks ago?
No, I didn't :') I knew it was in theatres though but family obligations didn't line up. Much sad
I saw a reshowing of Back to the Future in theatre during an anniversary year, it was awesome.
I also won't pass up on the chance to see Serenity in theatre. It hits differently on the big screen
Same! The show was sold out, but my partner surprised me by buying tickets to some other movie, then steering me towards the Back to the Future theater, insisting, “We're sneaking in!” She never usually did stuff like that! We found a pair of open seats and watched the film, with a hundred other fans. The crowd was lively, lines were spoken in unison, Biff was booed when appropriate, and much fun was had!
Hmm, definitely more than one. Terry Gilliam trilogy. Star Wars trilogy despecialized edition. Maybe Star Trek TMP or khan?
This thread made me realize that I missed seeing a 35mm screening of Brazil last month :(
I love old movies (and new ones too), and love getting the opportunity to see them the way that they were meant to be seen. Besides a couple already mentioned here (2001 and Apocalypse Now in 70mm), some screening I've gone to that stand out to me are:
Aww, that sucks. I was introduced to Brazil in a university film studies course where the professor would arrange screenings in the campus theater. They were insistent that students see films on the syllabus in a theater, and not just rent a tape. I’m quarter century further down the road from then, and would love to see it up on a screen, and with a crowd, too…
Love My Neighbor Totoro
I remember seeing Stalker for free back in college in 90's. It was projected off a non-restored print in a vast lecture hall with the subtitles hard burned on the print. I often think my film student days were wasted back in college, but the number of epic movies I got to see on actual film makes me think it might have been worthwhile.
Same here. My film studies minor has done nothing to help my professional life and is overall pretty irrelevant. But I loved being 'forced' to watch movies that I otherwise would have never known about, let alone seek out on my own. Mostly I miss the access I had to a huge DVD library. Spent a ton of college just checking out dope movies for free (I guess besides tuition, lol).
I don't really have a specific movie per se. I just love the theater experience. There's one theater near me that's was renovated in the last 15 years. So the quality is great. Also I tend to watch weekend afternoon matinees, so the crowd is a bit better. Dune Part 2 was excellent. The Iron Claw was also really good.
Now that I think about it, Spider-man 2 is re-releasing in theaters and I can't pass that up. I love that movie, so I'll most likely be going to that
I’d jump at the chance to watch Dunkirk or the 2021 Dune movie again in theaters. The sound design of those movies I think really benefit from a proper sound system and all I’ve got are a pair of HD6XXs.
I saw it in theaters with my mom and it was not a good experience. Not that it should keep you from going if you have the chance. The volume was so loud that my mom had to cover her ears most of the movie and I seriously considered asking if they could turn it down as I noticed others were doing the same. Instead I wrote an e-mail afterward asking what to do in those situations and the answer was quite surprising. Apparently according to the theater they we're not allowed to tamper with any volume settings as the correct setting was given from the production company beforehand. I've never heard this before and also my wife got another theater to turn the volume down during a kids movie a couple of weeks ago so I'm doubting this is a legit answer. On top of that I thought the movie itself was well...kind of boring and uninteresting and I love Nolan.
That's technically correct, you'll get letters and requests on big name releases telling you how important it is to not touch their super exact specifications for consistency across all showings.
The reality is there is a huge spread in theater design now: seating configurations, speaker placements, tuning, etc that the requested "standard" only worked in my two largest auditoriums and every other showing needed to be dropped at least 2-3dB.
My wife and I got musician's earplugs for this reason. They mechanically react to the sound pressure of the incoming sound – loud sounds will be muted, but quiet scenes such as dialogue are unaffected.
I'm planning on getting them anyway for concerts and festivals so it could come in handy but it just seems messed up that I have to use them in at the fucking movies...
Moulin Rouge. So beautiful... really meant to be enjoyed in the largest format possible.
Back in the days when my university town had three different film societies, I had the good fortune to see way too many great movies on big screens. I very much miss movies with the kind of cinematic vision and scope, as well as the crisp Foley work on audio, that used to be prevalent.
I would go to great lengths to see the Qaatsi Trilogy on a 70 mm screen with a serious sound system again.
Anything Werner Herzog - Heart of Glass, Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Fitzcaraldo, etc.
Akira Kurosawa 's Ran was absolutely glorious in wide format.
I think Princess Mononoke was made for cinematic viewing.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero need a full-sized theatrical venue.
So it's kind of a long list.
I watched Aliens (probably my all time favorite movie) a couple of years ago in a theater with a friend who loves the movie just as much as me and it was amazing. I wasn't even the directors cut and I have no idea about any mm or other specifications but to get to experience that movie on the big screen was something special no matter what considering I was too young when it first premiered.
I somehow missed the first Avatar several times and I don't know how. I'm not particular interested in the movie but it seems like it could be a cool experience on the big screen. I haven't watched any of them yet in any form.
I could see kids movies not having the same restrictions, but it still sounds like a bullshit excuse from the theatre.
Close Encounters of a Third Time showed at the Cinerama (now SIFF downtown) in Seattle when I was around 11. It forever changed me and is the reason I make movies. I would never pass up a showing of it again.
I see very few movies in theaters, 0-2 a year. I haven't really been aware of any re-releases in my area that I'd be willing to go see, but maybe if there was a marathon of the LotR trilogy or something I'd be interested. I really wanted to see Avatar 2 and Dune 2 in theaters (and I did). Big visual spectacle types.
Haven't been in theater for years - not after Burton's Alice that was constantly disrupted by some pair that decided they're watching a yt where they need to comment everything including their life.
I wouldn't mind to see most of my library on big screen but I doubt the titles I cherish would be screened ever again. It's definitely not a thing over here - just fresh blockbusters are being screened, even in the small, non-network theater. We have an annual open-air screening during summer (paused for the pandemic obv.) where they show independent films most of the audience never heard about.
Do theaters still present double features? I remember going to a few when I was younger and it was always so fun... it felt almost like renting a theater for a day. I think I'd have a hard time passing one of them up even with mediocre movies showing.
Jurassic Park. T-Rex roar in theater is much more impactful.
Maybe not every time it’s in theaters, but any of the Lord of the Rings movies would seriously make me consider going. Same with the original trilogy of Star Wars.
My kid is 7 months so none? :/
I really wanna watch Dune 2 in the theater but I feel guilt doing that kind of thing when I know my wife doesn't really have a choice.
I know that in theory she should be able to be away from the kid for a few hours but we're struggling with that a little bit.
But even before that I've grown dissatisfied with movie theaters because nowadays it's very difficult to find movies with subtitles, almost every session is dubbed now and the ones with the original audio are hard to find and way more expensive. And some people have full blown conversations at the theater, not to mention looking at their phones non-stop.
Go yourself! Dune part two in a theater is a great experience. I started going to theaters by myself for just this reason- had a baby at home, getting an paying for a babysitter was an added layer of complexity… much easier to just take that 2-3 hour break, get in a random movie at a random time, and get back to tag the partner out for their break. It’s a great way to dip a toe back in the normal world when you have that black hole called your child’s first year of life.
Keep on, friend… it’s tough but worth it.
With regards to theater etiquette, it seems to be very dependent on movie and location. I watched Barbie in a big theater in a mall. Lots of phones, people walking in and out constantly. Same theater but with The Boy and the Heron. No issues whatsoever. If possible, I try to watch bigger blockbusters in smaller theaters for this exact reason, even though I might miss out on big screen and sound.
I felt the same way about theaters. A few crappy experiences caused by inconsiderate patrons kept me away for a few years. Then I found that there was an Alamo Drafthouse near me and they had a reputation for not putting up with any of that crap. Haven't had that issue since.