Once I attended a screening of "Seabiscuit" at the Grand Theater here in town, and had a blast watching the movie and listening to an old lady cheer at the screen. The drama was highlighted, the races more fun, the movie a better experience. It's nice to remember that after tonight.
For the first time in three months, Sarah and I went to the movie without the kids, and saw "No Country For Old Men." We were, more than likely, the youngest folks in the audience which is fine. No problem there. The problem came in when the old lady behind us treated the thoughtful, arthouse film as if it were "Seabiscuit."
A selection of comments, with a few comments running through my head:
-(Once Javier Bardem comes on screen) "Eww. He's Creepy" That's kind of the freaking point!
-"That poor dog." Yeah, bleak isn't it. Just like the rest of the movie. Maybe there's a theme here.
-"Why doesn't he just run away" STFU
-"He should go to the police" STFU STFU STFU
-"This movie doesn't make any sense." No. No. You're an idiot. This movie makes perfect sense if you pay attention you focus shifting old tart. The more you pay attention to things like setting, dialogue and thematic elements, the clearer subtext, and in this case meaning, becomes. The more you carry on like an ignorant troglodite with a special place in hell waiting for you because you talk in the theater, the less you're going to get out of the movie and the more you're going to reinforce the stereotype that we don't DESERVE these kinds of movies here in this city. God Dammit! STFU!!!!
You get the point. What's strange to me is if I had been in "Cloverfield' and been in front of the same woman, she would have enhanced the experience instead of detracting from it. What it boils down to is a need for people to understand not just what they're going to be seeing, but the type of reaction expected. Laugh at comedies - not hard. Don't talk like a moron through a movie that might, in lesser hands than the Coen Brothers, be nothing more than a taught thriller but turned out to be a multilayered brillaint adaptation of a bleak, minimalist tome - more difficult.
I love The Grand, but maybe DVD is the way to go on these types of films. Though it was nice to see Josh Brolin's riteous facial hair on the big screen.
For the first time in three months, Sarah and I went to the movie without the kids, and saw "No Country For Old Men." We were, more than likely, the youngest folks in the audience which is fine. No problem there. The problem came in when the old lady behind us treated the thoughtful, arthouse film as if it were "Seabiscuit."
A selection of comments, with a few comments running through my head:
-(Once Javier Bardem comes on screen) "Eww. He's Creepy" That's kind of the freaking point!
-"That poor dog." Yeah, bleak isn't it. Just like the rest of the movie. Maybe there's a theme here.
-"Why doesn't he just run away" STFU
-"He should go to the police" STFU STFU STFU
-"This movie doesn't make any sense." No. No. You're an idiot. This movie makes perfect sense if you pay attention you focus shifting old tart. The more you pay attention to things like setting, dialogue and thematic elements, the clearer subtext, and in this case meaning, becomes. The more you carry on like an ignorant troglodite with a special place in hell waiting for you because you talk in the theater, the less you're going to get out of the movie and the more you're going to reinforce the stereotype that we don't DESERVE these kinds of movies here in this city. God Dammit! STFU!!!!
You get the point. What's strange to me is if I had been in "Cloverfield' and been in front of the same woman, she would have enhanced the experience instead of detracting from it. What it boils down to is a need for people to understand not just what they're going to be seeing, but the type of reaction expected. Laugh at comedies - not hard. Don't talk like a moron through a movie that might, in lesser hands than the Coen Brothers, be nothing more than a taught thriller but turned out to be a multilayered brillaint adaptation of a bleak, minimalist tome - more difficult.
I love The Grand, but maybe DVD is the way to go on these types of films. Though it was nice to see Josh Brolin's riteous facial hair on the big screen.
3 comments:
I used to run a movie site called The Picture Show and I had a whole treatise on movie etiquette posted there. I totally sympathize.
Do you still have it?
No :( I lost all my posts when I closed the site down a few years ago. I just remember that I'd gone to movie filled with wanktards and it pissed me off. So, I vented.
Post a Comment