[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by SKMDC YEAH. Like you're gonna miss SNAKES ON PLANES.

Actually I will. I've got NO desire to see that one. Twofold:

1. I've got serious snake issues and that movie wouldn't help one bit (nightmares, etc.)
2. This appears to be one of Sam Jackson's "autopilot" movies...and I tend to hate those

The man does some great stuff ("Do the Right Thing", "Pulp Fiction", etc.). But holy cow, he can really stink up the joint in some idiotic flicks too. This one appears to fall into the latter category. I'm not interested in him when he "plays Samuel L. Jackson", doing all the patented schtick people expect from him (the wide-eyed, loud talking, "f" this and "f" that, mother-f this, slow burns and "gettin' mad", etc.).

Gets old, and I've seen it plenty.

And, actually, with the type of build-up and "buzz" this thing has been getting all these months, I frankly don't think I want to be in the theater with the kind of people who'll most likely flock to this: Internet hipsters and movie dorks who won't settle down and shut up, teens on a date, etc.



So no...no "Snakes on a Plane" for me.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 Well, that just shoots it for me...every movie I looked forward to the summer of 2006 for has been, ultimately, a bit of a wash-out for me. Nothing has truly grabbed and entertained me. Not Davinci, not the mutants, not Superman, not pirates. Oh well.

Hey, Paul, what about some off-beat stuff?

I haven't seen this yet, but keep meaning to:

Kinky Boots

http://www.hollywood.com/movies/review/id/3491340

...the film... highlights that certain British, wry sensibility that makes most comedies from across the pond so very appealing.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by Luca I'm pumped about Snakes on a Plane. Unfortunately, I'm leaving for China sometime in August... I really hope I get a chance to see it before I leave! I don't know when I'm leaving yet, but I'll tell you now, I'll still go see the midnight opener even if my flight leaves just a scant few hours later. I figure I'll have enough time to sleep on the plane, provided there aren't any snakes on it

Sorry for an off-topic question, Luca, but is this China trip part of your university studies in some way, or are you traveling there on your own as a tourist, or is this a family trip of some kind?

If you've mentioned all this before, I must have missed the thread.

Hope I'm not being too inquisitive, but a trip to China is a pretty big deal in my book, so I thought I'd ask.

[psmith2.0]

I'm all about stuff like that, Carol. When I lived in California, it was SO much easier to see offbeat, independent flicks and things out of the mainstream. I used to see great stuff all the time. Always theaters around, usually near the city, that would show stuff like that.

But, as you can probably guess, Chattanooga, TN isn't exactly hopping Ground Zero for "off the beaten path" cinema.

All we get here is the mainstream, multiplex stuff. I watch all those trailers at Apple's site, and there is so much stuff I want to see. But I know it'll never make it here.

I'd have to drive to Atlanta, I suppose?

One theater here, for a few weeks once a year, will show some wild-ass foreign stuff that no one can possibly understand or maybe a slightly independent type movie. And that's what is considered "offbeat". I've gone to a few, hoping I'd see something that really hooked me, but it was just pretentious, stuffy "art film" fare. The one exception was that William H. Macy movie from a few years ago, "The Cooler". That was part of this series and played for ONE WEEK.



I enjoyed it, but it bummed me out that it wasn't in regular release here. It probably would've done well.

Strange town...they'll put a complete big budget, CGI-laden shit-fest on every screen in the city, playing non-stop all day. But something truly clever, entertaining or funky like "Fargo" or anything along those lines would play - maybe - for one week before getting yanked to make room for Owen Wilson, Lindsay Lohan or Vin Diesel's latest waste of celluloid.

[World Leader Pretend]

Off topic, but my mom and some friends went to Chattanooga and they really liked the place. They made it seem like a upbeat, hip town. After what they said about the place I wouldn't be surprised if it was a place for "off the beaten path" movies. They were also very impressed with these parks that had exceptionally good lawns. They were very, very short and impeccably taken care of, much like a fairway. Is this true pscates?

My city has one of the largest movie-going populations in the area, but we only have one major theater No "offbeat' movies for us.

[Engine Joe]

The question is: Upbeat and hip as compared to what?

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by World Leader Pretend Off topic, but my mom and some friends went to Chattanooga and they really liked the place. They made it seem like a upbeat, hip town. After what they said about the place I wouldn't be surprised if it was a place for "off the beaten path" movies. They were also very impressed with these parks that had exceptionally good lawns. They were very, very short and impeccably taken care of, much like a fairway. Is this true pscates? My city has one of the largest movie-going populations in the area, but we only have one major theater No "offbeat' movies for us.

It's a nice city, sure. Has elements and bragging points others don't. But not much of a thriving music or arts community or scene. So seeing original bands, independent movies and things of that nature is a bit tough, that's all.

We simply accept that we have to drive two hours north (Nashville) or south (Atlanta) for such things.



But hey...if it's cover bands all playing the same 45 songs, DJs in satin jackets and mulletts and nonstop karaoke that you're after, then we've got you covered!

[Windswept]

Gosh, Paul, here's what you could do: get a bunch of like-minded people together, all chip in a modest amount of money, and open a small, alternative-type movie house in an artsy part of town, preferably near a college or university.

Then you could make sure all the off-beat stuff played on at least 'one' screen in town.

During the week, you could feature alternative classics from the past; and on the weekend, show current stuff that would be playing in the big cities.

I think this would be a *perfect* sideline for someone *exactly* like you. If there's a college in Chattanooga, I bet professors from the liberal and fine arts departments would all be investors in such a project.

I'm talking a small movie house here, in which the investors could take an active part if they wished.

Instead of seating in 'rows', seating could be at small round tables, and the place could function as an evening coffeehouse before and after the film, with good coffees, homemade soups, organic sandwiches/pizza/casseroles, and decadent chocolate desserts. All food could be made somewhere else and brought in, so you wouldn't need a kitchen.

The goal of an entrepreneur is to fill a need, right? With a cool little movie house/coffeehouse, you could also have weekly or monthly poetry readings, the walls as an art gallery for up-and-coming local artists, weekly open-mike sessions for guitarists, and even a place for occasional small, avante-garde-type theater productions, like the pretty incredible performance of Trainspotting I saw recently.

Hey, I'm *dying* to go to this place, and it doesn't even exist yet!!! heh

Oh well, Paul, just a thought.

[psmith2.0]

It's funny you say that, because a friend and I talk about this quite a bit, with varying degrees of seriousness.

And not just for the arty, intellectual crowd either...this all sprung from me wishing I could go sit in a little theater and watch - on the relatively "big screen" - old westerns and film noir classics. I missed out on all that.

And as the major "people watcher" I am, I get a thrill of watching older people watching stuff like this and seeing the look in their eyes, because you know it's something THEY haven't experienced since their childhoods.

Years ago, the local "old timey downtown theater" (the Tivoli) had a showing of "Casablanca". I'd never seen it, but I couldn't think of a better way to have my first viewing of it be in a velvet plushy seat, red curtains and gold fixtures and chandeliers hanging everywhere. It was a blast. And it was an older, respectful crowd. It just felt like an awesome "night at the movie", like it's supposed to.

So yeah, due to that experience and then just observing the current local landscape, it is something I think on from time to time (in fact, I think I started a thread on it here once, asking folks if they had places like this in their towns...apparently there is a place in Boston that got some raves from fellow 'Novans).

And yeah, we do have a college: UTC, part of the UT system.



We got us lots of that dang ol' book learnin' goin' on, sweetpea!

Yeah, I'd like to have a small place, aisle and/or tables. Show old classics, indie stuff, Three Stooges shorts and 40's Looney Toons before the main feature (depending on the main feature, of course), etc.

Definitely nothing like that here. You're right...a void that could be addressed and filled.

[SKMDC]

A friend of mine opened this place in my old home town, about a block from my old apartment in fact.
Brew & View.

It's not exactly your vision but near.
Gene Siskal always talked about his dream cinema, and his theatre isn't far from it.
Gene Siskal Film Center
The top I've never been to, the Siskal, I've been to a few times, the cafe is pretty nice and the theatre is 'state of the art' but conventional, seating-wise.
They also sell great souvenir coffee mugs, which were a big hit at christmas time for all my film friends.
Unfortunately it's not going to run SNAKES ON PLANES.

[alcimedes]

I'd serve food, beer, show old movies, and NO commercials. And movies would be listed with a preview start time and a movie start time, so people could show up when they wanted to.

[SKMDC]

I can't think of an industry or business (the theater business) that is less responsive to the public's needs, and cares less about the criticism's slung it's way.

[psmith2.0]

I totally agree.

Something I've noticed in all these movies I've seen lately: commercials are on overdrive!



I go to movies - and pay the ridiculous admission fee - to get away from that stuff. Yet, there it is...car commercials, cell phone commercials, etc.



I do love trailers, but I hate the commercials.

[Ryan]

'Scates, if you're ever in Texas, visit one of the Alamo Draftouse theaters. There's about a dozen of them around the state. These are *exactly* what you're talking about.

• They don't let anyone in after the trailers start playing.
• Rather than play commercials before the trailers, they played (for Pirates, at least) old black & white film clips of pirate movies, mostly from before they even had dialog.
• They don't allow children in under 6 at all, and anyone under 18 has to have a parent.
• The have the standard rows of seating, but with one twist. In front of each row is a table (around a foot deep) and in front of that is a walkway for waiters, who were all dressed as pirates, BTW.
* Before the movie starts, they come by and take your dinner order, and during the movie you can write down anything else you want on a piece of paper and stick in a holder at the end of the table like a flag. The waiter comes by and grabs it, and brings you your food a few minutes later.
• The food is good.
• They show "old" movies. Not old westerns like you're talking about, but movies like E.T. and Psycho.
• They have around 30 beers on tap, which should interest most of the members here.

This was easily the *best* theater I'd ever been to.

[World Leader Pretend]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 It's a nice city, sure. Has elements and bragging points others don't. But not much of a thriving music or arts community or scene. So seeing original bands, independent movies and things of that nature is a bit tough, that's all. We simply accept that we have to drive two hours north (Nashville) or south (Atlanta) for such things. But hey...if it's cover bands all playing the same 45 songs, DJs in satin jackets and mulletts and nonstop karaoke that you're after, then we've got you covered!

Oh...... Maybe I was thinking of a different city

Originally Posted by Engine Joe The question is: Upbeat and hip as compared to what?

Hey, I live in a very, err, well.... it's a college town. That's about the extent of the hipness...

[alcimedes]

Originally Posted by Ryan 'Scates, if you're ever in Texas, visit one of the Alamo Draftouse theaters. There's about a dozen of them around the state. These are *exactly* what you're talking about. • They don't let anyone in after the trailers start playing. • Rather than play commercials before the trailers, they played (for Pirates, at least) old black & white film clips of pirate movies, mostly from before they even had dialog. • They don't allow children in under 6 at all, and anyone under 18 has to have a parent. • The have the standard rows of seating, but with one twist. In front of each row is a table (around a foot deep) and in front of that is a walkway for waiters, who were all dressed as pirates, BTW. * Before the movie starts, they come by and take your dinner order, and during the movie you can write down anything else you want on a piece of paper and stick in a holder at the end of the table like a flag. The waiter comes by and grabs it, and brings you your food a few minutes later. • The food is good. • They show "old" movies. Not old westerns like you're talking about, but movies like E.T. and Psycho. • They have around 30 beers on tap, which should interest most of the members here. This was easily the *best* theater I'd ever been to.

Know if they want to open a Minneapolis/St. Paul branch?

I'd mortgage my house to run a place like that.

[psmith2.0]

Now THAT is my kind of theater!!!

Especially the "no kids under six, and if you're under 18 you have to be accompanied by a parent" part.

Wow.

I've actually heard of those, but didn't know any details until just now.

That would be a cool place to make an evening. Dinner, movie and drinks...all in one place.

Every city should have something like that. Should be a law.

Originally Posted by Ryan • They don't let anyone in after the trailers start playing.

This is actually something that has really bugged me in recent years.

This may sound shocking, but I actually *gasp* seek out and check movie start times, and plan accordingly, so my butt is there, parked, ticket bought, inside, popcorn in hand and in my seat before the lights go out. You know, kinda like you're SUPPOSED to...

But every time I go to a movie - EVERY time, including the pirate one just last night - there's always the straggler brigade coming in during trailers and often the first 5-10 minutes of the movie. Never just one person, either, who quickly grabs a seat (I wouldn't mind that).

No, it's always a family of 11 or a cluster of dipshit junior high kids, all talking, laughing, whisper-yelling to one another, playing grab-ass and shoving each other, text messaging or making a huge production out of turning their phones off (if they even DO turn them off), play fighting, etc.



I'd totally support a "once the lights go down and the trailers start, tough...catch the next showing" policy in all these theaters.

I can get there and settled in on time and not be a complete nuisance to everyone around me. Why can't others?

[alcimedes]

Because people purposefully show up late to miss the goddamn TV commercials they cram down your throat after you pay the $8 to get in.

If a theater did things right to begin with, it wouldn't be a problem and everyone (other than the theater owners) wins.

[psmith2.0]

Tough. I have to sit through them, so does everyone else.

I don't like it either, but guess what I like even less...

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Windswept Gosh, Paul, here's what you could do: get a bunch of like-minded people together, all chip in a modest amount of money, and open a small, alternative-type movie house in an artsy part of town, preferably near a college or university. Then you could make sure all the off-beat stuff played on at least 'one' screen in town. During the week, you could feature alternative classics from the past; and on the weekend, show current stuff that would be playing in the big cities. The goal of an entrepreneur is to fill a need, right? With a cool little movie house/coffeehouse, you could also have weekly or monthly poetry readings, the walls as an art gallery for up-and-coming local artists, weekly open-mike sessions for guitarists, and even a place for occasional small, avante-garde-type theater productions, like the pretty incredible performance of Trainspotting I saw recently. Hey, I'm *dying* to go to this place, and it doesn't even exist yet!!! heh Oh well, Paul, just a thought.

OMG, Carol - that's exactly what I've been wanting to do.

In my small-ish (25,000) MN town, there was a theater downtown. It's an old theater - historic, even. And it's not small, either - when it opened 80 years ago, it had one screen with 1,000 seats. That's bigger than any current screen in the town! Eventually they split it up into three tiny screens, and then a decade ago they closed the downtown theater down, and opened a six-screen cinema in the mall (which recently closed in lieu of a stand-alone ten screen theater). But even the ten-screen theater's screens aren't as big as the original screen at the downtown theater.

The old theater is still standing, empty, waiting to be torn down. Every time I drive by it I get sad.

I'd love to reopen it as a new, upscale theater. On the weekends, it would be in full blockbuster mode - showing the biggest movies on the biggest screens. As I said before, it'd be an upscale, Old Hollywood theater - a few bucks more per ticket than our lame Cinema 10 - but it'd be the place you'd take a date, etc. During the week, it could show more independent, art-house fare that wouldn't show in the larger theater. It could also show classic movies on a Family Nite or whatever.

I would love to reopen it. In fact, my town's "Main Street" restoration project would help any investor to reopen it - but I'm simply not an investor.

[HOM]

Not to bring this tread back on topic or anything, but I just got back from Pirates 2.

This was by far one of the worst movies I've seen in ages. I liked the first one a lot. It was cleaver, exciting, and not so full of itself. Pirates 2 was just the opposite.

In fact, the first thought I had when I walked out of the theater was that I had just watched a really long boring game of capture the flag.

Oooh, let's get the key, now the chest, now a sword, now a gun, now the chest again.

[Frank777]

It's a lot better if you just concentrate on Keira Knightley.

[drewprops]

I thought it was fun and exactly what it should've been for a lighthearted movie about silly little old pirates... the plot of the last film wasn't really all that much different if you think about it. No Academy awards there either. Chasing around from island to island, etc, etc. The only unique thing about the first film was that we were getting to know the characters, especially Captain Jack Sparrow.

Maybe you'd prefer the movie with Cap'n Drew's parents?

Back O/T
I'm waiting for us to get one of these fancy-ass "keep the asshats away" type film houses here in Atlanta. If one exists then it's out in the wilds of northern suburbia and I'm not going there. It does concern me that they had so many beers on tap, the last thing I want is an obnoxious drunk prattling on during my movie-watching.

yeah, yeah, yeah..... I know

[psmith2.0]

Yeah, that's the trade-off: sober people acting like puddingheads and ruining your movies, or drunk ones.

At least sober people can be reasoned with, sometimes. Drunks - especially if they're with others (and feeling the need to show out for their girl, or not be put down in front of their buddies) - will ALWAYS make a situation 20x more difficult and drawn-out than it ever needs to be.