What has cinema, both the experience and the business, lost or neglected?
You nail it here with your five, Sophie (THANK YOU!): 1. A feeling of cool; 2. Anticipatory joy; 3. Pleasure of limited choices; 4. Fast path to flow state (aka immersion); 5. Class representation.
I'd extend it with:
6. Affordability;
7. The pleasure of the hang before & after -- theaters need to offer this space;
8. Enhancement of the film -- be it before or after, the theater should be the guide in the discussion and not surrender us to the internet;
9. Community: theaters should help you feel part of something bigger than yourself;
10. As the theater is a center of curator & should become something you trust in matters of taste, can't they bring us more that just movies -- but that which is still related to cinema & the culture?
11. A guarantee of perfect exhibition... they police the bathrooms often, letting you know they cleaned the stalls, but what about the sound, projection, lens, and aspect ratio? Why can't they tell us it is perfect. I still dug SINNERS on Tuesday but the left speaker had trouble with the bass and there was no where to register my complaint.
Cinema -- both the experience & the business -- can be saved. But it must be saved.
Funny enough, the lack of moviegoers attending screenings mid-week is working to bring back some of the flow state. I often joke that my ideal movie-going experience is an empty theater these days because of many of the observations you make. I am so eager to read what you suggest in part 3. So far, you have captured so much of what I have observed in parts 1 and 2, but I am STUMPED to come up with a strategy to save the biz as we know (knew?) it and love it.
Ha! That's so true. I share a similar sentiment but albeit feeling mixed. I love my peace and quiet and at the same time I feel sad when I'm the only one that bothers showing up 🤣 My gut tells me that the best way forward is hybrid and flexible models - which may frustrate some folks but our industry has to evolve with the times
Love this. I’m a filmmakers whose been in the trenches defending the theater experience and this is some well needed ammunition. I feel like those on our side have been at war with Netflix and Disney (who have been sabotaging the theater) and other filmmakers (ironically) who don’t get it. Making for theater is a completely different form than making for streaming or small screen and we NEED it as a culture.
Great points, nothing to disagree with here. Although I think the main problem is the disconnect between execs and the audience. The movies being green lit are being done so by executives who are so far removed from how most people think and feel. Consider modern films: how many of them make you want to go the movies, even if they had come out in the 70s or 90s? How many of them are remotely relevant to the culture outside of pockets of LA/NY? Most of Hollywood (I work in it) has disdain for the average person not in their bubble. Or if being generous, they simply do not understand or care to understand them.
I'm in my 30's and a lot of my best memories growing up was watching movies at home by myself or with my family. Sure, I loved going to the theater, but that wasn't a prerequisite to get into that flow state. If the movie was good, it didn't matter what my surroundings were. Even an okay movie from the 90's at least had characters that felt like real people. I don't feel that in most movies today. TV has the same problem. Even Baywatch had more emotional depth than most "prestige" shows today.
So yes, I agree with everything you're saying, but I wonder how much all of this would be solved by making better movies?
Absolutely. I address this problem in Part 1 which outlines the systemic issues of our industry - this focuses on the psychological aspect of what has driven us away.
We need more people like you in the industry talking about these things. Recently discovered your writing and it’s a breath of fresh air. Look forward to part 3.
Terrific insights here, particularly about the absence of stories of people further down the class scale and how those often tracked with the genres that have been abandoned to the streamers, who make them cheaper and don’t do them well. This is something that’s pained me here in the States, where there’s less outward discussion of class but it is obvious how this has shifted, even in the A-level mass spectacle movie. How else to account for, say, the transition from watching a Spielberg Everyman (Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters works for the local power company; Henry Thomas in ET is a boy in a divorced family with a single working mom) having extraordinary experiences to watching Extraordinary People with Extraordinary Powers (superheroes), with the latter being effectively stories about celebrities.
Two more observations, if you’ll let me indulge. One an obvious one but which dovetails with my own moviegoing habits this year and the other a hopeful observation about the future of movies.
Going into this year I was keen on all the “originals” that were opening Jan-March. Non franchise films of varied genres that often don’t show up as often in theaters anymore. I told myself I’d be seeing a bunch of these in theaters and I ended up seeing far fewer than I’d “planned” to. This was primarily due to their critical reception, which was almost unanimously a collective “these are fine.” I still saw some. The ones I saw: Presence; Companion; Mickey 17; Black Bag; The Ballad of Wallis Island. Two of these were directed by Soderbergh, one by Bong Joon-Ho, so I was always going to see those. The ones I didn’t see: One of Them Days; Wolf Man; Flight Risk; Heart Eyes; Love Hurts; Captain America; Paddington in Peru; The Monkey; Last Breath; Novocaine; The Alto Knights; Snow White; Death of a Unicorn; The Woman in the Yard; A Working Man.
I’m an older dude who couldn’t tell you how a younger person responded to this three months of movies, if they even paid attention. I couldn’t tell you how I myself would respond if I was younger now. But I can tell you that if it was 30 years ago I’d have seen triple the number of these movies over a three months span, 10-12 of them instead of 5. I’d have gone despite seeing bad reviews for them, because it’s just what I did as a regular moviegoer. Bad reviews would not have killed my curiosity and the barriers to satisfying that curiosity were few. I don’t love movies any less now but staying home is just now less… boring. It’s the obvious thing, you’re talking about it, everyone is talking about it… the distractions available at home are endless. 30 years ago, if you were a young person, home was a place of boredom. Unless you were deep in a book or very committed to TV (whose makers considered Friday and Saturday nights dead zones for programming) the movies beckoned you out of the house. It’s just what you did, it’s what you and your friends did. Now it’s not just that the programming available at home is a bottomless bucket of options (never mind YouTube and scrolling), those friends can be socialized with without needing to even be in their presence. For me personally the solution that would have gotten me to see the same number of these movies that I would have 30 years ago is to have made them better. My appetite for movies is no less than it was, it’s just that instead of going to see a new one that I’m liable to find mediocre I have the ability to watch a great one at home, with great picture quality, without having to leave the house to visit a video store. But the solution of making better movies is a crap shoot at best, because making movies is hard, making good ones is even harder.
The other thing that draws me away from newer movies is also where my hopeful observation about the future of movies lies. Here in Los Angeles, the repertory theater culture has exploded post-pandemic. I’m sure you’re aware of it, I think it’s happening in other major cities. If it’s the Letterboxd effect, a nostalgia, a desire for curation (a guarantee of quality), whatever it is, theaters that used to be frequented by old men toting plastic bags with old newspapers and sandwiches are now full up with younger people, and they are hyped. Not only am I often passing up new releases to stay home and watch something, I’m choosing theaters showing old movies. In the last few years I’ve made anywhere from 20-40 trips a year to the repertory theaters, with friends and solo. And me and my older friends have repeatedly talked about the younger crowds and felt that “something is happening here.” So maybe if there’s any kind of cinema renaissance coming, it will be sourced among these new obsessives eventually making their way behind the cameras and somehow some way getting better movies made. (And perhaps their exposure to the old films that didn’t avoid lower class stories will resurrect those as well.)
I couldn’t agree with you more. I absolutely love this series, thank you. I wanted to share that I also entered a flow state during Nickel Boys and it was such a fulfilling movie-going experience that has stuck with me. I walked out, my shirt stained with tears, my eyes adjusting to the light, trying to come back to this world and I thought, I’ve missed feeling this way after a film. It saddens me that we are losing those experiences. To further prove your point, seeing Sinners recently was the most fun I have had at the movie theatre in years. I had seen the trailer a while ago and had been so excited to see it (anticipatory joy). I had to see it on a Monday night because the weekends in LA were sold out. The day of, I made friends with a stranger because we started talking about the film. We ended up exchanging numbers. When I got to the theatre, it was BUZZING with excitement. I ended up chatting to the man next to me before the movie, and during, my husband made friends with the woman next to him because they were laughing at all the same moments. He and I went out and had a beer afterwards to discuss it. I hadn’t felt like a movie was such an event in YEARS. I didn’t realize that I needed that. I think we forget how much we need community and a time in a flow state until we get a taste again of what we’ve been missing.
Great part 2! I definitely feel that bit about the "flow state" of watching a film-- I remember coming out of the theater as a kid/teen and feeling like I was stepping back into a different dimension. Personally, I don't even end up streaming that many movies anymore because I do *want* to give them my full attention, but it's always two hours I should be doing something else instead, and I've been so disappointed so many times by films and shows that felt empty and airheaded that even giving them that much feels like asking to have my time wasted.
Sophie: What a great article— perceptive, intelligent, and written with wit and knowledge. Kudos to you for all the hard work you obviously put into the entire series. I just have one minor correction: when you write that we Boomers brag about standing in line for Star Wars like it was our Woodstock, the truth is Woodstock was also our Woodstock. A mere eight years separated Woodstock (1969) from Star Wars (1977). Like I said, a minor correction.
Thank you much for your comment, appreciate you!!! And haha that is a great point - thank you for bringing it up. I wonder what an appropriate analogy would be for your generation?
I agree with your observations. We've become a culture devoted to quick feels and then moving on to the next one. Flow states seem as alien to this culture as buggy whips. My friend and I used to get together for chat and beers and then go to the local cinema for the last showing on a Wednesday night. Often had the theater to ourselves (private showing!) and we kept an empty seat between us for maximum comfort. Total flow state.
For a long time now, I've compared most blockbuster movies to amusement park rides. Thrilling while you ride them but instantly forgotten once you leave. No more memorable than that McDonald's hamburger you ate last week.
American baseball has suffered a similar decline in love of the game versus the casino-like experience of most modern ballparks. It's, again, about short-term feels and moving on to the next thing. Exactly as with cinema, it's eroding, if not destroying, everything that came with being a fan.
As a counterpoint, while reading I was reflecting on how many public viewings of movies or music (or baseball) have been badly colored by people behaving badly. Yet another reason I prefer home viewing now.
(As an aside, I love watching a Wes Anderson film. Never truer that "every frame is a painting".)
A VIP cinema near my house has implemented three rows of paired seats that can be folded all the way down into reclined beds and it's not uncommon to see couples bringing their own blankets, ordering food and drinks to their seats (only before the movie starts) and kicking back to watch the movie as if they were at their own house. We absolutely love this shit.
Regular movies in uncomfortable seats in a packed cinema, mmm nah.
The DUNE II merch with the worm popcorn bucket was also a win. I got the anticipatory buzz for the new season of Andor, but watching it in the cinema would lose something because no subtitles, and I need the subtitles to follow all these amazing monologues that cut into today's political climate.
'Ask anyone under 30 about "movie culture," and they'll show you a TikTok of some guy summarizing the entire plot in 60 seconds while doing a dance.'
Oh, that one hurts. Not all of us! Here I am, catching strays and it isn't even the weekend (I kid, I kid).
But it is interesting to consider: I'm in the back half of my twenties yes but I feel like I'm probably the last of my generational subset who actually appreciates the traditional cinema experience for what it is, even if, as you've highlighted so well as always Sophie, it no longer exists as it once did. Sitting there, with a simple bag of popcorn, with my phone tucked quietly away. Meanwhile, everyone around me can't seem to sit still, to be quiet, to absorb, as best they're able. As if committing themselves to being there for two hours, is something akin to being held hostage.
Our instincts have shifted so far into capturing moments, we're forgetting how to live in them.
Hahaha, excuse my generational generalizations - so glad to hear you still get to enjoy and appreciate the traditional movie going and movie watching experience. Not all (or everyone) is lost absolutely - it's just that in my research and personal very online experience due to my working in social media, I've noticed that being in on the discourse tends to be more important than being in on the film/tv show itself. It's strange but that's where the value is placed at the moment
I mean, I jest but that's an experience unique to my specific personal lens. More broadly, of course, you're absolutely spot-on.
I do wonder if we'll see a swing back in the other direction at some point, even if it isn't for another ten-odd years. Those that know (and I suppose) have grown up on nothing but their place in the discourse, realizing what they've actually been missing out on.
Dear Sophie -- My youngest daughter is about to drop her first baby ANY SECOND! And you know what we're gonna talk about when we call in five minutes? THIS PIECE! I think she's gonna relate so hard that young Heywood Christmas Morgan (his real name) may spontaneously emerge just to join in the conversation. That's how fucking good your piece is. And can't wait the three weeks for your conclusive thinkitude! THANKS!!!
THANK YOU!!! And you know what? We actually DID spend about 40 minutes talking about your insights. (The "60 second TikTok movie breakdown while they dance" line brought her a visceral punch-in-the-gut response.)
We talked about an old Kurt Vonnegut story called "Harrison Bergeron" -- one of my favorite short stories of all time -- where the hapless titular character is sitting in his living room, trying to watch the ballet Swan Lake on TV. But because everybody has to be "equal" now, they're forced to dance with sandbags strapped to their bodies. And poor Harrison is trying to concentrate, and think about what he's watching. But because he's a thoughtful person by nature, the Powers-That-Be have installed a chip in his head that makes random loud noises go off every 15-20 seconds.
Eventually, the dancers revolt, toss off their sandbags, and perform a breathtakingly beautiful and impassioned 30 seconds of dance, before being machine-gunned into bleeding Swiss cheese for daring to, you know, give us what they actually got.
And Harrison thinks it's very sad. But then an alarm clock and a freight train go off in his head, and he forgets it ever even fucking happened.
Then we talked about this great repertory theater (in Ojai or Ventura, I forget which) where they actually DO make events out of films, and draw in audiences that are thrilled to be there. And I told her about the Hollywood Theater here in Portland, which also knows how to make going to the movies feel like a party. And we both smiled and smiled.
In quick conclusion: I'm a 66-year-old bestselling-novelist-turned-filmmaker who recently quit writing books to make movies people would want to have meaningful fun with in theaters. So these essays of yours are SOOOOOO LIFE-AFFIRMING to me right now that I feel authentically blessed by your and their existence. Which is to say, THANK YOU AND THANK YOU AGAIN!!!
Terrific as always, Sophie. On the subject of class representation, one film I had a blast watching with a packed, gleeful crowd earlier this year was One of Them Days. The characters are hustling to make rent, but they're not defined by their "poverty." They're vivid, funny, flawed. The movie really had legs here in the U.S. and ended up grossing over $50 million on a modest budget. Funny how things they tell us won't work keep working.
I'm spoiled here in NYC with the number of choices and releases, and make it a point to go support a new release every Tuesday night -- most of the time the theater is half full if not nearly sold out. Gives me hope! Also, shout out to the film One of Them Days which falls squarely into the lower class comedy category and is lots of fun, insightful, and without the "poverty porn" (I think I know what you mean by this but it's a bit of dicey phrase IMO). I think I liked it so much more having seen it in the theater instead of at home. The theatrical experience makes any movie better! Tell your friends!
I hadn't heard of the film so thank you so much for bringing it up!!! Also I feel you - London has a few great choices too so I feel you (albeit expensive)
What has cinema, both the experience and the business, lost or neglected?
You nail it here with your five, Sophie (THANK YOU!): 1. A feeling of cool; 2. Anticipatory joy; 3. Pleasure of limited choices; 4. Fast path to flow state (aka immersion); 5. Class representation.
I'd extend it with:
6. Affordability;
7. The pleasure of the hang before & after -- theaters need to offer this space;
8. Enhancement of the film -- be it before or after, the theater should be the guide in the discussion and not surrender us to the internet;
9. Community: theaters should help you feel part of something bigger than yourself;
10. As the theater is a center of curator & should become something you trust in matters of taste, can't they bring us more that just movies -- but that which is still related to cinema & the culture?
11. A guarantee of perfect exhibition... they police the bathrooms often, letting you know they cleaned the stalls, but what about the sound, projection, lens, and aspect ratio? Why can't they tell us it is perfect. I still dug SINNERS on Tuesday but the left speaker had trouble with the bass and there was no where to register my complaint.
Cinema -- both the experience & the business -- can be saved. But it must be saved.
It's been rusting away for 40 years now.
Funny enough, the lack of moviegoers attending screenings mid-week is working to bring back some of the flow state. I often joke that my ideal movie-going experience is an empty theater these days because of many of the observations you make. I am so eager to read what you suggest in part 3. So far, you have captured so much of what I have observed in parts 1 and 2, but I am STUMPED to come up with a strategy to save the biz as we know (knew?) it and love it.
Ha! That's so true. I share a similar sentiment but albeit feeling mixed. I love my peace and quiet and at the same time I feel sad when I'm the only one that bothers showing up 🤣 My gut tells me that the best way forward is hybrid and flexible models - which may frustrate some folks but our industry has to evolve with the times
Love this. I’m a filmmakers whose been in the trenches defending the theater experience and this is some well needed ammunition. I feel like those on our side have been at war with Netflix and Disney (who have been sabotaging the theater) and other filmmakers (ironically) who don’t get it. Making for theater is a completely different form than making for streaming or small screen and we NEED it as a culture.
Aw Silas thanks so much for sharing this from a filmmaking POV!
Great points, nothing to disagree with here. Although I think the main problem is the disconnect between execs and the audience. The movies being green lit are being done so by executives who are so far removed from how most people think and feel. Consider modern films: how many of them make you want to go the movies, even if they had come out in the 70s or 90s? How many of them are remotely relevant to the culture outside of pockets of LA/NY? Most of Hollywood (I work in it) has disdain for the average person not in their bubble. Or if being generous, they simply do not understand or care to understand them.
I'm in my 30's and a lot of my best memories growing up was watching movies at home by myself or with my family. Sure, I loved going to the theater, but that wasn't a prerequisite to get into that flow state. If the movie was good, it didn't matter what my surroundings were. Even an okay movie from the 90's at least had characters that felt like real people. I don't feel that in most movies today. TV has the same problem. Even Baywatch had more emotional depth than most "prestige" shows today.
So yes, I agree with everything you're saying, but I wonder how much all of this would be solved by making better movies?
Absolutely. I address this problem in Part 1 which outlines the systemic issues of our industry - this focuses on the psychological aspect of what has driven us away.
We need more people like you in the industry talking about these things. Recently discovered your writing and it’s a breath of fresh air. Look forward to part 3.
Terrific insights here, particularly about the absence of stories of people further down the class scale and how those often tracked with the genres that have been abandoned to the streamers, who make them cheaper and don’t do them well. This is something that’s pained me here in the States, where there’s less outward discussion of class but it is obvious how this has shifted, even in the A-level mass spectacle movie. How else to account for, say, the transition from watching a Spielberg Everyman (Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters works for the local power company; Henry Thomas in ET is a boy in a divorced family with a single working mom) having extraordinary experiences to watching Extraordinary People with Extraordinary Powers (superheroes), with the latter being effectively stories about celebrities.
Two more observations, if you’ll let me indulge. One an obvious one but which dovetails with my own moviegoing habits this year and the other a hopeful observation about the future of movies.
Going into this year I was keen on all the “originals” that were opening Jan-March. Non franchise films of varied genres that often don’t show up as often in theaters anymore. I told myself I’d be seeing a bunch of these in theaters and I ended up seeing far fewer than I’d “planned” to. This was primarily due to their critical reception, which was almost unanimously a collective “these are fine.” I still saw some. The ones I saw: Presence; Companion; Mickey 17; Black Bag; The Ballad of Wallis Island. Two of these were directed by Soderbergh, one by Bong Joon-Ho, so I was always going to see those. The ones I didn’t see: One of Them Days; Wolf Man; Flight Risk; Heart Eyes; Love Hurts; Captain America; Paddington in Peru; The Monkey; Last Breath; Novocaine; The Alto Knights; Snow White; Death of a Unicorn; The Woman in the Yard; A Working Man.
I’m an older dude who couldn’t tell you how a younger person responded to this three months of movies, if they even paid attention. I couldn’t tell you how I myself would respond if I was younger now. But I can tell you that if it was 30 years ago I’d have seen triple the number of these movies over a three months span, 10-12 of them instead of 5. I’d have gone despite seeing bad reviews for them, because it’s just what I did as a regular moviegoer. Bad reviews would not have killed my curiosity and the barriers to satisfying that curiosity were few. I don’t love movies any less now but staying home is just now less… boring. It’s the obvious thing, you’re talking about it, everyone is talking about it… the distractions available at home are endless. 30 years ago, if you were a young person, home was a place of boredom. Unless you were deep in a book or very committed to TV (whose makers considered Friday and Saturday nights dead zones for programming) the movies beckoned you out of the house. It’s just what you did, it’s what you and your friends did. Now it’s not just that the programming available at home is a bottomless bucket of options (never mind YouTube and scrolling), those friends can be socialized with without needing to even be in their presence. For me personally the solution that would have gotten me to see the same number of these movies that I would have 30 years ago is to have made them better. My appetite for movies is no less than it was, it’s just that instead of going to see a new one that I’m liable to find mediocre I have the ability to watch a great one at home, with great picture quality, without having to leave the house to visit a video store. But the solution of making better movies is a crap shoot at best, because making movies is hard, making good ones is even harder.
The other thing that draws me away from newer movies is also where my hopeful observation about the future of movies lies. Here in Los Angeles, the repertory theater culture has exploded post-pandemic. I’m sure you’re aware of it, I think it’s happening in other major cities. If it’s the Letterboxd effect, a nostalgia, a desire for curation (a guarantee of quality), whatever it is, theaters that used to be frequented by old men toting plastic bags with old newspapers and sandwiches are now full up with younger people, and they are hyped. Not only am I often passing up new releases to stay home and watch something, I’m choosing theaters showing old movies. In the last few years I’ve made anywhere from 20-40 trips a year to the repertory theaters, with friends and solo. And me and my older friends have repeatedly talked about the younger crowds and felt that “something is happening here.” So maybe if there’s any kind of cinema renaissance coming, it will be sourced among these new obsessives eventually making their way behind the cameras and somehow some way getting better movies made. (And perhaps their exposure to the old films that didn’t avoid lower class stories will resurrect those as well.)
I couldn’t agree with you more. I absolutely love this series, thank you. I wanted to share that I also entered a flow state during Nickel Boys and it was such a fulfilling movie-going experience that has stuck with me. I walked out, my shirt stained with tears, my eyes adjusting to the light, trying to come back to this world and I thought, I’ve missed feeling this way after a film. It saddens me that we are losing those experiences. To further prove your point, seeing Sinners recently was the most fun I have had at the movie theatre in years. I had seen the trailer a while ago and had been so excited to see it (anticipatory joy). I had to see it on a Monday night because the weekends in LA were sold out. The day of, I made friends with a stranger because we started talking about the film. We ended up exchanging numbers. When I got to the theatre, it was BUZZING with excitement. I ended up chatting to the man next to me before the movie, and during, my husband made friends with the woman next to him because they were laughing at all the same moments. He and I went out and had a beer afterwards to discuss it. I hadn’t felt like a movie was such an event in YEARS. I didn’t realize that I needed that. I think we forget how much we need community and a time in a flow state until we get a taste again of what we’ve been missing.
Great part 2! I definitely feel that bit about the "flow state" of watching a film-- I remember coming out of the theater as a kid/teen and feeling like I was stepping back into a different dimension. Personally, I don't even end up streaming that many movies anymore because I do *want* to give them my full attention, but it's always two hours I should be doing something else instead, and I've been so disappointed so many times by films and shows that felt empty and airheaded that even giving them that much feels like asking to have my time wasted.
Sophie: What a great article— perceptive, intelligent, and written with wit and knowledge. Kudos to you for all the hard work you obviously put into the entire series. I just have one minor correction: when you write that we Boomers brag about standing in line for Star Wars like it was our Woodstock, the truth is Woodstock was also our Woodstock. A mere eight years separated Woodstock (1969) from Star Wars (1977). Like I said, a minor correction.
Thank you much for your comment, appreciate you!!! And haha that is a great point - thank you for bringing it up. I wonder what an appropriate analogy would be for your generation?
…like they’d stormed the beach in Normandy.
…like they’d taken the Fifth during the McCarthy hearings.
…like it was an act of heroism.
I agree with your observations. We've become a culture devoted to quick feels and then moving on to the next one. Flow states seem as alien to this culture as buggy whips. My friend and I used to get together for chat and beers and then go to the local cinema for the last showing on a Wednesday night. Often had the theater to ourselves (private showing!) and we kept an empty seat between us for maximum comfort. Total flow state.
For a long time now, I've compared most blockbuster movies to amusement park rides. Thrilling while you ride them but instantly forgotten once you leave. No more memorable than that McDonald's hamburger you ate last week.
American baseball has suffered a similar decline in love of the game versus the casino-like experience of most modern ballparks. It's, again, about short-term feels and moving on to the next thing. Exactly as with cinema, it's eroding, if not destroying, everything that came with being a fan.
As a counterpoint, while reading I was reflecting on how many public viewings of movies or music (or baseball) have been badly colored by people behaving badly. Yet another reason I prefer home viewing now.
(As an aside, I love watching a Wes Anderson film. Never truer that "every frame is a painting".)
The bad behavior aspect is huge and we need to actively find ways to combat it. Thanks so much for your comment, Wyrd!!
I suppose squirt guns would be out of the question…
A VIP cinema near my house has implemented three rows of paired seats that can be folded all the way down into reclined beds and it's not uncommon to see couples bringing their own blankets, ordering food and drinks to their seats (only before the movie starts) and kicking back to watch the movie as if they were at their own house. We absolutely love this shit.
Regular movies in uncomfortable seats in a packed cinema, mmm nah.
The DUNE II merch with the worm popcorn bucket was also a win. I got the anticipatory buzz for the new season of Andor, but watching it in the cinema would lose something because no subtitles, and I need the subtitles to follow all these amazing monologues that cut into today's political climate.
My back LOVES this shit too. I'm all about comfort (just not excess/gimmicks). And yesss - definitely leaving with something physical is a huge bonus
'Ask anyone under 30 about "movie culture," and they'll show you a TikTok of some guy summarizing the entire plot in 60 seconds while doing a dance.'
Oh, that one hurts. Not all of us! Here I am, catching strays and it isn't even the weekend (I kid, I kid).
But it is interesting to consider: I'm in the back half of my twenties yes but I feel like I'm probably the last of my generational subset who actually appreciates the traditional cinema experience for what it is, even if, as you've highlighted so well as always Sophie, it no longer exists as it once did. Sitting there, with a simple bag of popcorn, with my phone tucked quietly away. Meanwhile, everyone around me can't seem to sit still, to be quiet, to absorb, as best they're able. As if committing themselves to being there for two hours, is something akin to being held hostage.
Our instincts have shifted so far into capturing moments, we're forgetting how to live in them.
Hahaha, excuse my generational generalizations - so glad to hear you still get to enjoy and appreciate the traditional movie going and movie watching experience. Not all (or everyone) is lost absolutely - it's just that in my research and personal very online experience due to my working in social media, I've noticed that being in on the discourse tends to be more important than being in on the film/tv show itself. It's strange but that's where the value is placed at the moment
I mean, I jest but that's an experience unique to my specific personal lens. More broadly, of course, you're absolutely spot-on.
I do wonder if we'll see a swing back in the other direction at some point, even if it isn't for another ten-odd years. Those that know (and I suppose) have grown up on nothing but their place in the discourse, realizing what they've actually been missing out on.
You demolish the “limited attention span” trope. Excellent and needed.
❤️
Dear Sophie -- My youngest daughter is about to drop her first baby ANY SECOND! And you know what we're gonna talk about when we call in five minutes? THIS PIECE! I think she's gonna relate so hard that young Heywood Christmas Morgan (his real name) may spontaneously emerge just to join in the conversation. That's how fucking good your piece is. And can't wait the three weeks for your conclusive thinkitude! THANKS!!!
Aw John, LOVE the sound of that!!! Thank you so much for your kind words and all best of luck with your family 🍼
THANK YOU!!! And you know what? We actually DID spend about 40 minutes talking about your insights. (The "60 second TikTok movie breakdown while they dance" line brought her a visceral punch-in-the-gut response.)
We talked about an old Kurt Vonnegut story called "Harrison Bergeron" -- one of my favorite short stories of all time -- where the hapless titular character is sitting in his living room, trying to watch the ballet Swan Lake on TV. But because everybody has to be "equal" now, they're forced to dance with sandbags strapped to their bodies. And poor Harrison is trying to concentrate, and think about what he's watching. But because he's a thoughtful person by nature, the Powers-That-Be have installed a chip in his head that makes random loud noises go off every 15-20 seconds.
Eventually, the dancers revolt, toss off their sandbags, and perform a breathtakingly beautiful and impassioned 30 seconds of dance, before being machine-gunned into bleeding Swiss cheese for daring to, you know, give us what they actually got.
And Harrison thinks it's very sad. But then an alarm clock and a freight train go off in his head, and he forgets it ever even fucking happened.
Then we talked about this great repertory theater (in Ojai or Ventura, I forget which) where they actually DO make events out of films, and draw in audiences that are thrilled to be there. And I told her about the Hollywood Theater here in Portland, which also knows how to make going to the movies feel like a party. And we both smiled and smiled.
In quick conclusion: I'm a 66-year-old bestselling-novelist-turned-filmmaker who recently quit writing books to make movies people would want to have meaningful fun with in theaters. So these essays of yours are SOOOOOO LIFE-AFFIRMING to me right now that I feel authentically blessed by your and their existence. Which is to say, THANK YOU AND THANK YOU AGAIN!!!
Yer pal in the trenches,
Skipp
This, and you, is so good, and right on the spot!
I love the way you don't put any thing in between, but calls it what it is.
Can't wait to read part 3!
Aw Tore I appreciate you ❤️
Terrific as always, Sophie. On the subject of class representation, one film I had a blast watching with a packed, gleeful crowd earlier this year was One of Them Days. The characters are hustling to make rent, but they're not defined by their "poverty." They're vivid, funny, flawed. The movie really had legs here in the U.S. and ended up grossing over $50 million on a modest budget. Funny how things they tell us won't work keep working.
Wow, I hadn't even heard of this film - will see if it's out in the UK. More of this 🫶🏼
I'm spoiled here in NYC with the number of choices and releases, and make it a point to go support a new release every Tuesday night -- most of the time the theater is half full if not nearly sold out. Gives me hope! Also, shout out to the film One of Them Days which falls squarely into the lower class comedy category and is lots of fun, insightful, and without the "poverty porn" (I think I know what you mean by this but it's a bit of dicey phrase IMO). I think I liked it so much more having seen it in the theater instead of at home. The theatrical experience makes any movie better! Tell your friends!
I hadn't heard of the film so thank you so much for bringing it up!!! Also I feel you - London has a few great choices too so I feel you (albeit expensive)