I don’t watch a lot of movies. When I do, it is usually at home and I must stumble upon it on television while channel surfing. I almost NEVER go to the theater to see a film. In fact, in the past six years I had been to two movies (“Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Little Miss Sunshine,” both at AFI) until the other night.
Several weeks ago, I promised my wife we would see “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” She has read all of the novels (one of the many reasons I love my wife – she reads a lot) and we needed a date night to ourselves after the chaos of the holidays. Below I have listed a few observations from my movie going experience. I believe my lack of participation in American cinema over the past decade may provide a unique perspective (comparable to a company that hires an outside consultant to tell them things they can’t or don’t want to hear.)
First, I know a night at the movies is expensive. I have always been prepared for this. That being said, I couldn’t help but laugh at the Hollywood hustle this time around. Two movie tickets, two drinks and one popcorn cost us $41.00. The prices at the concession stand are even higher than at sporting events, and at least those serve alcohol to numb the pain of being extorted. Prior to going to the movie, my wife and I had dinner at a restaurant across the street. The total bill, with drinks and tip, was $31.00. Until last night, I have NEVER paid more for a movie than I have for dinner on a date. With prices being what they are, it is easy to see how a movie like “Avatar” could shatter box office records. In the past, if I didn’t like a movie, I laughed and walked out. But for $22.50, I would seriously consider requesting a manager and asking for a refund.
Second, movie previews are the most cliché thing in the world. Each one starts with an ominous A or E Minor orchestral chord, with a couple of lines of calm dialog. The music suddenly stops and there is a lead suspense phrase. Then, the music picks up intensity as pieces of action sequences are cut between more aggressive pieces of dialog (usually arguing, yelling, witty banter etc.) As the music builds to its crescendo, a piece of dialog is played foreshadowing the critical consequences of the lead character’s failure. At that moment, the music suddenly stops once more, and the suspense catch phrase of dialog is cut in. The music returns to the A or E Minor suspense chord and either fades or cuts abruptly as the movie title appears on-screen. I saw four previews that followed this exact formula. The only one’s that didn’t were comedies, and they have their own recognizable clichéd pattern (which I’m sure you can figure out just by analyzing one the next time you are at the movies.)
The point of all of this, is that the movie industry has been out of ideas for quite some time. You see this in the tired concepts and ideas which they continuously re-hash over and over. The previews look the same because the films are. Visually, American films are stunning, but the story lines are rarely unique and come across as stale. Why anyone with any sense would patronize a theater on a regular basis is beyond me. Especially when one can now purchase an 82 inch flat screen for under $2500, build a home theater set up, then rent the films from Red Box for a $1.50 in under 90 days from when the film is released. The investment pays for itself within 18 months versus going to the theater and seeing a movie every weekend.
All this being said, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” wasn’t bad. Wait for the DVD though.
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