And So It Begins...
After severely mocking those who blog for some time, I've finally decided to jump in. Do I think my thoughts are that interesting? No. Do I think I have something to say that is so important it can't be kept from the world any longer? Not really. My basic problem is that I read too much, watch too much, and hold way too much internal dialogue to not have some healthy outlet for my random thoughts. So I present "The View Inside." Inside what? Just my strange, overactive mind. Calm down.
So my first installment will include my thoughts on Spider-man 2. I'm sure everybody's read too many reviews already, so I'm not going that route. I'm going to talk about the movie-going experience as a whole.
I saw this movie twice. The second time was one of those "go with the friend who hasn't seen it but doesn't want to go alone" things. And I was entertained the second time. All I'll say about the movie itself is that the writing was effective for the type of movie it was intended to be and the effects were well-done and fit the overall feel and pace of the movie. Too many times movies turn into an excuse to spend money on special effects sequences and don't contribute to the overall story (of course, there often isn't one). Spider-man 2 was not one of those movies.
The overall experience was, unfortunately, frustrating. In fact, between the two viewings I've determined that I really dislike going to movies. Three reasons.
1. Cell phones. There are signs outside the theater saying turn them off. There's a comment during the commercials at the beginning (more on this in a second...) saying turn them off. And yet, in both movies, at least two people got audible calls during the film. Apparently they're exempt from common courtesy. If you won't silence your phone or set it to vibrate, you're inconsiderate. If you can't, you're too stupid to have a phone.
2. Children at adult movies. Spider-man 2 will appeal to kids. I understand that. But the screaming and crying during the Dr. Octopus hospital scene was a clear reminder that what kids want isn't always what's best for them. Parents, see a movie before you decide to bring your kids to it. Not only is it traumatic for them, it's annoying to the rest of us. Spider-man 2 wasn't my first experience with this. I've seen kindergarten-aged children at several movies in the past, including Matrix: Revolutions, Terminator 3, and The Hulk. Yes, I saw The Hulk. That movie was traumatic on several levels.
3. Commercials. Apparently my $8 ticket and $12 popcorn/soda combo isn't enough money to keep the movie industry going. Now we have to watch commercials disguised as entertainment. Regal Cinemas calls it "The Twenty." What is "The Twenty?" Twenty minutes of ads packaged as entertainment news. Gee, I've learned so much about the latest Britney Spears video. And Fanta. And some video game I don't care about. The time went by so much faster since I was being "entertained." Not really. If I want commercials, I'll watch free television. Give me my movie and stop marketing to me. I'd actually prefer a dark theater and elevator music. I'm just waiting for the first implementation of Minority Report-style advertising where the video ads speak to you directly. Then I can start hating the sound of my own name.
By the way, Minority Report was a good movie. In spite of Tom Cruise.
So my first installment will include my thoughts on Spider-man 2. I'm sure everybody's read too many reviews already, so I'm not going that route. I'm going to talk about the movie-going experience as a whole.
I saw this movie twice. The second time was one of those "go with the friend who hasn't seen it but doesn't want to go alone" things. And I was entertained the second time. All I'll say about the movie itself is that the writing was effective for the type of movie it was intended to be and the effects were well-done and fit the overall feel and pace of the movie. Too many times movies turn into an excuse to spend money on special effects sequences and don't contribute to the overall story (of course, there often isn't one). Spider-man 2 was not one of those movies.
The overall experience was, unfortunately, frustrating. In fact, between the two viewings I've determined that I really dislike going to movies. Three reasons.
1. Cell phones. There are signs outside the theater saying turn them off. There's a comment during the commercials at the beginning (more on this in a second...) saying turn them off. And yet, in both movies, at least two people got audible calls during the film. Apparently they're exempt from common courtesy. If you won't silence your phone or set it to vibrate, you're inconsiderate. If you can't, you're too stupid to have a phone.
2. Children at adult movies. Spider-man 2 will appeal to kids. I understand that. But the screaming and crying during the Dr. Octopus hospital scene was a clear reminder that what kids want isn't always what's best for them. Parents, see a movie before you decide to bring your kids to it. Not only is it traumatic for them, it's annoying to the rest of us. Spider-man 2 wasn't my first experience with this. I've seen kindergarten-aged children at several movies in the past, including Matrix: Revolutions, Terminator 3, and The Hulk. Yes, I saw The Hulk. That movie was traumatic on several levels.
3. Commercials. Apparently my $8 ticket and $12 popcorn/soda combo isn't enough money to keep the movie industry going. Now we have to watch commercials disguised as entertainment. Regal Cinemas calls it "The Twenty." What is "The Twenty?" Twenty minutes of ads packaged as entertainment news. Gee, I've learned so much about the latest Britney Spears video. And Fanta. And some video game I don't care about. The time went by so much faster since I was being "entertained." Not really. If I want commercials, I'll watch free television. Give me my movie and stop marketing to me. I'd actually prefer a dark theater and elevator music. I'm just waiting for the first implementation of Minority Report-style advertising where the video ads speak to you directly. Then I can start hating the sound of my own name.
By the way, Minority Report was a good movie. In spite of Tom Cruise.
1 Comments:
You know, I could live with the occasional cell phone going off if they would just not let kids into the theaters. Half the time, these people are leaving their cell phones on on purpose. I just love the people that let their entire BackStreet Boys ring tune play through at least once, the whole while looking around like "I wonder whose phone that could be?" just so everyone can hear how cool their phone is. Maybe theaters should start hiring bouncers. . .
Kids in "adult" movies is a much more serious issue. I vividly remember sitting next to a six year girl while watching Braveheart. I'll never forget the look on her face when they slit Wallace's wife's throat. First, I wanted to beat her father into the ground and then I wanted to offer that I could babysit her in the theater lobby while he watched the rest of the movie . . . Both option could have turned out badly. Aftwerwards, I discreetly pulled him aside and asked him why he would take a little girl to an obviously violent movie. His only reason was that he couldn't find a sitter and he really wanted to see the movie. . . I would guess that she is sixteen or seventeen now. It would be interesting to see how that and other movies have affected her over the years.
Well. . . enough ranting. Nice job on your first blog! Oh, and by the way, I haven't seen Spider-Man 2 yet because I haven't been able to find a babysitter and I won't bring my five and four-year olds to a PG-13 movie. . . no matter how much they want to see it.
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