Adventures in Moviegoing

When was the last time you went to the movies? Are you like the millions the world over who are content to stream everything? Watch on your 55" or larger T.V.? Maybe your laptop? Your iPad? Your iPhone?  Tsk.  Tsk on yours truly as I'm guilty of it, too.  We know that's not how movies were meant to be seen. Especially ones prior to 2010.  These days digital photography makes everything look televisual.  There are a handful of films each year that exceed such low ambitions, but fewer and fewer.  

There are fewer and fewer theaters, too.  Very depressing.  My town, the mid-sized and expanding West Palm Beach, Florida no longer has one.  Inconceivable! I have to drive to Palm Beach Gardens, Royal Palm Beach, Boynton Beach, Jupiter, Boca Raton or Lake Worth to see something.  Over the past several months I hit a few places and results were generally favorable.  In the larger multiplexes, the projection and sound were fine.  These were for big movies like BEETLEJUICE, BEETLEJUICE and MEGALOPOLIS.  

Back in November I had a free Saturday night (my wife was out of town) and decided to go see ANORA, the latest from Sean Baker you hopefully read about here earlier this month.  At the longstanding Movies of Lake Worth, an independent that has somehow survived for decades. The theater is near communities of retirees who prefer discount matinees.  Lately, they've shown older cult films at midnight on weekends.   Good move, one that's proven popular.

Like everyone else, they've gone digital.  I miss celluloid.  I even miss seeing those cigarette rings in the upper right hand corner of the frame, a signal to the projectionist to change reels.  I'm really showing my age, eh?

I tried to buy a ticket online.  A 9:15 P.M. showing appeared on several sites but the Buy Ticket option was greyed out.  Huh.  I took my chances and drove south.  The young lady at the window did not see this showtime on her screen.  The manager came out and assured me there was one.  I bought a ticket and went to dinner at a nearby diner.  A patty melt at Mom's Kitchen.  Love that place.

When I returned I could not find the title listed above any of the auditoriums. I asked a kid who worked there who directed me where to go.  Some time later, the same kid came in and announced it was in a different auditorium.  But that one was playing MOANA 2.  The manager suddenly reappeared and confirmed ANORA was in the original room.  A bit concerning. I thought my workplace was disorganized!

The film began.  Twenty minutes or so in, it froze up, then skipped.  House lights came up.  Ten minutes later, the film started where it left off.  It skipped again.  House lights.  This cycle repeated two more times.  Before the final (and finally successful) restart, the projectionist apologized and told us he didn't understand what was happening.  "I even deleted some stuff from the hard drive!" he exclaimed. We've come a long way from the Kinoton FP30ST, with its hundreds of moving parts.  

The old 35mm machines weren't immune to issues, Lord knows.  I could tell you some stories.  The films snapped, overheated, went out of sync.  Things happen. 

I relay my experience not to kvetch or discourage people from going out to the movies.  Quite the opposite.  I think you should get out there and keep the experience alive.  And God bless the folks at the MOLW.  I will support them at every opportunity.  I guess I just went on a bad night.  Remarkably, everyone in the audience was patient.  There were no tantrums or loud sighs.  The manager even handed us stubs for a free future movie as we exited.  Another good move.