Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, Rob and I have been inside movie theaters twice. The first time was in Orlando, at the Enzian. It’s beautiful theater, with an outdoor restaurant, and shows mostly independent films. The second time was today.
Rob and I went to the Paragon, a theater in our local mall. ! p.m. showing in the middle of the week. Reclinable seats, spacious. When we bought tickets, the guy at the booth showed up which seats were sold already – mayby six of them.
The movie, Everything Everyone All the Time, is an Asian Matrix, but also spoofs that movie. The action is dizzying. The story is unclear because a lot of the dialogue is in Chinese. And yes, there’s something great about the big screen. But as we sat there in the dark, in a completely empty theater – no shows for those supposedly taken seats – I started feeling eerie, uncomfortable, disoriented. I was also hungry and needed to use the restroom. At the end of Part I, I told Rob I was going to the restroom and left.
It was a relief. It was an even bigger relief to walk outside toward our car. Light, heat, the fecund scent of South Florida headed toward summer. I texted Rob that I was outside. Before he showed up, I realized that the pandemic spoiled me with so many streaming choices. I like stretching out with my dogs and cats to watch a show, a movie, news. I like being able to pause it to answer an email, take a call, or take a break to fix a snack that doesn’t cost more than our tickets.
I’d like to see this movie again when I can stream it from home. According to an article in Bloomberg in Dec 21 2021 , more than 600 theaters remained closed. I wonder how long the surviving theaters will continue to exist. Will they go the way of Blockbuster?
I saw it again last night at the cinema with my eldest son, who had just flown back from a trip to Melbourne that morning.
Funny thing is I showed my son a photo of the front of the cinema lit up at night where I saw the film with his brother on Monday night, telling him to watch the trailer and to see if he thinks that neon artwork looks like the front of a front-loading washing machine (you can see the photo in this post I wrote) –
https://brizdazz.blogspot.com/2022/04/spending-my-event-cinema-card-on.html
He said that he watched the trailer months ago when his ex-housemates showed him the trailer.
But here is the kicker, as we were lining up to buy the tickets for the movie last night, my son spotted his ex-housemates in the line and went over to chat with them because he hadn’t seen them for months.
Turns out they were buying tickets to the same movie and had just flown back from Melbourne that morning as well 🙂
My son came back to me in the line and told me that weird “coincidence” looking stunned and saying what a “small world” it was.
I felt like saying welcome to my “world” but I never bother him with my stories of “coincidences” in the “real world” as he doesn’t believe in woo-woo … well, at least he didn’t until last night 🙂
Maybe it’s time to let them in on your world, Daz! Megan has been in that world since she learned the word. I’m glad for that.
I feel just the opposite. I also went to a theater recently, and was the only one there. It makes me sad, because going to the movies with friends was a wonderful thing I enjoyed, and the coffee afterwards where we discussed the film. I also loved buying ice cream or popcorn, and looking forward to the coming attractions. I am very sorry to see this social opportunity disappear.
You have some good points, Lauren. But theaters, the way they are now, just don’t feel the same as they once did. Thee used to be a theater here in town where you could order a bite to eat, a beer, and sit around a table with friends to watch the movie. It went under years ago.I was really bummed when it did. Thee’s theater like that in Orlando, the Enzion.
I’ve heard good things about this movie and will definitely be seeing it on the big screen first.
Maybe you should have seen it at the drive-in Trish?
That would be the middle ground between the cinema and home streaming … and you wouldn’t have to leave the car .
You could do everything everywhere all at once … kinda 🙂
Yes! I’d like to see it streaming!
Michelle Yeoh the main star of that movie turns 60 on August 6th this year of the Water Tiger, which means she is a Water Tiger herself and she would have done one complete journey through the five elements of the Tiger when she turns 60.
She was also one of the stars of the 2000 movie ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ , which I watched earlier this year on DVD, as I own a copy, having seen the movie at the cinema back when it came out in 2000.
Apparently there is a sequel made in 2016 and is streaming on Netflix called ‘Sword of Destiny’, so I’ll have to watch it before I unsubscribe at the end of the month.
I’m going to the cinema to see it tonight with my youngest son, so I’ll let you know what I think of it after I’ve seen it.
Definitely let me know!
I thought it was an interesting movie, but I can see why some movie goers wouldn’t like it.
I don’t buy the multiple lives time line/alternate universe theory anyway.
It’s nothing more than a mind game to me that makes for interesting movie metaphors, like ‘Sliding Doors’ did, but I believe you only have one timeline to live and once “you” make a decision there’s no going back to fix it.
You probably did your head in trying to follow along with that movie plot … just like you do reading some of my blog posts 🙂
Yup, did my head in, for sure. Also, the Chinese dialogue threw me when I didn’t catch the translations. I actually loved Sliding Doors and the concept it presents.
Maybe on Streaming you might have a choice to watch it in English or Chinese/English, as I see on Netflix with the second Crouching Tiger movie ‘Sword of Destiny’ they give you the choice of English or Chinese?
Hoping!