Why You Should Go To The Movie Theater

SOURCES

Hollywood Reporter Directors' Roundtable 2021

MUSIC via Epidemic Sound

Arthur Benson, "The Friendly Ghost"
Gregory David, "Javelin"
Jo Wandrini, "Puzzle Of Complexity"

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The Nerdwriter is a series of video essays about art, culture, politics, philosophy and more

[Krustenkaese]

honestly, Covid had the opposite effect on me. I was that 'only blockbusters really warrant a big screen' guy before the pandemic, but during lockdown I really started to realize how I took 'events' for granted. Concerts, plays, movies in the theatre. In the two months of 2022 I have seen more movies in the theatre than at home on my TV or computer. No idea how long I'll be able to keep it up and I'm sure I'll fall back at some point to my mindset of 'oh I can watch that at home', but I'll try not to.

[piercekafka]

The theater is not only about enhancing the image and audio experience. But its about the shared experience. The emotional magnification that sharing a scene with others does. Hearing laughing and gasps is thrilling. The focus that a large screen has combined with these other aspects change a movie. A movie is like cake and the theater experience is cake with icing.

[dillonberry]

Love that Ingrid Bergman close up from Casablanca is the thumbnail. I had the pleasure of seeing it for the first time in a theater. During that scene, when the camera is just holding on her while the song plays, I felt chills. Truly incredible what her performance and that shot conveys before we've even learned the details over their failed relationship

[trixter]

after watching Dune in a theater, I started thinking about concentration during long movies.
I couldn't sit through Dune at home. I got distracted and ended up fast forwarding to the good scenes. But when going to the theater for a second time to watch it again, I enjoyed it again.
In the theater there are no distractions. We're forced to pay attention. And that gives a boost to the storytelling. That way the story can go deeper, get more complex, and not lose the audience. (To a certain extent, of course)
So that's something I think theaters can do for movies, too.

[FongioHELS]

This made me immediately think of the shot toward the beginning of Midsommar when Dani's on the phone with Christian, talking about her sister. She leans into frame and we see this matrix of emotions through her eyes and words... The amount of information and emotion conveyed in that scene is immense and dense and her performance is so raw and upfront and ...in your face

[kevnar]

I once hooked up my tablet to my home theater speakers, and watched an entire action movie on an 8-inch screen with big, house-shaking sound. It was just as exciting. Action movies don't need a big screen. They need a screen big enough to see what's going on. It's the sound, rumbling in your bones that makes it exciting. When you're at the back of the theater, the screen looks as small as a big screen TV anyway.

In dramas and comedies, you need to see all the details in the faces, but the dialog and music scores can be enjoyed through a pair of headphones.

[lukeaudax]

I had the exact same experience of being mesmerized by a massive face on the cinema screen when I went to see Dunkirk at the BFI 70MM IMAX in London, last year. It was at the moment just after Kenneth Branagh's character says "I'm staying here, for the French". Nolan cuts away to the train, where the main soldier (played by Fionn Whitehead) wakes up. The light is bright on about 1/4 of his face, and he turns to see the daylight. That tender image, contrasted against all the epic, expansive wides of the rest of the film, touched me so deeply, I was in awe - and that on 520 square-meter screen, projecting 70mm film, you can only imagine how wonderful it was.

[FrederickDunn]

When I was in San Diego, there was the Point Loma theater. It was on Rosecrans. The screen was HUGE, and I believe they ran full frame film, what we called premiere format 70-74mm? Whatever was playing, I went to see it, as old films were revealed on a scale that made them new, as If I'd never really seen them before. That was how I felt we should really experience movies. In another direction entirely, as a child, I watched the Saturday Morning Film Festival. Something about being alone and watching a small TV that brought foreign or independent films in a way that embedded them into my subconscious mind made them deeper somehow. I'm a new subscriber, looking forward to seeing familiar art in an unfamiliar way. Thank you.

[jensentung]

Imagine a Nerdwriter video marathon on the big screen.

[RemnantCult]

I will always love movie theaters. Even just watching a small movie at a theater makes it so much better. One of the things I used to do was pick a movie I never heard about and just buy a ticket and see what it was all about. I pray that that doesn't die off. Streaming just doesn't have that magic for me.

[noaholson]

One thing that sucks about watching smaller movies on TV is sometime do you have too many distractions at home why are the theater the only bright thing you can see is the screen Which grabbed your interest more

[Idefilms]

While he was doing press for Eighth Grade, Bo Burnham had a similar take: he felt that seeing the movie in the cinema forced you to reckon with, and humble yourself before, the lived experience of this thirteen-year-old girl. (Not to mention that the cinema is one of the few spaces that still demands your undivided attention; i.e. "Put away your small screen and watch this big one now.") Beautiful piece as usual, Evan!

Unrelated: By sheer coincidence, I watched this on my desktop monitor (which I don't usually do). And boy did Ms. Harris' mannerisms shine through at 3:51. I can't imagine what it would have been like on a big screen!

[zvillcb]

What timing! I saw The Godfather Part I in a Dolby Cinema yesterday. I've seen it multiple times and have always really enjoyed it, but I always found it a bit difficult to keep characters straight and therefore the plot at times could get a bit confusing. That kept me from considering it an all time favorite. And the home setups were always well above average including dedicated home theatre rooms. Watching it in an actual theatre made such a huge difference not only in my ability to enjoy the aesthetics, but literally to understand and enjoy the characters and plot better. Especially in a film where so much of the plot isn't stated, but conveyed through how people act and say things. Boy does it make a difference.

[notsograceful]

I think something that should have been mentioned is the price, movie theaters are fricking expensive. Free at home in a couple months vs. 15 bucks and the hassle of getting to the theater + no subtitles most of the time. The community hype and avoidance of spoilers for the most popular movies justifies it. Movies I know will be beautiful on the big screen but I won’t have anyone to talk about with feels less justified even though I’d love to go

[TheCanvasArtHistory]

I used to only make videos on art history, but you inspired me to expand and analyze movie as well.

Thank you for being an inspiration as always!

[HerbieChuckNorris]

Omg YES. Harriet Sansom Harris in Licorice Pizza was absolutely one of the most memorable moments in that Film. I couldn't stop laughing but also thinking about how her facial expressions were so captivating. Amazing stuff.

[Mlac]

I watched Bladerunner 2049 in IMAX, primarily because I knew the cinematography and set design were going to be amazing. What I remember to this day, however, are the wide-shots of K, where his head is near the top of the frame and the soles of his feet are near the bottom. Seeing it on such a large screen, from the seat I was in, he felt so tangibly present. On any other screen I don't know if it would have worked, but in those shots on IMAX, it was like he was standing right there in front of me. Amazing.

[TheReelDealwithTomKonkle]

As indie filmmaker I can attest that the first time I saw my own movie on the big screen was a powerful experience and like seeing it for the first time (a movie I’d seen 100s of times making it). The nuances of the faces. The spaces. The sound. The entire reaction of the audience to a humorous line or a plot point made me feel everything on a different level.

[sshuggi]

Also, sound. I saw Dune in IMAX for the sound even though I could stream it on my 75" TV for the big movie effect. I knew Dennis Villeneuve and Hans Zimmer love making great soundscapes, and I just can't swing that in my living room with a soundbar.

As a side note, the channel "Listening In" has made me really appreciate sound and music in movies (and outside of movies for that matter.) I think Nerdwriter fans would appreciate his channel.

[Vampireprice]

The Green Knight required big screen viewing. The facial expressions were as detailed as the landscapes.