Report Blog Entry
ive been obsessed with 11am saturday lately, and i've wanted to type out my own answers to the film questionnaire even though i don't have an internet presence and i'm just some joe schmo nobody. and well, nobody's stopping me!
Name: jay
Location: los angeles
Occupation: office sweetheart
1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?
wednesday mornings, preferably around 11AM. i work midshifts at my office downtown, walking distance from the alamo drafthouse. since i only have to go into the office two days a week, i'm way more excited to drag myself out of bed and take the bus downtown if i know i've got a movie waiting for me first. even without the convenience of work, i love a matinee where there's a 50/50 chance i'll have the theater all to myself.
2. What’s your favorite movie theater?
i started going to the aforementioned alamo drafthouse mostly due to its work convenience, but went all-in on the season pass for the last year and change because it really is the type of movie experience i enjoy--quiet, comfortable, and a good mix of new and old movies and some obscure titles.
however, i have great memories of the dearly departed arclight sunset (i can't believe the last thing i saw there was sonic the hedgehog on valentines day 2020--but that's a story for another blog entry), although i have heard rumblings that it might reopen this year. one of my other LA favorites, the vista, was a victim of the pandemic that DID manage to reopen, so there's hope.
3. What’s your go-to movie theater snack & drink combo?
sadly my favorite alamo menu item--the hellfire burger (with beyond meat, my digestive tract thanks you)--was axed at the start of the year. as i am a bleu cheese-loving freak, none of the other burger offerings quite compare. maybe now i'll just go for fries and a dr pepper?
4. What’s your dream movie theater snack & drink combo (if noise and sound weren’t an issue)?
cup ramen would be so annoying to have and serve at a theater for anyone other than the person ordering it, but i would've loved it coming in from a cold rainy day this morning. and a yerba mate.
5. First movie you remember seeing in a theater?
star wars: the phantom menace, i think? i believe it lines up that my parents had just been separated at the time, so that's why it was just my dad that took me. i really don't have any recollection of my impression at the time--the podracing game on the N64 left a bigger impact, if anything.
6. Last movie you saw in a theater?
bring them down. i do wish i had checked does the dog die before watching it, but then i probably would've skipped the film entirely and missed some really excellent toxic masculinity in the shepherding community. also, had no idea colm meaney and paul ready were in this, so that was a nice surprise to see them both.
7. Movie you wish you could have seen in a theater?
filibus -- it's cool that the whole movie is up for free on youtube, but it's such an epic scale story i'd love to see it on the big screen with live accompaniment someday!
8. Please describe your ideal movie theater seat!
it has to recline all the way back, obviously, and have enough space between my seat and the next that i don't jostle my neighbor when i inevitably shift around 30 times during the movie. and it needs to have that little attached table like at alamo.
location-wise, i'm always at seat 311 with alamo's numbering system--3rd row, all the way to the left of the theater. center's great, but i hate feeling like i'll be blocking someone's view if i have to get up to go to the bathroom or something--i'm a restless guy, what can i say. and by the law of the attached table being on the right side of the chair, i defacto get both armrests at the far left of the theater.
9. One thing you would change to make movie theaters better?
more closed caption/subtitled screenings! every once in a while alamo will have a cc screening (i think grand theft hamlet was the last one i saw) and it was incredible how much easier it made things for my brain to process. i know some people find it distracting, so maybe not every movie, but it would be nice to have the option.
10. What’s the ideal number/length of previews before a movie?
5 trailers, no more than 10 minutes, and no non-movie ads. having a little grace period to get into your seat is fine, but 20+ minutes is egregious. also, as much as i love alamo, do they really need three different "turn your cellphone off" bumpers AND a theater-specific title card before every movie?
11. Do you prefer seeing movies alone or with someone/a group?
i never saw a movie in theaters alone until college, and now i think that's my preference! i watch a lot of diverse types of movies, and i would hate trying to get a group together every time i wanted to watch some random indie flick no one but nerds have heard of. i love my friends, but getting them together is like herding cats. plus, if i'm going alone there's no shame in cutting and rescheduling at the drop of a hat.
12. Movie you’re looking forward to seeing?
the monkey. oz perkins and stephen king are both hit-and-miss creators for me, but when they hit they REALLY hit. i'm already sold on the visuals, and king is best when he's getting a little silly with it, so i'm down for what they have in store, stupid tagline or no.
13. One movie recommendation (that you think people might not know about or should give another chance to):
edge of tomorrow/live, die, repeat is one of my favorite action movies of all time, and its a shame it got killed because of its lackluster marketing. i saw it in theaters because i'm a huge fan of tom cruise (as an actor, not as a person) and it blew my mind that it was a commercial flop. in a just world, edge of tomorrow would be in the mission impossible echelon, easy.
14. What’s your dream combination of director & lead(s)?
i love what luca guadagnino has been putting out lately, and i think robert pattinson could really match his freak.
15. If you could live in a movie, which one would it be?
perfect days, hands down. i want to live in the world the way wim wenders films it, and spend a day taking photos and trading cassettes with hirayama. i'll settle for finding beauty in the mundane in my own life, though!
Comments
Displaying 0 of 0 comments ( View all | Add Comment )