Movies Made For Cinema

It's Spooky Month bitches! You know what that means right? Scary movies all month.

Quick disclaimer though, this is being written on October 3rd whereas all the shit I've written for this month is all ready to go so...all I gotta do is remember to post it (new schedule to follow, check Facebook and Twitter for details guyssssss) and it's smooth sailing. Also, if the police read this then...you guys stop here. I'm gonna be detailing some criminal activity that I don't want you to know about. Onto what ya'll are here to read.

So I watched the remake of it recently and I thought "damn, that got me a little" and I was just so down to see it again to get a second opinion on it, nobody wanted to go with, I didn't wanna pay shit loads of money and because I'm a rebellious little millennial, who shares a social network platform full of other rebellious little millennials, the full movie got shared onto my feed. Shit quality but if I can sit in a baggy shirt, stuff myself with Mac & Cheese balls and watch a film, I'm gonna do it, regardless of quality. The only thing missing from that ideal night is a blue Tango Ice Blast. Either way, I was a criminal for a night.

As I was watching it, I realised something odd. I realised I wasn't as scared as I was at the cinema and it's not because I know what's coming. I know what's coming in The Exorcist and that shit's still scary to me. I only realised today that it could have been a number of different things contributing to the situation. I started thinking back to what a lot of films have been doing lately and that's to be a box office pleaser and not really focusing on the re-watch value which, arguably, generates popularity for films that either obscure or have gotten themselves to a cult status. Marvel films do it, have you watched Deadpool again recently? Not as funny as it was the first time right, because even though a lot of heart and soul went into it, there's not a lot of re-watch value, unlike something as timeless (in a sense) as Mean Girls. And it got me thinking, what is it that makes a film look so good that you want to buy it on Amazon, DVD, Bluray or whatever? What is it that makes you want to come back to it? Well I had a good old think about it and I found some things that might be somewhat of an answer.

First, there's everybody else getting spooked alongside you in the cinema, if you go with someone who scares easily at films and like me, you're the sadistic type that not only gets a kick out of the film but the fear of the person/people around you, then you're gonna have a blast. The problem with watching a film alone is that you can still enjoy the film, but you might not enjoy it as much as you did at the cinema. This is because you're a part of a collective experience at the cinema, you're feeling the same as a lot of the people in that room which means your opinion is most likely going to be different when you see it alone stuffing yourself with Mac & Cheese balls.

Then there's the atmosphere created by the cinema, if you know exactly where to sit in a cinema for maximum sound and visuals then you know how to have a good time. Sound and sight are two very important senses to have when you go out to see a film and if a film has you by those senses in the cinema, you're more likely to go out and buy the film when it's available to purchase for home use. Putting more money into Hollywood pockets.

And then, you have the film itself, and the shots used in the film. I'm sure by now, a lot of you have either seen the film, have said "I'll go see it" but most likely won't, or you're gonna wait for it to be online to watch for free. I'm not gonna judge, but I'm sure a lot of you have definitely seen the trailer, and there's a moment in the trailer that's good trailer fuel and pretty good for the big screen but...not so much for home viewing. It's the projector scene. If you've not seen it either find it on Youtube, I know it's there, not great quality but you get what you get. The problem with that scene, while it is amazingly scary, doesn't work when it's on a tiny screen, on your lap, in your home. You're not immersed in the curved screen or the loud sound (unless you have earphones in), you're not in a pitch black room. You're in a bedroom where you're in control of getting away if it gets too scary.

And that's the biggest problem with made for cinema films. You have to make the audience want to buy your film, hell if you don't make your money back in the box office you have to be certain you did a good job to make back your money in home sales. So if you do a good job making sure something is bigger than your audience in the cinema, it has to be at least similar when it comes to watching at home. If you get nothing from it then people have just wasted their money on a deceptive product.

Sometimes this sort of thing is obvious but most of the time it's not, so you gotta be aware of what you're watching and when you leave the cinema you gotta think hard about what you just saw. Not just to properly digest what you just saw, but to also decide if you're willing to see it again more than once or if you'd pay more money to see what you just watched.

Anyway, that's it from me, it's past my bedtime, I've already forgotten what I wrote, I'm tired, I love you all. Stay hydrated, get some rest, peace out and remember this lil' nugget of wisdom: the best place to sit in the cinema is the exact middle 4 seats, you can vary between the middle 2 or 3 rows. Why there? Because that's where the technicians sit to make sure the sound is working properly, plus you're in the middle of the curved screen meaning you're right in there visually. You're welcome, fellas. G'night.