Why It’s Worth Going to the Cinema

Why It’s Worth Going to the Cinema Why It’s Worth Going to the

Picture yourself attending a cinema screening in the twentieth century: whichever your Picture yourself attending a cinema screening in the twentieth century: whichever your mind immediately casts itself back to, the image is oft en the same: a winding maze of a queue, massive buckets of popcorn, a full theatre, crowds streaming through the exit at the end, excitedly discussing their reaction to the whirlwind story they have just witnessed. Picture yourself attending a cinema screening in the twentieth century: whichever your Picture yourself attending a cinema screening in the twentieth century: whichever your mind immediately casts itself back to, the image is oft en the same: a winding maze of a queue, massive buckets of popcorn, a full theatre, crowds streaming through the exit at the end, excitedly discussing their reaction to the whirlwind story they have just witnessed.

FILM 1 It’s a romantic image, perhaps a sentimentalised image - young couples in the 1940s, passing through an art deco foyer, formally dressed-up, through to the 2000s with a group of awkward and giggly teenagers chatting in the row as the trailers roll before the lights fi nally dim. Th e golden age of Hollywood might arguably have been about 60 or 70 years ago, but the tradition of going to the cinema is one that has endured. Much has been written about the decline of cinema, especially in the age of streaming, and indeed the availability of fi lm on demand has caused signifi cant harm to the cinema industry. As with seemingly everything else, it’s cheaper to stay at home, to prop your computer on your lap and stream Netfl ix, or to stream a fi lm on your smart TV. It is effi cient, it is convenient. It is also, I think, a little bit isolating, somewhat lacking the excitement and enjoyment of a night out to the cinema with your friends. It’s a romantic image, perhaps a sentimentalised image - young couples in the 1940s, passing through an art deco foyer, formally dressed-up, through to the 2000s with a group of awkward and giggly teenagers chatting in the row as the trailers roll before the lights fi nally dim. Th e golden age of Hollywood might arguably have been about 60 or 70 years ago, but the tradition of going to the cinema is one that has endured. Much has been written about the decline of cinema, especially in the age of streaming, and indeed the availability of fi lm on demand has caused signifi cant harm to the cinema industry. As with seemingly everything else, it’s cheaper to stay at home, to prop your computer on your lap and stream Netfl ix, or to stream a fi lm on your smart TV. It is effi cient, it is convenient. It is also, I think, a little bit isolating, somewhat lacking the excitement and enjoyment of a night out to the cinema with your friends.

It is true that streaming services have a much greater amount of content to pick from relative to the cinema, but as I write this, I’ll take a quick scroll through Netfl ix. Granted, there are some very good fi lms: Blade Runner 2049 for example; Shrek, I suppose - who doesn’t like a bit of Shrek? But an awful lot of the content isn’t stunning, or even recent. Baby Driver wasn’t a bad fi lm, but I saw it in cinemas a couple of years ago. Th e Baywatch fi lm wows me in an unintended way with its 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As other studios pull content from Netfl ix in favour of their own streaming platforms (see the loss of Friends from Netfl ix, which has drawn more international outcry than China’s imprisonment of ethnic minorities), it is more and more diffi cult to fi nd a fi lm or television show that you really desire to watch. Netfl ix, Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, NBCUniversal: how many subscriptions will consumers have to get to keep up? Perhaps going to see one good, choice fi lm would be worth more than sift ing through several streaming services full of fi ller. Movies are made to be seen on the big screen, aft er all. It is true that streaming services have a much greater amount of content to pick from relative to the cinema, but as I write this, I’ll take a quick scroll through Netfl ix. Granted, there are some very good fi lms: Runner 2049 for example; content isn’t stunning, or even recent. years ago. Th e other studios pull content from Netfl ix in favour of their own streaming platforms (see the loss of Friends from Netfl ix, which has drawn more international outcry than China’s imprisonment of ethnic minorities), it is more and more diffi cult to fi nd a fi lm or television show that you really desire to watch. Netfl ix, Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, NBCUniversal: how many subscriptions will consumers have to get to keep up? Perhaps going to see one good, choice fi lm would be worth more than sift ing through several streaming services full of fi ller. Movies are made to be seen on the big screen, aft er all.

Granted, cinema is not always accessible - the closest one from my home in the midlands is nearly an hour away by car. However, in Dublin there is no excuse not to go occasionally - one of my friends recently grabbed me to go along to see Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and it was immensely enjoyable. Th at fi lm’s title and setting notes our enduring fascination with cinema, with storytelling, with the creation of alternate realities. Cinemas may not have the glamour of old, but they have comfy seats galore and a much more enveloping sound system and screen than a dodgy 13.3-inch laptop can muster. Granted, cinema is not always accessible - the closest one from my home in the midlands is nearly an hour away by car. However, in Dublin there is no excuse not to go occasionally - one of my friends recently grabbed me to go along to see title and setting notes our enduring fascination with cinema, with storytelling, with the creation of alternate realities. Cinemas may not have the glamour of old, but they have comfy seats galore and a much more enveloping sound system and screen than a dodgy 13.3-inch laptop can muster.

Th e next time you feel the desire to see a fi lm, grab a few friends and make a bit of an experience out of it - chances are the fi lm you see will be newer, more relevant, and far more engaging. And looking back, you’ll remember it a lot more, as you stumbled out the door, blinking in the daylight, eagerly discussing the twists, the ending, and the gags, than if you had just wordlessly closed your laptop and switched off the bedside lamp. Th e next time you feel the desire to see a fi lm, grab a few friends and make a bit of an experience out of it - chances are the fi lm you see will be newer, more relevant, and far more engaging. And looking back, you’ll remember it a lot more, as you stumbled out the door, blinking in the daylight, eagerly discussing the twists, the ending, and the gags, than if you had just wordlessly closed your laptop and switched off the bedside lamp.

Words By Graham Kelly