Recently Steven Spielberg allegedly implored the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to make it harder for films distributed primarily through streaming platforms to win Oscars. Or maybe he didn’t. The details are actually kind of fuzzy. But moreover, we’re not sure it really matters whether he did or not. The very idea of it calls into question an interesting topic. Why do people still go OUT to the movies anyway? With set top boxes, laptops, tablets and cell phones able to put a movie literally in the palm of your hands, does it make sense to go to the movies at all? Is something lost when you switch media formats? Or is it time that we rethink the very concept of “what is a movie anyway? Hannah, Katya and Mav are joined by AJ Ortega to talk about the history, culture, art, business and future of the movie cinema experience.
Citations and Links:
- This episode’s Call for Comments
- “What Is it About TV These Days?” by David Charpenter
- “Has Hollywood Ruined the Movies?” by David Denby
- “Spielberg to push for new Oscar rules that exclude streaming movies” by Joe Fingas
- “Jeffrey Katzenberg: Steven Spielberg Isn’t Out to Get Netflix” by Rick Porter
- The Revolution Was Televised by Alan Sepinwall
- Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme
- Follow AJ on Twitter: @AJOrtegadotnet
- Follow AJ’s website at: http://www.ajortega.net
- Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers
- Follow Katya on Instagram: @justthatnerdkid
- Follow Mav on Twitter: @chrismaverick
- Follow Mav’s Personal Blog: http://chrismaverick.com
- Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast
- Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast
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I recently saw the 1931 Dracula in a theater. There is a major difference seeing on large screen vs small screen. Being with an audience can (although not always) add to the enjoyment as can being in a theater solely dedicated to watching the movie.
@chrismaverick @HannahLeeRogers @JustThatNerdKid I go to the movies just for an excuse to get out of th… https://t.co/ELGYnWlvwE
I can’t help but notice that you all gave the positives of others in the audience in terms of communal laughter and a shared experience at a theater.
But no one addressed the negatives. You know, the distractions like the self-important ones who can’t go two hours without checking their phones. Or the ones who shout “quid pro quo” in a silent theater during the tense “lift your skirt” scene in Bombshell (for example). Those who take you out of the moments of the movie.
Those sorts of things also make people NOT want to go to the theater.