The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
Today’s question:
Most movie theaters have switched to reserved seating and feature electronic recliners. Do you enjoy the new(er) movie theater experience, or do you like when it was just normal theater seats with no reserved seating? Also, what was the last movie you saw in the theater?
Talk about it….
The last movie I saw in a theater was Star Wars (the original). So I obviously don’t have much experience with the new-style seating.
I think it was the last Jumanji movie, and it was an experience I don’t intend to repeat. My grandsons were small and seated in the row in front of me where I couldn’t even see them. There was an obnoxious woman seated next to me and complaining. I thought the old seats were quite comfortable and I liked getting to the movie early to choose where I wanted to sit. Also, the movies have gotten incredibly loud, apparently to compensate for the rude people who can’t seem to be quiet and watch the movie. Any movies I watch in the future will be in the comfort of my home on my own TV. It is no longer a pleasure to go to movies, in addition to being overpriced, especially the concessions.
Correction. It was the 2017 Jumanji movie, not the most recent one.
Godzilla VS King Kong and it was great! No stupid SJW rhetoric just an entertaining movie oh and I had to show ID to pick up my reserved tickets, so racist…
If you truly believe that Godzilla (an allegory for the horrors of war and the nuclear bomb) vs Kong (an allegory for man’s destruction of nature) doesn’t have “SJW rhetoric” then you may have missed darn near every line of dialogue that wasn’t “hollow earth” centered. The whole movie is nature rising up to protect man against his own worse impulses. But yeah, big monsters go boom.
Gottcha Matt, all I cared about was a gigantic ape punching a gigantic lizard and I got that. Funny how neither lead had any SJW trash to say…
I prefer the reserved seating because you don’t have to rush to the theater or get there early to get a good seat. The last movie I saw, a few weeks ago, was Those Who Wish Me Dead. It was a pretty good movie.
I saw that movie. Had the best seat in the house and food was reasonably priced. Yep, I watched it on my own big screen at home. I enjoyed the movie.
I think the last movie I saw in a theatre was Blade Runner 2049 when it was first released. We don’t get out too much.
Gone With The Wind.
We brought milk crates and sat in a meadow
The last movie I can remember watching in a movie theater was “March of the Penguins” at the Lafayette Park, quite a while ago. I haven’t had the new(er) movie theater experience, I have a feeling I may never see a movie in a theater again, but I am planning to go to the drive in this Summer.
Silva-
I loved the Park Theater. I recall seeing Lawrence of
Arabia there. (I think the snack bar set a record for selling
cold drinks during that desert epic). The good news is
there’s a group that is hoping to reopen it next year.
I strongly recommend you try one of the remodeled
theaters (Contra Costa Cinema in Martinez is our local
favorite) with the reclining seats. It’s such a more
comfortable experience. The rows are separated by low
walls so that don’t see the people in front or behind you.
They also serve beer and wine if you’re so inclined.
See ya at the movies!
Oh wow, Shoulda Coulda! That certainly does sound like it’s worth a try. I love Martinez, too. Many thanks!😊
And that town is beyond foolish if they don’t truly resurrect the Park, of course keeping a whole lot of it’s classic charm!!
Oh, and when we went to see “March of the Penguins” when we got to the counter to buy our tickets, I had to set off at a run to Safeway to get the cash and run back, as they were only taking cash! Huff, puff, PANT, PANT, PANT😛
Isn’t March of the Penguins this nice nature movie for the family where they show the cute little penguins growing up with their moms and dads, but then cuts to the scene of sea birds ripping the baby penguins to shreds alive in front of the viewers? If that is the movie I’m thinking of, I hated it with a passion.
Silva-
Funny how “The March of the Penguins” turned
into “The Run of the Silva” 🏃♀️ 🏃♀️ 🏃♀️
I spent many, many Saturday afternoons in the middle 50’s at the old Park Theater “Kiddie Matinee”. 2 movies and a couple of cartoons and tons of ju ju bees, and candy bars! What a blast we had. All my neighborhood and school friends were there. Always fun to throw a scrunched up popcorn bag up into the stream of Movie Light from the projector. All for only $.25 admission. The line to get tickets used to wrap around the entire building. You just couldn’t and still can’t beat it!
Yes. indeed it did!! 🐧🐧 🏃♀️ 🏃♀️ 🏃♀️ 😂😂😂
redrazor—
I pulled out several fillings eating Ju Ju Bees.
They were stronger than super glue. Of course
they were also the reason I had fillings.
It’s been a very long time. I don’t thing the movie goers will have changed any and I have a very big TV so I will just stay home and enjoy.
35th Anniversary of Stand by Me a couple of weeks ago. Reserved seats that recline and have heaters, along with mostly empty theater? Yes, please.
A double feature, a newsreel, and a color cartoon, all for two bits. Those were the days. But the last movie I saw in a theater was Avatar.
I can wait until a movie comes out on DVD and watch it in the comfort of my living room. I can pause or stop the movie at anytime to do whatever I want to do, and I can adjust the volume to my liking. And, If I miss something, I can rewind it.
Cruella – last Friday, great movie! very comfortable….. but…. 40 mins. of previews and advertisements! many were duplicated over and over! Terrible waste of time!
Over a year ago I was in a comfortable recliner, and I seem to recall waking up in time for the ending credits!
Wesley Mouch~
OMG,…I laughed so hard, because it has happened to me.
Been so long I forgot what movie it was. Did not reserve seat but had to chose from the un-taken seats still available. Prior to that went to the new theater in Concord that had food served at the seats. That I didn’t like. Movie was held up an extra 20 minutes so cleaning crew could take out 5 large garbage cans of trash and clean up the floors.
Last month my daughter threw herself a birthday party by renting a whole movie theater for herself, family, and friends (it’s nice to have gainfully employed adult children). Comfortable reclining chairs and fewer than 10 of us in the theater. It cost her a lot less than I thought it would have – let’s just say about the same as I’d pay for very nice meal out with my wife, including a bottle of good wine and tip. Get about 15 people together and it’s cheaper than individual tickets. We saw “Raya and the Last Dragon” (I know, I’d never heard of it before, either). It’s a Disney flick – kind of like “Moana” but on (mostly) dry land – strong young woman battles evil and backstabbing “friends” (Hey! Sounds like high school).
Don’t waste my money going to theaters, have a big screen at home at a fraction of the cost and I can pause movies/shows when I want. Popcorn is pennies, not a second mortgage…
The last movie Hubby & I saw at a theater was Avatar.
Might have to go and try the “new” seating stuff.
Dude, where’s my car?
The last movie I saw was The Water Horse in 2007 when my daughter was 6.
My wife took her to a couple of movies after that, but the last one was probably in 2010 or 2011.
Before The Water Horse, I hadn’t seen a movie since Rambo: First Blood Part II in 1985. That was at the theater in Sunvalley Mall.
For me, at least, VHS killed the movies. I can pause the tape to make a snack, go to the bathroom or go out back to smoke a cig (before I quit). I can sit in a comfy chair and drink a beer or an old fashioned. What better way to enjoy a movie? Today, with big TVs and killer sound at home, there’s no point to go to the movies.
And there is NOTHING so wonderful coming out of Hollywood that I cannot wait for it to go to Bluray or streaming. Where you used to have to wait two years, today it’s two weeks.
I know I went to a movie in the last ten years but probably over 5 years ago. There is a theater nearby and I would go to afternoon matinees weekdays where there might be at most 10 people in the auditorium. Sometimes I might even be the only paying customer. But I don’t remember which movie that was.
Now with 4K TVs movies look as good as they do in any theater and my audio system has been surround for over 20 years with good speakers. Plus I’m a bit of a snob. I used to go to movies at the art houses in the Bay Area just as I did the same when I lived in the Seattle area. So I usually jump on the chance to watch some art house movie on my home theater over a “tentpole” movie. Plus there is a pause button. 😉
I like reserved seating since i don’t need to worry about getting a seat, and the reclining seats are awesome! Last movie I saw, I think, was Avengers: Endgame. It’s been awhile. Maybe the second Jumanji. 🤷🏼♂️
My son came for a visit back in 2013, and I went to see the latest Superman movie with him. Even at the back of the theater, I got explosion overload. I haven’t gone to the movies since.
Hmmm. Been so long I forgot!
The whiz-bang attracts the type of crowd I’m not attracted to, so…gimme a simple theater with ez parking and good customer service
Last movie I seen starred Charlie Chaplin.
I can’t remember if it was the first star wars with the female Luke Skywalker (already a strong Jedi, in spite of no training), or the Spiderman with Jamie Foxx or the Avengers with that silver character. Either way, all of those movies lost me completely about 30 minutes in, and half way through, was ready to leave. I did not even realize/remember that Han was killed in that star wars movie until 5 months later talking to a colleague at work and he mentioned it. I do not like going to movies, as most movies bore me, the seats are not comfortable, and I don’t like to spend money on this crap. Fortunately, my son is now old enough I do not need to go.
“Ford vs Ferrari” Matt Damon as Carroll Shelby and Christian Bale as Ken Miles. Good film.
Went to the movies in Pleasant Hill to see the Korean movie which won the Academy Award. Not a fan of the big seats, nor of the reserved seating. Don’t know when I’ll be going back into a theater.
Alexander in 2004. Fell asleep. Haven’t been back since and don’t miss it at all. I don’t know anything about reserved seating or reclining chairs.
Huge fan of the updates to theaters. I love choosing the seats in advance instead of stressing everyone out to get to the theater 45 minutes early to get good ones. The recliners are a nice touch, too often in the past I felt wedged in between people and someone in front of me reclining into my lap. Not so anymore; I look forward to seeing movies in theaters again.
A Quiet Place 2 last weekend – highly recommend it.
I enjoy the reserved seating and reclining chairs. The seats are more comfortable, at times too comfortable. The last movie we saw was called Here Today. Billy Crystal plays a tv show writer who starts experiencing dementia issues. His portrayal of a dementia “victim” makes one see how symptoms of this disease affect the mind. It hits close to home if you have a family member experiencing this. Funny at times, sad too. Great cast. I recommend it.
Cruella-last weekend. LOVED AND HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT FOR FAMILIES WITH LOTS OF KIDS.