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Posted: May 14 2009 03:47 am

You know, a slight decline but you can't see around the guy in front of you and you have to share(if you're lucky)armrests? I don't know why I still love seeing movies in this fashion but it just feels amazing.

There is a theater like this at the community college right behind my apartment. I saw Indiana Jones-Crystal Skull at the stadium theater when it came out and decided to see it again that same day at the college and it just felt more satisfying seeing it there.

I decided to see it again at the college. Yes, I did see Crystal Skull three times on the opening day. But the point being is that I enjoyed it more in the classic theater configuration. I had to look between people's heads and so on during the last showing but it was still fun.

I also saw The Dark Knight at the college theater and it was amazing. I only saw it that once at that theater. No stadium seating, no THX or anything like that.

I don't know what it is about these kind of theaters. Is it because you share an armrest without a cup holder? Is it that you can see/hear the reaction of people around you without looking up and/or down in an extreme direction? No, you're just trying to enjoy a movie, and maybe for that amount of time you enjoy each others company.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Crystal Skull was horrible and you wasted way too much time on it.

Also, you are clearly not short. At 5'8 and with a wife that is 5'1, going to movies in the old seating style sucked. I always ended up leaning over to the left or right to see a portion of the screen. Also, I don't want to think about other people while I watch the movie. I want to watch the movie while I watch the movie.

Posted: May 14 2009 08:23 am

I saw Wolverine in this style theater and I had forgotten how much I hate them. The chairs are small and uncomfortable, the arm rests don't go up, and even at 6'1 or 6'2 I still had issues having to look around people's heads. Stadium seating is the way to go, and you are definitely in the minority for thinking otherwise.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

Dr. Jeebus wrote:

I saw Wolverine in this style theater and I had forgotten how much I hate them. The chairs are small and uncomfortable, the arm rests don't go up, and even at 6'1 or 6'2 I still had issues having to look around people's heads. Stadium seating is the way to go, and you are definitely in the minority for thinking otherwise.

Did you go to that shitty cinema in Cambridge or something?

Joined: Apr 14 2006 Location: Lake Michigan Posts: 3332

I don't want to see other people's reactions at the theatre, that's what other social situations, like playing poker, are for. That's why I prefer watching movies at home.

And yeah, I was always short as a kid (only 5' 9 1/2" now as an adult), so old theatres sucked for me in trying to see around people's fat heads.

I appreciate the extra room in new theatres. Plus, if your with your girl, you can usually swing up the armrest and be closer.

Posted: May 14 2009 01:38 pm

4'10''. That's my height, and really no more needs to be said about how much I hate those old style theatres, and how much of a blessing stadium seating is for me.

That said, it does feel cool to go see an indie movie at one of the few theatres around town that are still old style. They're generally uncrowded enough that I don't have problems with overly tall (read: normal sized) people blocking my view.

Posted: May 14 2009 02:03 pm

I usually see movies in the larger theater with stadium seating on the other side of the county. The small theater at the college gets major films every so often but they mostly show independent stuff. The last movie I saw at the college was The Dark Knight.

Joined: Aug 26 2007 Posts: 2752

I reference back to IceWarm's other thread for my commentary on the subject:

http://www.sydlexia.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9346

Posted: May 14 2009 02:42 pm

I can see being nostalgic for an older theater that you used to go to as a child or teenager. All the ones I used to go to when I was young are closed now, so that isn't possible for me. There are two insanely large multiplexes around here that pretty much killed off most of the small theaters. That being said I prefer stadium seating since I am also vertically challenged.

Joined: Apr 09 2009 Location: Jax, Florida Posts: 45

Where I live, the only theater in town is the old style. and I hate it. I don't need to see the heads of a bunch of jackasses taking up the bottom of the screen. Good thing I'm moving in a month to a place that doesn't suck.

Posted: Jun 25 2009 08:09 pm

I'm 5'6", average height for a hispanic, and way too short to enjoy a movie in non stadium seating. Sorry Sylar.

Posted: Jun 25 2009 09:13 pm

RobotGumshoe wrote:

I'm 5'6", average height for a hispanic, and way too short to enjoy a movie in non stadium seating. Sorry Sylar.

I thought you were a robot?

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

MOGHARR wrote:

RobotGumshoe wrote:

I'm 5'6", average height for a hispanic, and way too short to enjoy a movie in non stadium seating. Sorry Sylar.

I thought you were a robot?

Hispanic Robot. Science doesn't have ethnic boundaries.

Posted: Jun 25 2009 09:37 pm

GPFontaine wrote:

MOGHARR wrote:

RobotGumshoe wrote:

I'm 5'6", average height for a hispanic, and way too short to enjoy a movie in non stadium seating. Sorry Sylar.

I thought you were a robot?

Hispanic Robot. Science doesn't have ethnic boundaries.

I thought robots were above all of that stuff.

Posted: Jun 25 2009 11:05 pm

MOGHARR wrote:

GPFontaine wrote:

MOGHARR wrote:

RobotGumshoe wrote:

I'm 5'6", average height for a hispanic, and way too short to enjoy a movie in non stadium seating. Sorry Sylar.

I thought you were a robot?

Hispanic Robot. Science doesn't have ethnic boundaries.

I thought robots were above all of that stuff.

Hey, do you forget Bender Rodriguez?

Title: Hugh Joined: Sep 23 2007 Posts: 1591

Meh, either style does the trick. Due to my albinism I have to sit right at the front anyway, so I don't have to worry about people in front of me. As well, I don't use the armrests, so I don't worry about them. As for cupholders, ever heard of putting it between your legs? Jeez, you guys need a manufactured spot for everything, don't you?

What I think deserves a memorial is the drive-in theatre. I used to love going to these but the one I always went to closed down a year or two ago. It's a shame, nothing like sitting in your car, watching a movie, desparately fiddling with the radio as not to miss too much of the dialouge... grand stuff.

Posted: Jun 26 2009 06:24 am

We have a drive-in theatre a few miles from here. It's okay the only downside is that the screen is pretty dim so if you decide to watch a particularly dark or gritty movie you probably won't be able to see anything.

Title: Hugh Joined: Sep 23 2007 Posts: 1591

Last movie I ever saw at a drive-in was Batman Begins.

Why doesn't someone open up one of those again? I mean, they're surely retro-hip by now. Lots of little idiots who'd seen them in the movies would rush out and fill them up for a while at least.

Posted: Jun 26 2009 07:18 am

I'm not sure. The one I'm thinking of is family-run and it gets a decent amount of business. It'd be a lot better though if people just didn't walk in and sit down where the cars are supposed to park with a family of ten and a cooler of bud light (or is it lite?). That being said it is surprising that they haven't caught on again.

Joined: May 13 2009 Location: lowell, ma Posts: 289

There's a drive-in in NH not too far from my house. I love it. When you go, you get 2 movies. Plus, i'm a sucker for doing stuff I did when I was younger and my grandma always used to bring me there.

Posted: Jun 30 2009 03:42 am

I can't stand the older style of movie theater. I'd always get stuck behind some fat fuck who refuses to take off his hat.

Posted: Jun 30 2009 05:14 pm

I've been to the one drive-in we have in Georgia. It's a pretty big operation too, I think they've got at least 6 screens. It's quite a different experience and about the only time I dont mind someone blasting their speakers.