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Comment by lostlogin | Hacker News Reader

> I rarely go to movie theaters because what is available on streaming is so much better, it's not a close call.

Better seats, better sound (for me this means not being deafened), better food, better drinks, better price (and no dick moves to get a few more $), no parking issues, less annoying lights/sounds etc from other patrons. I also haven’t seen a theatre with a wood burner.

It misses is the feeling of it being an occasion, but as a plus it also misses any Covid anxiety.

I completely agree with you.

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The open-mouthed chewing, soda slurping, and bag rustling is unbearable for me. It completely takes me out of the film, particularly during quiet scenes.

My killer feature at home is volume levelling or whatever you call it when you quieten the load bits and raise the volume of the quiet parts.

I’m using some Sonos thing to do it, but I’m sure there are loads of variant (presumably with the Sonos proprietary crap).

Usually that's only necessary at home because the movie's mixed for a huge surround sound system, though.

("Usually" because there are some exceptions like, say, the way that Christopher Nolan films have repeatedly had garbage sound mixes even in theaters.)

I once endured A Quiet Place (wonderful movie) while some teenaged kids behind us spent the movie loudly making out. Of all the movies to do that in!

The real killer of the streaming for is that there is a pause button. I missed out a whole 5 minutes of Avengers Endgame thanks to my bladder.

The pause button is just one part of the "complete control" package the in-home experience is.

Missed a sentence? Rewind it. Watch some international movie? Turn on the subtitles. Enjoy some explosion scenes? Turn up the bass? Wanna relax with a drink and chat? Lower the volume. Watch a food scene and suddenly feel hungry? Put a pack of popcorn in the microwave.

I'd only go to theater for social events, not for the movie itself anymore. I'm way too spoiled by the freedom at home.

Some would argue that your bladder was doing you a service ;)

I think the films were fairly enjoyable as long as you don't turn up with a film critic's hat on. But yes, missing 5 minutes probably wasn't a big deal at the end of the day.

It's gerting harder to be less of a snob. Years ago I decided to stop turning my nose up at "dumb" movies and just enjoy them but it feels almost as if the industry saw it as a challenge to make people like me scoff. The fandom and fauning is just endless and inescapable to the point tbat it is very hard to ignore.

It was also easier when we were getting big budget art pieces like "No Country" and "The Master" but those seem to have all but disappeared.

The trick I find is to drink enough alcohol before you get there not to give a shit any more. Whether or not that's a good or a bad idea I haven't established yet.

I want intermissions back.

No adverts.

Subtitles!

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