Make Going To The Movies A New Year’s Resolution

Going to the theater can be one of the most worthwhile experiences to revisit this year, provided that you are safe since the COVID-19 pandemic is still very much a problem. (Photo from “Cinema Paradiso”)

Upon doing the math for how many newly released films I saw in the past year, I was shocked to discover I watched 64 films that were released in 2021. Out of those 64, 48 I saw in theaters, sometimes more than once, which means that nearly every weekend you probably had a good chance of finding me at the local theater. 

You’d think that after all this time and so many films, I’d take the theatrical experience for granted. But that is not the case. Every time I step into a theater, it is like walking on holy ground. Next to church, the cinema is the most sacred place to me because of how much I love film. This past year I got to see some incredible films on the biggest screen possible including hits like “Dune,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “A Quiet Place Part II.” 

I also saw plenty of great films that, for some reason, people didn’t come out and support. Films that were entertaining and wonderful and made me feel all of the emotions I want to feel as both a cinephile who wants to be enlightened and an audience member who wants to be entertained. I have had a hard time forgiving people for letting films like “In The Heights,” “The Suicide Squad,” “The Last Duel” and “West Side Story” bomb at the box office. 

Which is why I am begging you all, who are making New Year’s Resolutions, to make going to the theater regularly a resolution and to actually follow through with it. Because there are so many good films out there right now that aren’t getting the support they need. 

I have heard every argument as to why people can’t go to the movies and, as much as I’d like to rebuke them, it frankly doesn’t really help my case any. So, here are some responses to the most common ones.

I Don’t Have The Time: I actually do understand this one quite a bit because, as a student at college, I have weird hours when it comes to classes, work and taking time to advance my status as a filmmaker. However, the way I look at it is that an average movie is about two hours. When you factor in trailers and the time it takes to get to and from a theater, that’s about three to three-and-a-half hours. That’s the same time as an average NFL game. Or an average MLB game. 

And I’m not trying to bash on sports. I love the St. Louis Cardinals, I root for my NIU Huskies in every sport and love attending home games and, no matter how much they suck, I still find some space in my heart for the Chicago Bears. But if we’re going to spend a good chunk of our time sitting on our butts looking at a screen anyway, might as well change up the location every once in a while. 

It’s Too Expensive: Again, this is a very valid argument. Especially if you have a family. Taking your significant other and children to a theater can really rake up the bill. But if you’re single or in a relationship, going to the theater isn’t as expensive as you think it is. A ticket is around ten dollars and you don’t always have to get concessions. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love having a bowl of popcorn and a nice soda when I watch a comic book movie or a blockbuster but, if I did it all the time, I would be incredibly broke. But please, don’t be one of the assholes who sneaks in candy and soda when they see a film. Theaters make a great deal of their revenue on concessions and depriving them of that by smuggling in your own food should be the dictionary definition of a “dick move.” 

There are also ways to go to the theaters that are smart. The reason I get to see so many movies is because of a membership called AMC Stubs A-List. For $21.95 a month, I can see three films every week and get all sorts of deals on concessions as well as a special line just for members. So, if I saw only three films in a month, that’s already cost-effective. 

Being immersed in a theater with incredible sound, a large picture and all other electronics shut off is incredibly cathartic and can be an escape from reality. (Photo from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”)

I’m Good With Streaming: I absolutely love streaming services like Netflix because of how many incredible television shows and films they have given me. Some of my favorite films of 2021, like “Nomadland,” “One Night in Miami” and “Tick, Tick…Boom!” were all released on streaming. 

But the biggest problem with watching a film on streaming, as well as watching movies at home, is that there are outside elements that get in the way. When was the last time you truly watched a film and didn’t just stare at your phone for half of it (something I am sometimes guilty of)? 

Not to mention, nothing can beat the theatrical experience and the gigantic screen. I do love watching films on a 4K television and I tolerate watching films on a laptop but I cannot, for the life of me, understand how people can watch a film on their damn phones. That screen is so small. How can you see what’s going on? Refusing to watch a film in theaters or on a tv in favor of your phone is like having the chance to watch your favorite band perform live and saying to yourself “no thanks I’ll just listen to the concert on a really shitty MP3 file.”

Bottom line, as good as streaming is, it’s just not the same. I see that more streaming films are getting a limited theatrical release and I would love to see that expanded. 

There Are No Good Movies: This is just a bunch of bullshit. Take it from someone who has watched over 60 new films this past year, there are a lot of good ones out there. With comic book films as well as inventive blockbusters like “A Quiet Place Part II,” there are a lot of fun blockbusters. But the low-budget films (basically anything with a budget less than $100 million) are the ones that are even more interesting.

I should have my list of favorite films of 2021 available soon and very few of them were blockbusters (but the ones that are on the list are so, so good). Films like “Last Night In Soho,” “West Side Story” and “Nightmare Alley” were unbelievable and, with the exception of “West Side Story,” they’re completely original. Hollywood is constantly trying to adapt books and plays or use an Intellectual Property to make money (sometimes for better, others for worse) so it’s refreshing to see something truly original on the big screen. 

People Don’t Need To Watch Movies To Be Happy: This argument just makes no sense to me. Everyone has a favorite film. Even my grandfather, who doesn’t like to watch movies that much, likes “Old Yeller.” I don’t expect everyone to watch 64 new films a year but, if you take the chance, there could be something that really speaks to you and it’s not always clear at the beginning of a year what will or won’t be incredible. 

But the movies have such a power over us because they can create new worlds, inspire us, alert us to what’s going on in the world, just be fun spectacle or a mixture of everything. Films like “Almost Famous,” “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” and “Do The Right Thing” inspire me every single day because of how heavily I relate to them and how vividly I remember seeing them for the first time. 

It can even be helpful to not pursue films by actors but by creators. I notice that the series “Yellowstone” has become incredibly popular and it’s a very good series with strong writing, incredible acting, a gritty realism and a good balance of rural America with urban environments. Well, the creator of the series, Taylor Sheridan, is an incredibly talented screenwriter and director having written films like “Sicario” and “Hell or High Water” as well as writing and directing 2017’s “Wind River.” 

Amazing filmmakers like Steven Spielberg (“Jaws,” “E.T.” and “Lincoln”), Denis Villenueve (“Prisoners,” “Sicario” and “Blade Runner 2049”)  and Paul Thomas Anderson (“Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia” and “There Will Be Blood”) all made great films this year. 

By prioritizing visits to the movies, it can be an exciting, fun or even romantic occasion. (Photo from “La La Land”)

Go To The Movies Once A Month:

So, a New Year’s Resolution that I think a lot of people can manage is very simple. Just go to the theater once a month. I don’t care how you do it. It can be a date night. It can be a chance to hang out with old friends. It can be a way to see family. Just go once a month.

And, most importantly, it has to be something new, something different. So, if you’re thinking of seeing a comic book film one month, go right ahead. I’ll probably be watching the same film. But that doesn’t count as the film you have to see that month. Because those blockbusters will make money, they don’t need your help. Films that are more original, those are the ones that need your money and a lot of them are worth it. 

The theatrical experience is the best way to watch a film. Period. And it’s something we shouldn’t take for granted. There are still incredible films in theaters like “West Side Story,” “Nightmare Alley” and “Licorice Pizza” that are worthy of your time. And if you take a chance on a film and you don’t like it, why should that dissuade you from still pursuing others. I have seen the Chicago Bears lose again and again to the point where I feel like a masochist. 

But I still watch in faith that I’ll see something incredible. Because all entertainment, all art is a risk Whether it’s sports, books, theatre, music, television, film, video games, painting, etc., there’s the chance you won’t like it. But, then again, you just may end up falling in love with it.