Last movie you watched

[erilaz]

Spaceballs (1987) — I'd never seen this before, remarkably enough. I expected a slapstick parody of Star Wars, but it turned out to be not as dumb as I expected. The references to Alien and Quark (a show cancelled ten years earlier after only eight episodes!) especially made me laugh.

Earwig and the Witch (アーヤと魔女) (2020) — In spite of all the negative reviews, I really enjoyed this film. The ending was quite abrupt, though. Added bonus: Shishido Kavka was the drummer on the band Earwig's songs.

[Zunu]

^I've been meaning to check out Earwig, thanks for the reminder.

[erilaz]

Repo Man (1984) — One of my all-time favorites, but this was my first time seeing it dubbed in German , since my sister got me the German DVD for Christmas. It was also a good time to refresh my memory, because I'm going to a live performance of the soundtrack later this week.

„Je mehr du fährst, desto idiotischer wirst du.“

[erilaz]

I saw this at a Sunday matinee in one of the two largest theaters at a multiplex in Berkeley, and I was the only person in the audience. So it's not surprising that there are plans to tear the place down and replace it with another m*****f***ing apartment building.

I thought I'd see Knock at the Cabin at the Regal UA Berkeley this weekend, but when I passed by the theater today, there was nothing on the marquee and no films were listed at the box office. So the number of movie screens in Berkeley has just decreased by seven. But it turns out to be more than just a local closure: the parent company went bankrupt and 39 Regal Cinemas locations are closing around the country.

I remember when there were half a dozen theaters in Downtown Berkeley, with a total of at least 20 screens. Now there's only the Pacific Film Archive, which averages about one film screening per day, and the UC Theatre, which reopened as a live music venue in 2016 and only shows movies on very rare occasions. The only other movie theater still open within the Berkeley city limits is the Rialto Elmwood, with three screens, about 2.5 km from downtown. I'm happy, though, that the two theaters closest to where I live are still operational: the Landmark Albany Twin and the Rialto Cerrito (both outside of Berkeley, each with two screens).

EDIT: Corrected the number of screens at the Elmwood.

[Zunu]

Regal's recent cash flow issues can be chalked up to pandemic era losses, but the film industry as a whole is facing a structural issue. While the number of cinema screens in Berkeley has decreased by 90%, the number of jumbo home screens has probably gone up by 90,000. Even a financially struggling family can pick up a 60 inch set on sale for less than the price of 10 family movie outings. Plus the number of small home screens: laptops, tablets and phones has skyrocketed as well, distracting people with other activities. I know more people my age who would rather spend their idle time "swiping right" (and left) than they would going to the movies.

[erilaz]

That is of course true. I see far more movies in theaters than the average consumer, but last year over 80% of my own movie viewing was done at home. That was the case even in the 2010s, before the COVID shutdown. In the days before streaming, I rented (and bought) lots of DVDs, and lots of videotapes before that. So I clearly don't object to having other ways of seeing movies, I just mourn the resulting loss of theaters.

[Zunu]

Hard agree on all counts. Fortunately (at least until they figure out how to make VR unsuck) people still need to leave the house from time to time to meet up with friends, and places to have experiences, and so I doubt the cinematic experience will entirely die out, just settle into a somewhat smaller level of popularity. I do hope that whatever its new equilibrium point is, that it's more like bookstores, with considerable mainstream appeal, and less like vinyl or cassette tape where the modern allure seems to me largely nostalgic or anemoic.

[erilaz]

Watched One Cut of the Dead (カメラを止めるな!). It's a unique Japanese zombie horror film from 2017, which I found to be a thoroughly enjoyable hour and a half. Probably best to go in not knowing much else about it.

I just saw this. Quite a fun concept! And yes, it's best to go in knowing nothing.

Spoiler: show

メイキングスタート！

[erilaz]

Triangle of Sadness (2022) — In den Wolken, Uli. IN DEN WOLKEN!

[erilaz]

The Teahouse of the August Moon — In this satirical comedy from 1956, Glenn Ford plays a U.S. Army Captain during the post-WWII occupation, who is ordered to build a school in an Okinawan village and teach the people about the principles of democracy, and Marlon Brando (!) plays Sakini, his wily local interpreter.

Say what you will about "yellowface" casting, but Brando reportedly spent two months studying the culture, mannerisms, accent, and language of the locals. I should note that the movie was filmed in Nara, far from Okinawa, and the Japanese cast members speak standard Japanese rather than Okinawan. Bearing that in mind, I think Brando's pronunciation of Japanese — and he gets to speak a fair amount of it — is very good indeed.