The Picture Show
Returning to and thoughts on the cinema
A day at the movies was a beloved activity of mine growing up.
Once or twice a month, my mom would take me and sometimes a friend to our local Regal 19 cinema in the Hudson Valley Mall for a screening. Our childhood choices usually leaned in the direction of something animated. Finding Nemo, Madagascar, and the first three installments of Shrek. We’d then review what we saw over a Cheesewich and complimentary Cone Head sundae at Friendly’s: truly the perfect end to a childhood day.
By middle school I was interested in romantic comedies. Anything with Amanda Bynes was a win. Same went for Katherine Heigel and Sandra Bullock. The line from He’s Just Not That Into You where Ginnifer Goodwin’s character questions whether she’s “the rule” or “the exception” in love still rattles through my brain once a week. My admiration of the genre stayed strong but became refined in high school. I balanced buying tickets for Midnight in Paris and Moonrise Kingdom with streaming classics from John Hughes and Nora Ephron. Nancy Meyers set my expectations for romance high with Jude Law’s heartfelt speeches in The Holiday, while the final scene in Can’t Buy Me Love—riding off into the sunset on a lawn mower with young Patrick Dempsey—defined my sexuality for…well, ever.
These films were simply an escape from the frustrations of being a young person in a boring small town. But my movie watching habit soon shifted, becoming serious.
My studies at NYU mainly focused on creative writing and gender studies, though I also enrolled in film and screenwriting courses. While my writing workshops involved a lot of sitting in my apartment and reading, my melodrama class happened when The Hateful Eight and Brooklyn hit cinemas, meaning I was assigned to go to the movies then write a paper about it. In screenwriting, our professor arranged for screenings of classics such as The Godfather and Edward Scissorhands. It might not have come with free ice cream, but it was still pretty great.
What was even better were the opportunities I had as a college radio journalist to attend film festivals. Working at WNYU-FM, I received press badges for NYFF and Tribeca, where I saw Lady Bird and Call Me By Your Name among other award winners before anyone else, and attended panel discussions with the directors afterward. I was mesmerized.
To this day, I’m still surprised I found a way to receive press badges for big festivals as a college student who only sort of knew what she was doing. But nevertheless, it happened. I was a mere twenty year-old my first time at Cannes, talking my way into midnight exclusive screenings and (correctly) guessing the Palm d’Or winner while naively asking for water when the only drink available anywhere was always champagne. I wore my high school graduation dress walking the red carpet into the storied Théâtre Debussy. And yet, I felt like I’d “made it.”
I got the hang of things by the second and third years, covering Cannes both for WNYU—find 2016, 2017, and 2018 coverage here—and as a freelancer for Popdust. I brought the right clothes, knew the right screenings, and found a few favorite restaurants to enjoy between showings. I even managed to bump my yellow badge to a blue, which is quite the feat.
All of this should have prepared me for attending Sundance in Park City, Utah, but alas. It had an entirely different vibe; less gatekeeping and more snowball fighting (I’m specifically referring to one that playfully broke out on Main Street between Jack Black and Paul Rudd after a press conference). I got to shake Robert Redford’s hand at welcome drinks. I accidentally bumped into Maggie Gyllenhaal at the hot cocoa bar, part of the party for her film The Kindergarten Teacher. And most importantly I screened so many amazing things, including Eighth Grade, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, and the premier for Private Life.
My focus shifted when I went to graduate school. I had to make time for work that paid better than reviewing and movie watching. This was also the moment MoviePass shut down, meaning a lot of my friends stopped casually going to the movies because it became too costly in New York City. Busy professional lives took over, and streaming stuff on our couches became the frequently easier option. We were Netflix and chilling (in actuality, not the euphemism), pretending it was preferable. Even if our popcorn was subpar and we never could get the lighting in our apartments quite right.
Soon after this came a much bigger problem for movie theatres: the pandemic. More than 155 films were delayed in their production due to COVID-19, and some that had been slated for flashy, box office releases moved to straight-to-digital. Theatrical viewing accounted for a mere 15% of revenue in 2020, compared to 43% in 2019.
Even though theaters reopened in 2021 and have been the place to experience buzzy releases like the newest additions to the Marvel franchise or the Barbenheimer phenomenon of summer 2023, most films failed to achieve substantial numbers at the box office if they weren’t viewed as blockbusters. Moviegoers have become pickier in what they are willing to leave the house to see. I think this might be because everyone’s forgotten that going to the cinema is only partially about the actual film. It’s also something you do for the experience of being out and enjoying art communally, together.
Over the holidays, I wrestled myself away from my laptop and hit the cinema. The seats are better than I remembered, the popcorn is just as dreamy. I saw Paddington in Peru (as charming as the first two installments), experienced the Wicked phenomenon (good but too long), and shed a tear during We Live in Time (Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh are *chef’s kiss*). They oddly reminded me of all the stages I’ve had as a viewer: the child in search of entertainment, the lovelorn teenager, and the snobby amateur critic. I’d missed all of these people more than I realized.
It’s important as a creative person to engage in art forms that aren’t your own, and it’s important as a person to be out with other people. I’d forgotten how for me, going to the movie theater covers both grounds. I want to make it a bigger part of my routine. And if that means taking advantage of a matinee ticket deal instead of taking a meeting at work? Well, if you won’t tell, then I won’t ;)
Rachel’s Weekly Recs:
I recently discovered the UK dress brand Lace & Beads and now I’m obsessed with their affordable, formal wear options. If you’ve got a winter wedding coming up or just want a new look for a night out, take a look at their boho-inspired collection.
A collector of Spritz birds from Target, I unsurprisingly adore their Valentine’s collection. Most especially the Chocolate Box featuring miniature pigeons that look like truffles. They have felted wrappers around their feathery bottoms!
Last week, the New York Times ran a piece about aging roadies who support musicians on tour. It made me feel almost optimistic, which is never the easiest task. Read if you need a pick-me-up in the middle of your week
love, love, LOVE this! People should get back to enjoying the cinema - it makes for an engaging and magical experience