RARA-AVIS: Movie Prices

From: Kevin Burton Smith ( kvnsmith@thrillingdetective.com)
Date: 17 Feb 2007


Patrick, who apparently doesn't like THE LONG GOODBYE, wrote:

> Terrill, you're being too literal. Today, movie prices
> are about $12.

Man, where do you live?

I know there are a few "premium" places that try to get away with it
(there's a real trendy theatre in downtown Montreal whose Saturday night shows must be up about there -- or even possibly higher -- by now) but most places I know, both in Montreal and the friggin' no man's land of the Antelope Valley in California are considerably cheaper, particularly during matinees and week nights.

Seems to me anyone paying twelve bucks a flick WANTS to pay that much. But maybe other parts of the country are more expensive. Folks?

And before Bill rightfully slams the door shut on this off-topic thread, let me slip in a few semi-pertinent questions.

Given the recent spate of often disappointing crime films and their limited runs, how many of you -- more and more -- find yourselves simply waiting for them to come out in a couple of months (or less) on DVD?

HOLLYWOODLAND, for example, played around here for less than a week, and then at odd times -- no doubt so they could fill multiple screens with BOOTY PARTY VII or something. ROAD TO PERDITION never even played here.

And given the often tight focus of most crime films (and the frequently claustrophobic feel of many of the more noirish ones), is a big screen really the best way to see them? Or do these films actually play better dramatically in a small, dark living room?

It's just a thought, but with so much competition for screens and the increasing rush to DVD, I've noticed several small, indy crime flicks coming straight to DVD (or, occasionally, television). Could a major revival of the low-budget B-film be on its way? Will we soon lining up every Tuesday to pick up the latest indy P.I. or caper flick? Or hanging around the mailbox waiting for the NetFlix postman to ring twice? Or hovering by our computers, waiting for the download of the latest to be complete?

Heady possibilities, anyway.

Kevin Burton Smith Now playing: The Thrilling Detective Web Site Holiday Issue. With fiction from Bludis, Swierczynski, Rogers, Koweski, Siverling and Zackel Plus the 2006 Cheap Thrill Awards http://www.thrillingdetective.com



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