movies | Piss and Moan

One, other, or all?

Posted on February 17, 2021 by backuphill

Sometimes the choices about a how you use your time and the entertainment that you consume is tough. There are so many different options these days. From the extremely varied different video streaming services, to all the music streaming platforms, to all the options for books (real, audio, digital), podcasts, and social media.

It literally is difficult to keep up with all the options. Like literally.

I like movies and TV.

I like audio books.

I like listening to music.

I like listening to a couple different podcasts.

So, the question is, how do I do it all? Do I need a schedule? How do I give them all their due audience? Seriously.

I like music to fill time while I am putzing. I like to listen to podcasts and audio books while I putz. I listen to music while I work.

I like to watch stuff, but I actually watch – I can’t just listen. That takes time.

So, how do I watch my shows and movies, listen to audio books and podcasts, and how do I listen to all the music?

Are you like me? Do you do all this stuff or do you just focus on one? How do you deal with all this entertainment and balance it, like to keep up with it?

Price gouging?

Posted on January 2, 2020 by backuphill

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

What do you guys thing? Could this instance be considered price gouging or just market demand?

New Years Eve plans weren’t set in stone yet, so going to the movie theater was determined to be a good idea. Killing a few hours at a movie would help get the evening along and help me make it to the new year (instead of being an old, grumpy person – er, like every other day).

Anyway, we only have one movie theater that is local so to the AMC we went. During the ticket purchasing process it was discovered that the normally $5+ tickets at the theater were just the normal price of $11+. Huh? What’s going on here? Discount Tuesday has been a thing for years and this last year has been no different, so why suddenly are prices not the normally discounted price?

Come to find out, because both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve are the night before a holiday, the theater suspended the special price to take advantage of the fact that maybe more people would want to go see movies. Really? They’re going to jack the normally low price up for two days just so they can take advantage of their customers?

To me, it smacks of “price gouging,” because it is taking advantage of an abnormal situation to make more money. The official definition doesn’t say anything about a “state of emergency” or “disaster,” but if you look at legal definitions it tends to lean in that direction.

I guess it probably isn’t really price gouging, but it feels really shady when you are standing in line to buy tickets with your kids and what would have been a $25 night at the movies turns into $60 (before you even buy popcorn or snacks) because you have no choice at that point. I watched family after family be surprised by the unique “price adjustment” and the unspoken visual debate between husband and wife take place via their eyes. There were some who just turned around and left, but not very many. As parents, it’s hard to turn around and leave when you have all those eyes staring at you in expectation. So, they break the budget to make it happen.

Real shady, AMC. Real shady.

No thanks

Posted on September 19, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Linda Eller-Shein on Pexels.com

I briefly considered a title of “Oh Hell No!”

This is just not OK.

There are some things in this life that should just be left alone. This movie happens to be one of them. Don’t even think about touching it!

News came out yesterday that talked of a remake, a reboot, a redo of The Princess Bride. Something about “famous people” or “big names” wanting to be a part of it. Obviously this is a ploy to add their names to the lore of the movie, to ride the coattails of a classic film that was perfect the first (AND ONLY) time.

I am not having it. It better not happen.

Cary Elwes’ response via Twitter was EPIC!! It expresses perfectly what nearly all fans of the movie are feeling.

Honestly, there can never be a remake of this. If there is, I hope it is boycotted to no end. I hope the studio that produces it takes a bath from cost overruns, production snafus, marketing blunders, etc., etc., etc. Seriously. I could wish nothing but ill-will on such a venture. If any endeavor should fail, it should be this one.

I feel that strongly about this classic movie.

“Hello. My name is ___________________. You messed the wrong movie. Prepare to die.”

Assigned seats

Posted on July 3, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Went to the movies last night and encountered something while buying tickets earlier in the day that was new – and didn’t like after I got to the theater.

The local AMC theater has always been first come, first served as far seating goes. Get there early and choose good seats. Come to think of it, I don’t think I have ever been to a theater that has done it any other way. So, when I went to buy tickets online yesterday afternoon (for a 7:15 showing) I just expected to buy tickets.

Instead I was greeted with a seating chart after I selected the movie (Spiderman: Far from Home) and I was supposed to select where I wanted to sit and how many seats I wanted. The chart showed available seats and which ones were not. I selected seats but was left wondering if this was going to be common practice or just because this was the opening night of a big movie.

After getting to the theater and asking a couple questions, turns out this has been going on for a couple months and will now be regular practice for all movies. OK, interesting.

Once in the theater, there were lots of people and single seats left all over the auditorium. Meaning, if you bought tickets late and went as a group, you would be split up for your group (as such, I have a 10 year old sitting next to me as the rest of his group was farther down the row). After thinking about this, I can’t imagine that this would encourage people to buy tickets for movies, but it might very well discourage most people.

I can tell you I don’t really like the practice. If I had logged in later in the day to buy tickets and all I saw were singletons or I was crammed into a row with people on boths sides, I wouldn’t buy a ticket.

I am still developing an opinion here, but I can’t see how this benefits ticket buyers.

What do you think? What is your experience? Do you like assigned seating at the movies?

Ain’t a whole new world

Posted on May 24, 2019 by backuphill

Photo by Naya Shaw on Pexels.com

Unfortunately, Disney has found it necessary to continue to grab money by remaking it’s classic animated movies into “live action” movies. It’s rather irritating, really.

I wasn’t a fan of the Beauty and the Beast remake. I saw it on DVD. I am not liking what I am seeing so far for the Aladdin remake. I am optimistically hopeful for the Lion King remake.

Disney continues to make these remakes because they can and people pay money to see them, well, because it’s Disney. Really though, it is just a money grab. I suspect that if Disney made an animated movie, releasing it in February, and then took the exact same movie and made it live action for release in November – well, people would pay to see both. Because, as consumers, we just aren’t that bright.

It ain’t a whole new world. It’s just a rehashed and recycled world.

Let’s think this through

Posted on January 22, 2019 by backuphill

closeup photo of person holding panasonic remote control in front of turned on smart television

Photo by freestocks.org on Pexels.com

Last night I had to have a conversation with some family members that I never thought, in this day and age, that I would have to have. Yet, it seems to be a recurring event these days.

We all know about security and the internet and how bad things can happen if you aren’t careful. We also know there are a lot of dishonest people and cheaters out there. So, to some degree it doesn’t surprise me that I have to have this conversation with my family too.

Last night, a member of the family (less than adult) wanted to input our Netflix credentials into an app that would allow the app to log into our Netflix account so that his friends could log into the app and watch a movie with him. So they could have a “shared experience.” Obviously, if brought to my attention first, the answer would always be a “No” for this sort of thing. It was not, however.

Instead, another member of the family (more than adult) agreed to said procedure in a misguided effort to be “a good parent.” Um, wait, you said ok? Why? Explain to me how you thought this would be a good idea.

Long story short – the answer was still, no. On top of it all, I had to kick everyone in the family out of the Netflix account and reset the password, again. Only four months after aforementioned adult decided it would be a good idea to allow someone else of the extended family access to the account. What a pain in the arse!

So, let’s just think this through a little more before we act, shall we?