pros and cons of cinema vs home viewing

I absolutely loved "Cinema Paradissimo". Thought and still think it is a TRUE MASTERPIECE in film history. Did you ever see that film? If Not, Please see that film and then continue this discussion, I am anxious to hear what you would have to say about it.

its not negative to have a preference vanilla i stand by my reasoning. Anything's possible in the world of the hypothetical ! Unless you do indeed have a raffle ticket and i win it i wont change my mind.

@alteredstate: you make a lot of valid points in both the pros and cons of the contemporary cinema experience, with all it's faults and delights i guess for me it all comes down to how badly i need to see a film when i was in my early / mid-twenties, me and a one time friend would go to see almost all the big summer movies when summertime would roll around, and we were all too happy to deal with all the negatives you mentioned in your post, we'd even see a decent amount of films off season as well (all with drinks / popcorn / the vigor of our youth) we were both cinephiles and we did our best to be respectful of the other audience members, and we did our best to keep the munching of the popcorn to a stealthy quiet (for the most part) cut to now, and i am (sadly) willing to not go to a theater these days, and i am almost okay with waiting for whatever films i wish to see to come onto my cable channel line up (sad i know) with that said, there is something about seeing a film on a giant screen, with (hopefully) amazing film quality and great sound to match. the last film i couldn't wait to see and enjoy on a LARGE screen was TRON:Legacy. i saw it in IMAX 3D. the "3D" wasn't all that, but the sound in that particular theater was quite good. there is a scene early on in the film, where a recognizer flies in front of the camera, and the sound effects for that particular shot made our theater seats shake! aside from that, i can understand how going out to a theater has lost it's appeal now that i am in my forties. the tickets prices make me cringe, and the prices at the concession stand are A B S U R D..!!!! at the same time, i know for a FACT that i can NOT bypass experiencing PROMETHEUS on the BIG SCREEN. i was never one of the lucky ones to have seen ALIEN in theaters, i've only ever seen it on video. so i am making it a point to watch PROMETHEUS when it FINALLY comes out in June (can NOT wait!) and Spatacus...wow man! that sounds like a choice setup you've got, i can only imagine how great PROMETHEUS will look on your setup sweeeeeeeeet!

Shardy you put your points over wonderfully and i'm in total agreement i will also be seeing prometheus at the cinema and hopefully my experience will be a Pleasurable one in both my enjoyment of the film and the cinema experience . i'm about your age mid forties and i used to love the cinema experience to, i was probably an Irritating little tyke to in my youth but in recent years or the last time i went to the cinema in my home town of the uk i was surprised at how little it had changed in terms of the picture quality and Facilities it was the final star wars film that i saw and the picture was terrible. Now i also know how well the cinema experience can be if the theatre has all the mod cons in place and has a digital projector /screen but as far as i'm aware there's not a cinema for miles near me that does and for that reason i'm pissed about it. I think the closest cinema to me that is up to date is some forty miles away that's a pretty hefty price to pay to see a film you want to see when you consider the British rail system is the most expensive in europe. Alas i will make a day of it with some friends and pay the extra and travel for fear of having the film ruined by the poor outdated traditional system i have in my hometown .

@alteredstate: if a good cinema is 40 miles away, i can understand your angst! and if you do decide to go via the rail system, it's one of those situations where you must prepare ahead of time to ensure you make your screening time on time, as well as your return trip goes fine without any delays of missed departures on the way back when i read that some crap film is a "blockbuster" these days, i am not surprised, given that ticket prices are so completely jacked up. now if there was a theater that had their prices listed like they were back in the day, and said film made over 200+ million, then i'd understand the "blockbuster" moniker for that film. but these days....not-so-much given the fact that the information age we all now exist is has changed how we react and see modern days movies, i can't say for certain that PROMETHEUS will be one of those few films that was a 1970's cash cow, but i will hope and pray that the film itself is extraordinary, and that is makes the necessary theater grosses to get either one sequel, or two green-lit as supposedly Scott has planned ah, the power of the will to see a (hopefully) great film!

Shardy yes I cannot wait, at the same time I worry a little more each Month that goes by that I have become far too dependent on Electricity in my private life today. I would be bored out of my mind without certain material electrical devices, which cannot be a good thing !!! I call it being a "WIRED" junkie.

@Spartacus: dude....tell me about it..!!! it actually SCARES me to know just how much not only the world at large, but I depend on, and am addicted to my computer and the internet this is probably too much information but.... a while back, my internet cut out on me, i was told i'd have to wait 7 days for a tech to come fix the problem. i only own / use one computer in my apt, and at that time, i didn't own / use a smartphone when i got off the phone with my internet provider, and they explained to me that the soonest they could come repair the problem was well over a week away, i literally (kid you not) walked in a circle for about 2 minutes a C I R C L E...!!! lol! i can laugh now, but at the time it happened, i was just at a loss. and was wondering WTF was going on with me, that i felt compelled to make circles with my Nike's™ in my apt! i grew up before there was ever any internet, and i was disturbed at the fact that my pre-internet senses allowed myself to wander about my apartment wondering WTF am i going to do without ALL that info at my fingertips, the way having access to the internet has made me i am not one for "internet cafe's", so i went cold turkey for one week, and when my connection problem was finally fixed, i appreciated the web more than i ever had before - - but was also weary of just how DEPENDENT i had become (yikes!) cut to a few years later, when my one and only computer DIED, i was out of work, and didn't have a working computer / internet for 6 LONG months! i felt awful...like REALLY AWFUL the lesson learned, is that i am capable of existing without a computer / internet, it just really kicked my ass mentally, and made me realize just HOW dependent society as a whole has become in the digital age..... in other words....i am WIRED TOO!

so very true and so sad and I can relate completely. Also, very brave of you to be that transparent, I find it endearing and makes me respect you a lot for it. It's funny how sometimes the things we feel the most embarrassed about can sometimes be the things that other people can relate to the easiest.

thanx Spartacus. sorry that you can relate to me in that regard, but not sorry that you understand and don't judge in that regard your respect and kind words have not gone unnoticed. thanx man. =0)

I’m thinking about taking a trip to London’s venue cinema Empire Leicester Square on first day release, in its screen 1, with Dolby 56KW of power and THX certification on the biggest THX screen in the UK. Front and centre row has nice sloping floor that rises up to curved screen and looks smart. Rocker seating is comfortable and cinema lighting system is cool. Sound system is one of the best in London with 56KW on tap over an IMAX which is only 12KW. If all doesn’t go to plan then at least I can wait until the near end of the year, no not that end, I think that end is load of bollocks to scare people and make them paranoid. I’ll wait till the bluray comes out and watch it on the video LCD projector on cinema pro gear, with hopeful I’ll have all the 6 rocker seats installed by then.