Star Wars: The Last Jedi discussion thread(Warning: Spoilers!) (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

(Source of and credit for this meme go to the MovieWeb Facebook page. Or at least that's where I picked it up from.)

 

[dpippel]

 

[Simon Massey]

Indeed.

Here, as best as I can remember it, is one of the stories John Williams told.....

John Williams talking: "Steven invited me over to his house, to his theater, in 1993, to watch with him his latest movie, Schindler's List. We watched the movie together, which is our process for when I compose a score for one of his movies. And I was overcome by the end. I barely could speak, and I asked Steven to give me a few minutes to take a walk. And so I walked around for a while, trying to get myself together. Finally, I said to him: 'I don't think I can do it. I think you need a better composer.'

Steven paused for a moment, and then said: 'You're right. But they're all dead!'"

The whole audience laughed in a great moment of release. And then he conducted the lead violist for our orchestra in the most beautiful solo piece from Schindler's List—really amazing, and imho unlike anything else John Williams has ever composed. At times the orchestra would come in a little bit.

It was a wonderful range of emotions and music that night....

There is nothing better than a John Williams concert - I’ve been to three and also a live version of ET. The only thing missing is I’d love to go to one with the great man himself conducting.

 

[Tino]

There is nothing better than a John Williams concert - I’ve been to three and also a live version of ET. The only thing missing is I’d love to go to one with the great man himself conducting.

I was lucky enough to see him conduct his scores at the Hollywood Bowl in 2008. Amazing. Plus Stanley Donen was a guest discussing directing (co-director) Gene Barry in Singing In The Rain. What a night!

 

[Tommy R]

The stop motion AT-ATs have not aged well. Yoda always looked like a muppet to me, it's kind of worse now.

 

[Bryan^H]

Speaking only for myself, I think TESB is a victim of its own success. I guess that's a nice way to say that I think it's overrated. I love it but people act like it's Citizen Kane or vastly better than every other Star Wars movie and I don't think it's even the best one in the series.

I always thought that. I also think that ROTJ is criminally panned as it is my favorite Star Wars movie.
In defense of Return of the Jedi:

-The second Death Star is not a weak plot point. It actually makes the most sense for the Empire to build a second one as it was the perfect weapon of mass destruction, and a seemingly "fluke" (to them) crushed their plan. What would someone have them do, go back to the drawing board and spend another 20 years developing another weapon that matches the Death Star in sheer technical terror? Nonsense.

-The Ewoks were never cute, and cuddly. In fact they are rather homely things. That they are short and furry aliens means nothing. They are a savage backward species that inhabit the Forest moon of Endor. Their guerilla war tactics toppled a small garrison of storm troopers makes sense.
It is really awesome when you think about it.

-The emperor and the inner turmoil between Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader makes this the most compelling installment in the original trilogy. The mystery, and complexity of Darth Vader is finally explained and his final duel with his son has more impact each time I watch it. Not to mention we get to see just how diabolical the Emperor really is. His absolute evil nature strengthens the argument of just why the Empire needs to be defeated by the Rebellion.

 

[Tommy R]

Not to mention that the Ewoks TOTALLY ate the storm troopers for dinner.

 

[Tim Glover]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottm...riday-drop-ever-for-100m-opener/#5ec1528a77e2

Looks like TLJ holding its own and not really dead

 

[TravisR]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottm...riday-drop-ever-for-100m-opener/#5ec1528a77e2

Looks like TLJ holding its own and not really dead

I saw it again today during a small-ish snow storm and was shocked by how many other people went out in that kind of weather. I know I have no sense but I thought more of the folks in the area.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I am going to try to see it tonight after work, and in anticipation of that, I rewatched TFA at home last night. When I purchased my advanced ticket for the midnight IMAX 3D showing (figure I might as well reserve the seat since they offer free refunds/exchanges if I decide not to go), I was surprised that only about a dozen tickets had been sold. However, I was equally surprised to see that the 8pm tonight is just a few front and last row seats away from selling out.

 

[TravisR]

I always thought that. I also think that ROTJ is criminally panned as it is my favorite Star Wars movie.

That's kind of my problem with ranking the SW movies. A New Hope is my favorite and then most likely TESB but after that, it gets murky for me. Every SW movie has some moment that I LOVE so it's tough to start splitting hairs and ranking them.

 

[Bryan^H]

That's kind of my problem with ranking the SW movies. A New Hope is my favorite and then most likely TESB but after that, it gets murky for me. Every SW movie has some moment that I LOVE so it's tough to start splitting hairs and ranking them.

in Episode 1,The Darth Maul battle between Obi Wan, and Qui Gon-A Sith against two fully trained Jedi-is one of my favorite Star Wars scenes of any of the films. It is just so amazing to watch.

 

[Simon Massey]

Watched it in IMAX 70mm in London yesterday - amazing presentation - the hyperspace jump into Snokes ship was stunning.

Every time I see it, it gets better for me. I think I’ll wait for the 4K release now.

 

[TravisR]

However, I was equally surprised to see that the 8pm tonight is just a few front and last row seats away from selling out.

There's an AMC theater near-ish to me that has reserved seating and I've been looking at their seating charts online when they're "Almost Sold Out". The remaining seats are always a couple in the front row or a random single in the middle of the theater. To me, it seems like reserved seating is slightly hurting sales because without the chart, people would just buy them if they didn't know it was nearly full. I guess they figure (probably correctly) that keeping people happier is worth losing a few ticket sales.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

It probably works both ways for some things. There are showings that in the past, prior to reserved seating, I wouldn't have been able to attend because I know I would have gotten at the theater at exactly the posted showtime or a few minutes later, and being a high demand show, I wouldn't have had a chance at a good seat. Reserved seating means I get the seat I want without having to wait 30-60 minutes or more for it, which means I can cut it a lot closer when heading to the movies from work. Over the past four years since my IMAX added reserved seating, that's enabled me to go to a lot of shows that I might have had to skip.

I'm guessing that's probably true for others as well, that being able to secure the seating location they wanted meant that they could make a commitment to going that otherwise might not have been there. In the case of seeing films when I visit my parents, especially during busy seasons, in the past, they might hesitate to go out to see a new Star Wars or similar movie on opening weekend because of the crowds. Reserved seating allows them to get the same spots they'd get during a less busy time without having to put in the effort, which in turn makes them more likely to go.

And I wonder, if you're not someone who usually purchases in advance... if you took the time to leave your home and travel to the theater, are you going to turn away when the ticket choice isn't as good as you might have hoped? Or are you going to figure that you already made the plans and schlepped, might as well stay?

 

[Jake Lipson]

I don't like reserved seating. Because I use a wheelchair, there is typically only one row that I *can* it in, anyway, and if I get to the theater and find that row is occupied, then I'm screwed. Since my AMC has instituted a reserved seating policy in the last few months, I am much more likely to just go to my Cinemark, which only has reserved seating in the XD auditoriums.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I don't like reserved seating. Because I use a wheelchair, there is typically only one row that I *can* it in, anyway, and if I get to the theater and find that row is occupied, then I'm screwed.

At my AMC, both the seats that are meant to be wheelchair transfer seats, as well as the wheelchair spaces, show up on the reserved seating map. In theory, anybody can buy them, but there is the disclaimer that if a person without a need for accommodation purchases those as normal seats, they will be asked to move should someone with a need arrive.

In theory, that should keep the seat open for you, but I suppose in practice, if you as a person needing a wheelchair seat (or transfer seat) saw that one wasn't available, you'd have no way of knowing if that was because they were all purchased by people in need of those accommodations, or by someone hoping to get away with it. It would probably be better if there was some kind of system where only people who have a need can buy those seats in the first place.

Honestly, at the AMCs I go to, the wheelchair and wheelchair transfer seats are often right in the area I like to sit, but I've never purchased a reserved ticket for one of those spots to hedge a bet. I will use them as a guide when looking for non-wheelchair seating if it's an unfamiliar auditorium and look for the row behind them.

Reserved seating shouldn't make it harder for you to get the wheelchair spot you need - it should make it easier. If it's not being implemented in a way that does that, that does seem like a real missed opportunity and that sucks.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Reserved seating shouldn't make it harder for you to get the wheelchair spot you need - it should make it easier. If it's not being implemented in a way that does that, that does seem like a real missed opportunity and that sucks.

I get what you're saying, Josh. And in all fairness I should point out that I haven't actually been sold out of a wheelchair space yet -- but the potential exists for that to happen, which steers me away from there. The closest that has happened is when my brother and I went to Blade Runner, the wheelchair seat in the middle of the auditorium where I usually go was taken, so I ended up still seeing it but we sat on the far left, which is not a view that I would normally choose.

Also, depending on the theater and how comfortable I think their seats are, I oftentimes like to park my wheelchair in the wheelchair space and transfer myself into a theater seat for the duration of the movie. I can't do that in a reserved-seating situation because I would have to buy both the wheelchair seat (for my wheelchair to stay in) and the companion seat (for me to transfer into), thus having to pay twice for one movie. If the screening is sold out and literally every seat is occupied, then I won't transfer, but usually this is not a problem in a non-reserved seating scenario.

The other thing, for me, is that because I can't drive and am therefore reliant upon others to transport me, I don't tend to buy advance tickets unless it's for opening night of something that will sell out (like Star Wars.)

I don't get to decide wholly based on my own schedule when I go to the movies; it has to be convenient for whoever is driving me (usually my mom) to take me based around their schedule. This is not a complaint, just an observation. But it means I don't want to buy an advance ticket for tomorrow afternoon, for example, and then have something come up where I'm unable to get a ride, because then I would have spent the money without being able to actually see the movie. I would then have to make it down there and beg the manager for a refund, which I don't really want to do.

I think I am going to a movie tomorrow afternoon. I will probably get there. But any number of things could prevent me from getting there, and it's not entirely in my control, so I don't want to buy an advance ticket for tomorrow afternoon. This makes it easier to just go to the Cinemark, where nobody has reserved seats and it will be easier to just take a wheelchair space that is unassigned.

The other thing about my AMC is how the wheelchair rows are distributed. They have two sides to the theater, the left (auditoriums 1-7) and the right (auditoriums 8-15) separated by the lobby/concession stand area. The auditoriums on the left have their wheelchair seats in the middle of the auditorium, which are among the best seats in the house. The IMAX is theater #2, so it is comfortably on the "good side" for me. Above the wheelchair seating, it becomes stadium seating in the back rows.

The auditoriums on the right side, #8-15, have a different setup. There are stairs on either side of the auditorium, and the wheelchair aisle is at the top, in the very back. Because of the stairs, even before reserved seating became a thing, there is no way for me to go anywhere else in one of these auditoriums. I found this out the hard way when I first moved here and bought a ticket for a movie without paying attention to where it was. I had been used to the setup on the left side, which was fine, and when I happened to pick a movie that was screening on the right for the first time, it was an unpleasant shock that the seating options weren't the same across all the auditoriums

Reserved seating only recently became a thing here, within the last few months. Prior to that, the website never specified which auditorium each movie was in, so for the past yer I've had to call the theater to ask which auditorium a given film is in, and you would be surprised at how difficult of a question this is for some people. "It's not reserved seating, you can sit anywhere you want," they would tell me, not understanding that if it is in auditoriums #8-#15, wheelchair users were always restricted to the back by virtue of the stairs. When I went to AMC to see War for the Planet of the Apes, they had it on multiple screens across both sides, and I asked specifically which showtimes were on the left side. They didn't understand my question, so I got sold a ticket for a showtime on the right, and then went into one on the left anyway, even though I waited longer for that one to begin than I would have if I had gone to the showtime I was sold on the right.

Then, in August this year, they closed auditoriums #8-#15 for a remodel. I was thrilled. Those auditoriums were obviously older than the ones on the left, and I thought that part of the remodel would be making the wheelchair seating consistent in the middle throughout all the screens. Even some of the staff told me that that was going to happen..

They reopened those screens in late September, with reserved seating, and I went to see American Made. I should have noticed in the seating selection process but I didn't figure out that something was wrong until I actually got in the auditorium and found out I was still stuck in the back.

It wasn't like the left side at all. During the whole remodel, all they did was swap out the existing seats for luxury recliners. The stairs remained exactly where they were before. They upgraded everyone else's seating, but if you're a chair user, screw you, we don't care about you, you still have to sit in the back. Then, they renovated the left side as well (except for the IMAX, which has remained open this whole time.) During the renovation of the left side, I didn't go over there at all and gravitated more toward the Cinemark, where the wheelchair seating is in the middle for all screens.

Since that time, at least the website indicates which auditorium a given film is in, but I just find it easier to go to the Cinemark now and not have to mess with it. I will still go over to the AMC for IMAX, which I know is automatically on the left, but otherwise, the Cinemark is just easier on all accounts. I discovered when I ventured back to AMC to see The Last Jedi on the IMAX that the left side of the theater is open again -- but they have raised prices by 89% in one increase, presumably to pay for the remodel, which benefits everyone except those using wheelchairs.

My house is roughly equidistant from the Cinemark and the AMC, so it really doesn't matter which one I go to, but since all of the changes at the AMC, the Cinemark is proving much more attractive (unless it's an IMAX film, in which case AMC is the only option.)

I have been an AMC Stubs member for years, happily. Given the recent changes and lack of improvement for me with the remodel, I'm not sure if I will continue the membership the next time my renewal is due.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

But it means I don't want to buy an advance ticket for tomorrow afternoon, for example, and then have something come up where I'm unable to get a ride, because then I would have spent the money without being able to actually see the movie. I would then have to make it down there and beg the manager for a refund, which I don't really want to do.

If you're an AMC Stubs member, you can purchase tickets to any AMC theater on Fandango and enter your Stubs membership there. They will waive the convenience fee for the online sale as a Stubs member, so it won't cost you any more to buy online through them. But Fandango also allows you to refund your ticket purchase right up until showtime through the app and website, and you can get the refund back on your credit card, not just as credit for another movie. It's made going to the movies so much easier for me - I can now buy a ticket to a movie in advance and then figure out the day of whether or not I can actually make that show, instead of seeing movie times announced on a Monday, wanting to see a Thursday night show but not knowing if I'd be able to make it, and then by the time I could go finding out that all the good seats were gone.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Fandango also allows you to refund your ticket purchase right up until showtime through the app and website, and you can get the refund back on your credit card, not just as credit for another movie.

Good to know -- thanks. That would somewhat ease the reserved seating situation, but still wouldn't improve the bad seating in half of my AMC's theater, which is the even larger issue. I still think I'm better off with Cinemark for a good view, unless it's an IMAX film, and the fact that they have not adopted reserved seating is a bonus.