"I can't afford to miss this."
I said this to myself. Twice. The first time was when I went to The Logan Theater to see a movie. I had just come out of the screening and spotted an ad in the lobby:
ANDERSON vs. ANDERSON vs. ANDERSON MONTH
There Will Be Blood July 3-4
Mortal Kombat July 5-8
Bottle Rocket July 9-11
Magnolia July 12-15
Event Horizon July 16-18
Moonrise Kingdom July 19-22
Punch-Drunk Love July 23-25
The Grand Budapest Hotel July 26-29
Resident Evil July 30-Aug 1
The WS Anderson didn't interest me as much. Though seeing Event Horizon for the first time in a theater since 1997 would be trippy. From Wes' stuff, the films I'd want to see on the big screen- Rushmore and Tenenbaums- weren't featured. I knew that my work schedule prevented me from seeing a number of these movies anyway. So I decided to make time to see one. The film I'd always wished I'd seen on the big screen. Magnolia. Having basked in the big screen glory of There Will Be Blood back in '07, Magnolia was the movie. Sorry Punch-Drunk.
This brings us to the second time: when I broke the news to my girlfriend. I'd always wanted her to see the film with me but she kept on holding out. She loved all the other PT Anderson films I showed her. A home viewing of The Master being our third date. Punch Drunk Love awakened a sadness even she couldn't put her finger on.
In an interview for Criterion, Bill Hader said that watching the reaction of someone while watching a movie with you is like watching the movie for the first time. There is a vicarious experience that happens. This magical elixir of a film was fragile to me. I only watched it a handful of times and each time the mood had to strike.
She responded with an enthusiastic yes to seeing the movie and the date was set: July 13, 2019 at 11:00pm.
II
I had arrived at around 7 pm.
The uber trip was $15 and took us down a narrow street with parked cars on both sides.
When we finally got to the theater, it was about 2 pm.
It was a fairly empty theater when we were seated. People gradually started trickling in in twos. A couple occupied a row behind us. Theater lights dimmed. Around 11:05, when the New Line Cinema appeared on screen, a couple came in and sat in the row in front of us and a few seats to the right. I noticed the man had a cup of beer. "Well that's normal. There's a bar in the lounge." I thought to myself. He had a ponytail and talked to his wife from time to time as the movie went on.
The three acts of coincidence played through and the darkly comic beats registered well amongst the audience. The opening went off pretty well. But then again, these things happen all time.
The emotional swell of the movie to me is akin to music. Fittingly, PT compared the structure of the movie to A Day In the Life. A rise, then a crescendo. A descent, a rise then another crescendo. The players were playing the same notes just like the last times I listened. Dixon was rapping about "if the sunshine don't work, the good Lord let the rain in." Claudia was frantically running about her apartment while the throbbing tune of Momentum was nearly drowning out the knocks on her door from Jim Kurring.
None of the instruments were out of tune.
There was one element out of place. A commentary track in the middle of this beautiful chaos. It was the man with the ponytail.
There were two people seated in front on him. About 50 minutes in, after incessant interruption after interruption, the couple got up. An employee arrived in their place. The same one who tore my ticket at the concession booth. "Will you please lower your voice? Other people are trying to watch the movie."
A couple minutes went by and I could hear the banter from him to his wife. The preposterousness of someone having to get up and complain about him.
A woman with dark curled hair and formal wear came in and sat in the row to the left of the row I was sitting in. The ponytail man raised his voice to the screen.
"SSSHHHHH"
It came from the woman whom I had figured now was the manager. She got up, went to the man and told them they will have to be quiet. Even without the hints in attire, the authoritative voice with which she used was markedly different from the ticket taker.
"Is it that serious?" The man would say a few minutes after she left. He refused to be quiet. This man grooved to his own soundtrack.
An anger bloomed in my chest and branched outward to my limbs. I started doing what I normally do in these situations. I started nervously picking my skin. Even Charlotte was getting frustrated.
The scene came on when Dixon went in a passed out Linda's car and started taking her money. "Oh man, that is so racist. That's so wrong."
The What Do Kids Know? scene came on and Luis Guzman came on the screen The ponytail man erupted "Finally! A Latino man on screen! Benny Blanco from the Bronx"
His wife told him to be quiet. "It's okay." He whispered. "If we only talk like this, then we won't get in trouble."
Scene after scene went by and each one was pockmarked with this man's interruptions. "I don't know why you're being like this. It's a good movie." his wife would said to him.
I've had many theater going experiences where the guy in front or in back of me is talking or a phone is on and it's glow catches the corner of my eye. This was different. Even after the manager told the patron to be quiet, it only got worse.
Two and a half hours. Two and a half hours of this. In all my years of going to movies, not once did I get up and leave. If you were to tell me it would be during my favorite movie, I would have shook my head at you and laughed. Yet my options I was cycling to narrowed the angrier I got. I was left with two: make a smartass comment to the man since that was the only wavelength he was in tune to or get up and leave. I couldn't have this asshole ruin such an orgasmic ending to Magnolia after ruining so much of the movie so far.
"There's about 7 people here. Just watch it on fuckin' DVD."
"Let's go." Charlotte said. The voice was one of relief. We got up and left.
As I made my way through the lobby I approached the ticket taker and told him that the man whom he told to be quiet was still talking. He said he would inform the manager. I told him that we were leaving anyway.
I thought about how much this cost. Both tickets, the uber rides to and from the theater. It didn't matter as nearly as much as the experience. This was my first chance to see Magnolia on the big screen and I was cheated out of it by an obnoxious asshole. More importantly it was an experience I wanted Charlotte to have. To finally see the movie I'd always raved about to her as my favorite film.
I debated if I should go back into the theater or not to get a refund. Would it be worth risking this asshole getting in my face? Charlotte didn't think so. After weighing the decision and concluding it would be best if we just left, we took an uber home. We had left before the good Lord bring the rain in.
So Now Then
A week later, Charlotte and I would watch the ending of Magnolia in her apartment. If you can imagine listening to the first 4 minutes of A Day In the Life and waiting until a week to listen to the other minute and 12 seconds, you get a good idea of what it felt like to watch Magnolia this way.
Movies have marked many a special occasion between us. Our first date was Inside Llewyn Davis. Our second date: Her. Nearly 6 years of us going to the movies and nothing like this had occured. Why this movie? Was it chance? Do these things really happen all the time?
I would eventually return to the Logan theater to see Midsommar and things were normal. Unruly patrons were apart of my cinematic experiences after this one and I'm almost sure that they will continue to be unless it's a specialty theater like The Music Box. Given a good crowd, a good atmosphere, the theatrical experience can be a truly special thing. It's what every one of us wants when we walk through those doors. That didn't happen on July 13, 2019.
What happened was another reminder of why people would rather sit home and watch NetFlix.
The scene came on when Dixon went in a passed out Linda's car and started taking her money. "Oh man, that is so racist. That's so wrong."
The What Do Kids Know? scene came on and Luis Guzman came on the screen The ponytail man erupted "Finally! A Latino man on screen! Benny Blanco from the Bronx"
His wife told him to be quiet. "It's okay." He whispered. "If we only talk like this, then we won't get in trouble."
Scene after scene went by and each one was pockmarked with this man's interruptions. "I don't know why you're being like this. It's a good movie." his wife would said to him.
I've had many theater going experiences where the guy in front or in back of me is talking or a phone is on and it's glow catches the corner of my eye. This was different. Even after the manager told the patron to be quiet, it only got worse.
Two and a half hours. Two and a half hours of this. In all my years of going to movies, not once did I get up and leave. If you were to tell me it would be during my favorite movie, I would have shook my head at you and laughed. Yet my options I was cycling to narrowed the angrier I got. I was left with two: make a smartass comment to the man since that was the only wavelength he was in tune to or get up and leave. I couldn't have this asshole ruin such an orgasmic ending to Magnolia after ruining so much of the movie so far.
"There's about 7 people here. Just watch it on fuckin' DVD."
"Let's go." Charlotte said. The voice was one of relief. We got up and left.
As I made my way through the lobby I approached the ticket taker and told him that the man whom he told to be quiet was still talking. He said he would inform the manager. I told him that we were leaving anyway.
I thought about how much this cost. Both tickets, the uber rides to and from the theater. It didn't matter as nearly as much as the experience. This was my first chance to see Magnolia on the big screen and I was cheated out of it by an obnoxious asshole. More importantly it was an experience I wanted Charlotte to have. To finally see the movie I'd always raved about to her as my favorite film.
I debated if I should go back into the theater or not to get a refund. Would it be worth risking this asshole getting in my face? Charlotte didn't think so. After weighing the decision and concluding it would be best if we just left, we took an uber home. We had left before the good Lord bring the rain in.
So Now Then
A week later, Charlotte and I would watch the ending of Magnolia in her apartment. If you can imagine listening to the first 4 minutes of A Day In the Life and waiting until a week to listen to the other minute and 12 seconds, you get a good idea of what it felt like to watch Magnolia this way.
Movies have marked many a special occasion between us. Our first date was Inside Llewyn Davis. Our second date: Her. Nearly 6 years of us going to the movies and nothing like this had occured. Why this movie? Was it chance? Do these things really happen all the time?
I would eventually return to the Logan theater to see Midsommar and things were normal. Unruly patrons were apart of my cinematic experiences after this one and I'm almost sure that they will continue to be unless it's a specialty theater like The Music Box. Given a good crowd, a good atmosphere, the theatrical experience can be a truly special thing. It's what every one of us wants when we walk through those doors. That didn't happen on July 13, 2019.
What happened was another reminder of why people would rather sit home and watch NetFlix.
