Blog

Short blog posts, journal entries, and random thoughts. Topics include a mix of personal and the world at large. 

Back in a theatre

First time back in a movie theatre since the pandemic began is super easy when said theatre is within walking distance. Proximity to a mall is one of the things I really like about this place I am renting. Groceries and everyday items can be easily taken care of by a Target, Trader Joe’s, and soon, a Whole Foods. There’s an Apple store should any of my computing electronics conk out. Of course, there’s plenty of food choices available if I don’t want to cook.

And now there’s a Regal cinema where an old Macy’s used to be (going to have to find another place to buy fragrance). I’ll have to start convincing my friends to come to this theatre, instead of our usual haunts further south. They can even pick me up en route to the mall, saving me even the short walk. But that would be just a bit too absurd.

So what’s it like to be back in a theatre? Other than wearing a mask (which isn’t mandatory, as of this writing at least), everything is as it were back before the COVID outbreak. Ticket purchasing at this Regal is mostly done via kiosks, though we found the interface to be laggy. A brand-new system shouldn’t act this, and also ought to accept payments via NFC. I only bought along an iPhone and could not use Apple Pay. Rather disappointing.

We watched the ninth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise. As expected, F9 is mindlessly entertaining, a really fun movie if you don’t scrutinize the details. The film is even self-aware to its own ridiculousness. There’s a scene when Roman (Tyrese Gibson’s character) went on a diatribe about how utterly unlikely it is that he keeps surviving the crazy missions the team has done. And he’s right: there’s at least a dozen times someone on the team should have die in this movie.

Enemy bullets aren’t nearly as effective as those of the protagonists!

Much like eating indoors, it was lovely to be back inside a theatre, briefly escaping reality with a film. Now that there’s one so close to me, I reckon I’ll go to the movies more often than I did before the pandemic.

A moment of zen.

How much for Mulan?

Would you pay 30 dollars to stream Mulan from the comforts of your own home?

I wouldn’t, but I sure bet lots of families will take up Disney’s seemingly expensive offer. Even just two persons splitting the cost would be roughly the same as a typical movie ticket at a theatre; for a family of four, 30 dollars to watch a brand new movie release is a screaming bargain (won’t have to pay for overpriced concessions, either). Indeed it’s easy to get initially surprised at the $30 dollar price, but upon further review, it’s rather inexpensive.

My group of friends are already discussing plans to get together to watch Mulan, splitting the cost however many which ways. Probably not the wisest for social distancing and avoiding gatherings, but we too are young and stupid. At least we’re not having massive lake parties in Wisconsin.

Disney may have just released the floodgates for other studios to do the same for their respective tier-one slate of films: the House of Mouse announced yesterday the often-delayed Mulan will be released to the masses not in theatres, but on the Disney+ streaming platform. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, theatres aren’t opening back up anytime soon, and one surmises Disney saw a pathway to profit via their own platform, so the trigger finally got pulled.

The company can’t wait forever for theatres to open again when massive production and marketing costs are burning a hole in the expense column.

Of course, Disney is not the only major studio to have their own streaming platform, and depending on the success of Mulan’s digital-only release, other studios may follow suit and put out their slate of backlogged films - due to COVID - on streaming for a premium price. Universal have already tested the waters with Trolls World Tour earlier this year to great success, but Mulan represents the first true “blockbuster” to receive the digital release treatment, and how it does financially will be a bellwether for other major films. Perhaps Wonder Woman 1984 will be available to watch for $30 on HBO Max come this Fall?

I’d certainly pay for it. One such movie I would wait until however long it takes for theatres to open back up, however, is Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. Movies shot with actual IMAX cameras deservers to be viewed in an actual IMAX theatre.

Das good keyboard.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

One thing I’ve learn as I grow older is try not to commit yourself to something many, many months from now. It’s rather easy to throw away your time like that because whatever the thing you’ve just committed to seem so far away in the future. Surely you have time for it, right? If anything, you’re being responsible for actually planning it out in advance!

This past weekend’s showing of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Curran Theatre snuck up on me unsuspectingly because the tickets for it was bought nearly a year ago. It was quite surprising then to find out that one, the tickets had cost me $210 (I could use that money now for something else, honestly), and two, the production is two shows, and our group is watching both parts back to back, with a two and a half hour break in between. The thought of sitting for seven hours seemed dreadful; had the tickets been purchased more recently, I don’t think I would have opted for such an arrangement.

So that was my whole Saturday, dedicated to watching a play about wizards and magic.

And I’m happy I did. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a fantastic play, replete with a story that’s deserving of following up the main books and movies. The acting is superb, and the practical effects used to show the various magic and spells are done really well. About halfway into part one, I was already glad we chose to watch both parts on the same day, because the story is that grippingly good. It would be slightly unbearable to have to wait another day to find out the conclusion, never mind that getting to San Francisco downtown where the theatre is isn’t the easier of tasks.

Anyways, I highly recommend the play to anyone who is a fan of the Harry Potter books and movies. I would bet good money they’ll make a movie out of this story with original movie cast some time in the future. That is when I shall see The Cursed Child again, because I’m too old to sit for another seven hours to watch the play a second time, no matter how great and entertaining it is.

Spoiler alert.

Hamilton Musical

It’s been over two years since me and a bunch of closest friends discussed the cultural phenomenon of the Hamilton musical, and how if it ever does a tour here in San Francisco, we would just about do anything within legal parameters to attend. 

Hamilton started it’s four months stay at the Orpheum Theatre in March.

It’s last show day was yesterday.

We were there at the penultimate show, fulfilling a dream. 

For sure we were heading in with just insane amounts of anticipation and expectation due to the overwhelming success of the Broadway show and how we’ve suffered through four months of people on our social media feeds bragging about the wonderful performance. To say the least, we were not disappointed, but rather utterly amazed, and deeply hypnotized. Hamilton is a masterpiece of performing art, and to see it live is an absolute privilege and joy. 

Akin to listening to my favorite hip hop songs, I was glued to the bars and wordplay putting history lesson into mesmeric prose, accompanied by a live orchestra to tingle the spine. This is one musical you cannot go see a recording of in a movie theatre as substitute; I’d dare say that would be an insult to the art-form. Hamilton is so incredibly moving, and so alive.  

Lin-Manuel you crazy genius.