I think when I first watched this on TV many years ago, it came off like as though all of the subjects were just downright nutty. At best they have obsessive compulsive disorder, and at worst they're head-cases, loners, even in one case a "hoarder" (maybe there are more among the pack, just on lower levels). This was at a time when I hadn't lived as much life as a hardcore cinephile as I have by now; since then I've seen many films, and, as someone from the NYC area, at many of the theaters depicted, and I felt more empathy. This could be me in some alternate reality, easily, and I certainly connect with the ideal of seeing many films in the theater, and even to the point where early on I felt like 'hey, 3 movies a day, that's awesome, I hope to do that more too.'
But of course in this fairly short feature film, we get to see what these people are fully like, and they're not lacking in confessing about who they are and their... idiosyncrasies. I don't know if they still exist in the further dimming world of actual 35mm film projection and the proliferation of DVD and VoD/streaming, but it is a time capsule that reveals psychological mind-sets: making sure everything is to a tee, whether it's with wearing a particular sweater, getting ALL the pamphlets and movie schedule books for these art house theaters, getting the food, getting the memorabilia, what happens when there's a lack of any actual taste and one may go and see ANYTHING playing? These are some seemingly desperate people, but is it still a desperate time in Manhattan?
I think the filmmakers did an excellent job of getting to know these people, though I wish the filmmaking were a little better ironically enough. It's a little too basic, like something that is made for TV as a reality show (today this could potentially play on something like TLC the Learning Channel, albeit compared to many people on their shows these guys seem like rode scholars). It's even tempting to call it something closer to a freak-show, but I don't think that's what the intention was or how it exactly comes off. They are eccentric folks, and none of them seem to have anyone to go to the movies with really, except that some of them by proxy run into one another. It's funny but also quite sad, and the balance between the two makes it never less than interesting.
And, if you're the right particular movie geek, a little close to home... 7.5/10
But of course in this fairly short feature film, we get to see what these people are fully like, and they're not lacking in confessing about who they are and their... idiosyncrasies. I don't know if they still exist in the further dimming world of actual 35mm film projection and the proliferation of DVD and VoD/streaming, but it is a time capsule that reveals psychological mind-sets: making sure everything is to a tee, whether it's with wearing a particular sweater, getting ALL the pamphlets and movie schedule books for these art house theaters, getting the food, getting the memorabilia, what happens when there's a lack of any actual taste and one may go and see ANYTHING playing? These are some seemingly desperate people, but is it still a desperate time in Manhattan?
I think the filmmakers did an excellent job of getting to know these people, though I wish the filmmaking were a little better ironically enough. It's a little too basic, like something that is made for TV as a reality show (today this could potentially play on something like TLC the Learning Channel, albeit compared to many people on their shows these guys seem like rode scholars). It's even tempting to call it something closer to a freak-show, but I don't think that's what the intention was or how it exactly comes off. They are eccentric folks, and none of them seem to have anyone to go to the movies with really, except that some of them by proxy run into one another. It's funny but also quite sad, and the balance between the two makes it never less than interesting.
And, if you're the right particular movie geek, a little close to home... 7.5/10