Met Movie Thoughts [Archive] - Yosemite Area Forums

Red Mule

Aug 22, 2008, 06:39 AM

I have always been most thankful of the quality of entertainment the Met Cinema has provided to our area. Especially, when one considers how little entertainment is available in our community. But, I have recently begun to question certain things.

1. Are the movies changing more slowly?
2. Are more movies skipping us entirely?
3. Are we getting more of the "not-so-wonderful" movies?

If true, maybe this is something beyond the control of the Met's new owners. Or maybe I'm just getting more critical in my old age. Is it me or is it true?

Yosemite Joy

Aug 22, 2008, 07:10 AM

I don't think much has changed at all. What movies in particular do you believe the Met skipped? There haven't been many "top" movies out this summer besides "The Dark Knight", "Hancock", "Hulk".

I have noted that "Pineapple Express" isn't up here, I was going to see it Saturday afternoon, but since I have a spa appt in Coarsegold, I will go to Fresno to watch it instead. But that movie is rated R with drugs and death, etc, so perhaps the owners have cold feet concerning more conservative groups in the area, or maybe they just don't want to preview it, haha.

Right now (August) is lackluster time for Hollywood, the really good end-of-the-season Oscar contenders don't arrive until October-beginning of December. They throw out the end of summer puff now, especially since "The Dark Knight" was such a blockbuster, no studio wanted to compete with that, so they are releasing now.

/movie freak

Yosemite Joy

Aug 22, 2008, 07:29 AM

dorseygirl

Aug 22, 2008, 08:12 AM

The only thing that has happened twice recently is time changes.
One time I looked on the website and movie started at a certain time I went and they told me the movie had already started by 15 min.
Then my husband and I were going to go Wednesday to Mama Mia at 4:30 Wednesday and got there and it had already started at 3:45. They had to take the new movie Rock? and changed the schedule instead of new schedule out Friday. That was kind of annoying. But oh well we went to the casino and gambled instead and had the $8.99 steak and seafood buffet.

Big Kahuna

Sep 07, 2008, 05:43 PM

I was really hoping they would get "Tropic Thunder", I'm still hoping they might show it when they reopen. :)

MtnDAD

Sep 08, 2008, 09:55 PM

I've been here since 1993--the movie selection seems normal for the Met to me.

David_V

Sep 09, 2008, 05:27 PM

I want to add that "Religiulous" should have a spot at the Met this fall. That will be a defining moment for the new owners, especially seeing how the Murphy's put [the stupid] "Expelled" on the list earlier in the year.
I had already planned on that film not being shown here. I'm probably going to go see Religiulous with the Humanists of the San Joaquin Valley (since I'm the president) in Fresno when it comes out. Anyone want to come?

Also, keep in mind that the film does have a limited opening. That means not every theater will be getting it. The Met might not be able to show it even if they wanted to.

Yosemite Joy

Sep 12, 2008, 01:17 PM

I have to say that I am very disappointed in the Met these days. I was really looking forward to seeing the new Coen brothers film, and alas it is not playing up here. Instead we have "Space Chimps" and some other sub-par remake nonsense "The Women" and the horribly reviewed Pacino/DeNiro film.

Bummer.

Why are there only four films showing? Have they not figured out scheduling? Are they going bankrupt?

Perhaps I could be on the advisory board... They have "The House Bunny" coming soon! What is up with that? No "Tropical Thunder" (which was the number one film for weeks), no "Pineapple Express", no "Burn After Reading" but don't worry Oakhurst, "The House Bunny" will be here next Friday!

Sandman

Sep 12, 2008, 01:20 PM

The Met was closed for cleaning. Only Met One has reopened. The schedule will change on Monday when Met Too reopens.

Red Mule

Sep 12, 2008, 01:37 PM

From past conversations with Rusty, I know the small local theaters don't get the last say on which and when movies will be released to them. But, I am probably as disappointed as anyone as to what we have been offered lately.

IMHO the quality of movies in general seems to be slipping. It seems like more movies are now aimed at the inane potty humor crowd or they are just remakes of movies that weren't that great the first time around. Or maybe it's that they are saving the better movies for Oscar Season?

In any event, even though the Met is just about the only entertainment in town, I am voting with my dollars and refusing to pay to see any more "Junk Movies." Now, if I could just get some decent TV programming. 200 Channels and nothing worth watching there either! Thank God we still have a library!

Sandman

Sep 12, 2008, 05:14 PM

...and the horribly reviewed Pacino/DeNiro film.

Horribly reviewed? Says who? It got 8 stars here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034331/

ZipperMan

Sep 12, 2008, 05:51 PM

Horribly reviewed? Says who? It got 8 stars here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034331/

Says who?

Rolling Stone Magazine gave it 1 of 4 stars (the readers gave it 3 of 4 so far)
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/18139290/review/22961620/righteous_kill

SFGate: Movie review: 'Righteous Kill' a disappointment
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/11/DDRI12RU45.DTL

The readers of the NY Times gave it mixed reviews.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/movies/12righ.html

And the LA Times review wasn't the greatest.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-righteous12-2008sep12,0,760149.story

Depends on where you look.

Sandman

Sep 12, 2008, 06:15 PM

I rarely read reviews from newspapers or magazines. I always check IMDB since those reviews come from people like you and me. Anyway, Corky went to see it tonight and is going to report back.

Says who?

Rolling Stone Magazine gave it 1 of 4 stars (the readers gave it 3 of 4 so far)
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/18139290/review/22961620/righteous_kill

SFGate: Movie review: 'Righteous Kill' a disappointment
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/11/DDRI12RU45.DTL

The readers of the NY Times gave it mixed reviews.
http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/movies/12righ.html

And the LA Times review wasn't the greatest.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-righteous12-2008sep12,0,760149.story

Depends on where you look.

Yosemite Joy

Sep 12, 2008, 08:47 PM

Horribly reviewed? Says who? It got 8 stars here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1034331/

Rotten Tomatoes. I went to see it anyway. It was so-so. I do love Pacino and DeNiro...

And I need to say that the Coen brothers film is coming next week. So blame my boohooing on hormones.

ZipperMan

Sep 12, 2008, 10:32 PM

I rarely read reviews from newspapers or magazines. I always check IMDB since those reviews come from people like you and me. Anyway, Corky went to see it tonight and is going to report back.

You asked who gave poor reviews, I gave you some of the many examples which included reviews from people like you and me (if you would have looked at the links you would have seen that some of the reviews were reader reviews and not reviews from film critics). I do not trust IMDB since I know some people listed on the website and I know how their ratings can be influenced from day to day, it is not really true that the IMDB ratings come from people like me, I can't speak about you since I don't know you. The only true way to find out if you will like the film is to see it for yourself.

Ironhorse

Sep 13, 2008, 10:17 AM

ZipperMan

Sep 13, 2008, 11:22 AM

I learned long ago to pay little or no attention to the so-called reviews. If I had paid attention to them, I would have missed some great movies. Ultimately it boils down to what "I" enjoy, and as with everything in life, what is one person's trash is anothers treasure.

Well said. I have watched many movies that received poor reviews from the public and critics and these movies are in my "guilty pleasures" category. I have also seen movies with rave reviews that fall into my "waste of time" category. I have learned that too many internet reviews are publicity votes for the actors and not a true critique of the film.

Yosemite Joy

Sep 13, 2008, 12:21 PM

This is why I check out Rotten Tomatoes, it gives an average and several different reviewers from across the country, novice to professional writers. I have a couple reviewers that I trust and usually agree with, ultimately the choice is mine. Which is why despite the bad reviews I saw "Righteous Kill" last night. It was so-so, somewhat easy to figure out, but I am not begging for my money back and I didn't fall asleep (I did during "Eyes Wide Shut" years back at the theatre).

I am a movie nut, I enjoy just about any type of movie. If I always followed reviews I wouldn't of seen "Harold and Kumar.. Guantanamo Bay" which my husband and I found to be hilarious. Or even scarier I would never have seen "Dumb and Dumber" which is one of my favorite guilty pleasures.

I was merely expressing my frustration and disdain that The Met hasn't been getting the well reviewed/hit movies the past couple months. Here's hoping they get "W" and "Religulous" in October.

Sandman

Sep 13, 2008, 06:48 PM

Corky said he enjoyed Righteous Kill, but it wasn't anything too special.

I spoke with Ray and Irma. First, the Met Too will not reopen for another week or two since there are not a whole lot of great movies out right now. Second, they said that they get turned down on some of the movies they request. They will often times get a list of 4 movies and are told to pick two from the list. Also, they try to have a "G" rated movie at all times for the kids. I asked about "Religiulous" and he said he wasn't sure if they can get it or not.

Yosemite Joy

Sep 13, 2008, 08:22 PM

Ask about "W" the Oliver Stone pic about Bush. I really want to see that!

beautiful_mess38

Sep 16, 2008, 09:02 AM

I like going to Riverpark. Their movies start early enough where I can go watch one while the kids are in school. And during the summer they had free movies for kids on Tuesday.

Yosemite Joy

Sep 19, 2008, 07:57 AM

I like going to Riverpark. Their movies start early enough where I can go watch one while the kids are in school. And during the summer they had free movies for kids on Tuesday.

I think I need to start going here. The Met is such a disappointment nowadays. Come get me Messy let's go see the Brad Pitt movie.

Red Mule

Sep 19, 2008, 03:39 PM

I think movie reviews are like Chineese Fortune Cookies. We tend to believe the ones we want to and ignore the rest. Except for the few that are at one end or the other of the good-bad spectrum, all the rest are a matter of personal taste.

Red Mule

Sep 19, 2008, 03:50 PM

Sandman

Sep 19, 2008, 04:12 PM

Types of movies are another thing. Right now we have RIGHTEOUS KILL (saw this one a week ago, not great but OK) THE WOMEN (chick flick,) SPACE CHIMPS, (kid’s movie,) THE HOUSE BUNNY (teen movie).

Since I am not a kid, teen, or chick, I guess I’ll have to wait another week for something I might be interested in. <Grumble, grumble>

The new owners of the Met do their best to keep at least one movie for everyone. It looks as if they did an excellent job in doing that with the current schedule. But keep in mind that they are unable to get every movie they request, so they are not always to blame if the movie you want to see isn't there. Most likely, they either tried to get it or it simply didn't work out with the schedule so that they can get a kids movie in or something like that.

This time of year is terrible for movies. The Met can't be blamed for that.

Yosemite Joy

Sep 19, 2008, 04:37 PM

The new owners of the Met do their best to keep at least one movie for everyone. It looks as if they did an excellent job in doing that with the current schedule. But keep in mind that they are unable to get every movie they request, so they are not always to blame if the movie you want to see isn't there. Most likely, they either tried to get it or it simply didn't work out with the schedule so that they can get a kids movie in or something like that.

This time of year is terrible for movies. The Met can't be blamed for that.

No that is not true. In fact Oscar contenders will be coming along in a few weeks.

Movies that the Met should have, but does not:

Igor
Burn After Reading
Towelhead
Lakeview Terrace
Ghost Town
Bangkok Dangerous

Those are the movies I would be interested in, movies that haven't been playing up here for going on two weekends.

Igor is a kids' movie that my kids want to see.
Burn After Reading I have been whining to see for two weeks now.
Towelhead is controversial and interesting.
Lakeview Terrace looks like a good thriller movie.
Ghost Town has Ricky Gervais in it and should be pretty funny if you like Brit humour.
Bangkok Dangerous is probably pretty cheesy, but Nic Cage is in it, yummy. Plus my husband likes blow up type movies.

I feel that we have a genuine gripe here.

ZipperMan

Sep 19, 2008, 04:51 PM

What I don't like about the Met is that the location I like to sit while viewing a movie does not exist, the theaters are just too small for my taste. That is something that cannot be fixed. If the theaters were the size that I liked I would attend showings of some films. I do not fault the owners for this, it is just the way things are.

I know that they cannot get some of the films I would like to see, but some of these films do not even make it to Fresno. So seeing these films involve a trip to Los Angeles. Again not the fault of the owners of the Met.

beautiful_mess38

Sep 19, 2008, 08:53 PM

I think I need to start going here. The Met is such a disappointment nowadays. Come get me Messy let's go see the Brad Pitt movie.

Your on YJ pick a day any but Thurs. thats my volunteer day at Rivergold.

Yosemite Joy

Sep 19, 2008, 09:29 PM

Your on YJ pick a day any but Thurs. thats my volunteer day at Rivergold.

I am free nearly everyday since my husband is home for a few more weeks. I have to take a little baby with me though since he goes where my boobs go. Seriously, let's go on Tuesday.

What I don't like about the Met is that the location I like to sit while viewing a movie does not exist, the theaters are just too small for my taste. That is something that cannot be fixed. If the theaters were the size that I liked I would attend showings of some films. I do not fault the owners for this, it is just the way things are.

I know that they cannot get some of the films I would like to see, but some of these films do not even make it to Fresno. So seeing these films involve a trip to Los Angeles. Again not the fault of the owners of the Met.

That is quite the commute for a movie. I would wait for Netflix.

I don't mind the location of the seats. I do wish they reclined a bit.

The good things about the Met:

-The prices, especially if you bring your own cup, and bucket.
-The cold candy
-The Icees
-The people (love ya Blythe!)
-The reviews on the phone, though I wish Ray disliked or gave more honest type opinions on some of them-- don't worry we will still come to the Met if you dislike The House Bunny
-The location (next to the bookstore! can you say matinee and five books in one afternoon?)

ZipperMan

Sep 19, 2008, 09:46 PM

Yosemite Joy, I probably should have mentioned that the trip to L.A. would be combined with a visit to friends and families.

As for NetFlix, not for me. I don't watch that many movies at home.

Yosemite Joy

Oct 01, 2008, 08:00 AM

The Met is really getting ridiculous. I am planning a day in Fresno to see movies this weekend or maybe Friday.

I am so disappointed in the movie choices the Met has made. Seriously, if they need opinions or advice on what movies to get/reserve they can contact me.

Red Mule

Oct 03, 2008, 06:10 PM

It's Friday Night and we have new movies at the Met:
Burn After Reading - It's a maybe, I'll probably see it.
Bev Hills Chihuahhua - I'd have to be really desperate to get out and see a movie.

Other New Movie now showing in Fresno that I'd REALLY rather see:
Religulous
Blindness
Ghost Town
Appaloosa
Flash of Genius
Miracle at St. Anna

Other movies in Fresno that maybe I'd like to see:
Igor
Lakeview Terrace
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
My Best Friend's Girl

I don't know if the Met's owners have many choices in the movies that are showing now. And maybe some of the better movies will make their way here later. But, since I'm not sure that waiting would be rewarded I guess, I'll be going to Fresno more often.

David_V

Oct 03, 2008, 07:03 PM

I'm going to Fresno tomorrow to see Religulous. A few of The Humanists of the San Joaquin Valley are gathering at noon for lunch and then going to the 2pm showing in River Park.

Anyone want a ride?

dancingqueen

Oct 03, 2008, 08:35 PM

There have been a few movies lately that I was wondering if the MET would get them when they were released. I called the theater and the new owners are very aproachable. They knew that they were not going to get Mama Mia the first week but were sure they would after 2 or 3 weeks and enouraged me to call weekly and that they would up date me. If you have questions or comments about their choices in movies I think they will be open to listening to them.

Red Mule

Oct 03, 2008, 08:56 PM

The new owners may indeed be open to feedback. If I get the chance to talk to them in person or on the phone, I'll suggest they pay more attention to the internet. Perhaps some others of you could do the same.

They could watch this forum.
They could put a "Feedback" link on their web page.
They could let us know on their web page when certain movies will be leaving and if or when others will be replacing them. Given a choice, I'll wait a week or two instead of going to Fresno. But, I've got to know that waiting will not make me miss certain entirely.

It isn't always easy to get the right person at the right time in conversation on the phone or in person about issues that one of them might consider critical. One thing I liked about Rusty was that he would often wait in the lobby for movies to let out and be available for discussion. Even then, it wasn't always easy to corner him for feedback. But, there were a couple of times he would let me know that certain movies were not likely in the Met's immediate future. He also would tell me why.

I didn't always like the answers, but it did provide me with useful information.

Patagoniamaniac

Oct 04, 2008, 08:36 AM

Well, I cant wait to see "American Carol"..I'm going to go see it at the met today. Heard it was hilarious..Also cant wait to see Appaloosa. It's about time they come out with another western.

Yosemite Joy

Oct 04, 2008, 10:40 AM

Big fat bummer. How is it that I knew the Met would have "American Carol", yet not carry "Religulous"! Yes, sure, no agenda there!

I may see "American Carol", just to laugh at the lefties. But I wonder how many will get the jokes if they haven't seen a Michael Moore film. But then again, that is why going to see a Republican/right movie will be funny, to laugh when no one else in the audience gets it.

I am excited that the Met will be getting "Body of Lies" soon. I would love it if "Appaloosa" comes, "Flash of Genius", and "Rachel Getting Married", and "Miracle at St Anna" all have Oscar buzz.

Please listen Met Cinema!

David_V

Oct 04, 2008, 07:24 PM

I just got back from seeing "Religulous" in Fresno. Great movie. The problem is that a small popcorn and small soda would have cost over $10. I'm not paying that much.

Sandman

Oct 09, 2008, 01:59 PM

First, I would like to let you know that the Met's schedule for FRIDAY, OCT 10 - THURSDAY, OCT 16 includes BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA, EAGLE EYE, THE EXPRESS, BODY OF LIES, AN AMERICAN CAROL

COMING SOON: IGOR, APPALOOSA, W and MAX PAYNE

Also, I'd like to let you know that Rusty is still advising the new owners on new movie picks and schedules. So really, nothing has changed at The Met. I spoke with a few employees there and they said they notice very little change. This is coming from people that are there every day and have been for many years. Believe me, these people would be the first to admit to a problem if they saw one.

Remember, The Met can't always get the movies they want to get. That's always been the case and always will be. The new owners are not to blame. You live in a small town. You can blame that. :lol: