UKH

Do we know whether 'All Quiet on the Western Front' will make the cinemas as it is a netflix film?

......and the documentary on Navalny.....is that likely to be shown at cinemas?  

Thanks.

All Quiet… has already had a cinematic release. Very limited but enough to make it qualify for cinema awards. Not likely to get another run.

Wouldn’t have thought Navalny will either

Ah right........it didn't make Kendal. 

Yeah it’s a bit frustrating when films like this are Netflix funded - they’re not really interested in cinema goers at all, they make the film for their streaming platform and that’s all tehy really care about.

If it wasn’t for the entry rules around Oscars and other awards I doubt they’d get any cinema run at all.

Ah thanks. That's what I feared.

Cinemas need to evolve, who wants to sit in a 300 seat cinema with over priced junk snacks. 

This place has been going for a couple of decades now

https://grosvenorpicturetheatre.co.uk/

But it's likely the only thing that will tempt people back to cinemas away from streaming at home on their big tv. Until then netflix etc..  control the market.

Navalny is on iplayer. Well worth watching. 

Yes I agree Cinemas need to and are evolving, and I hope they have a future. 

Sure, sitting at home and watching something on your big TV is easier, but just as the VHS didn't kill the cinema I don't think streaming services will either (granted release to streaming services is now much more rapid than to VHS!).

However just as shops are starting to to do more than just have what you want to guy in stock (it has to be an experience nowadays) to tempt people away from shopping on the internet, cinemas have to do more and move away from that stack 'em high & sell them pricey pick n mix model that they've been relying on for decades.

A local cinema I go to in London has it just right I think - not too pricey, decent bar with actually nice food, good mix of blockbuster releases and smaller more independent stuff and they do events like gigs etc.  Brilliant cinema that definitely has a future.

My local independent (Dartington) is showing AQotWF. Saw it on Netflix before all the hype. Great film. Will be a classic.

It's not the streaming bit, you can almost get same big screen, hd quality, good sound experience from anything at home. One cinema trip for two pays for prime and netflix for a whole month. Cinemas as I said and you clearly agree on need to improve the whole experience in all respects. Times are hard for many and they want value for every pound spent. 

Same with pubs, they used to be able to get by by rubbish selling beer and a few spirits.  Now they need to offer craft ales, food, quiz nights, sky sports etc... otherwise people are just going to sit at home and open a can of lager.

However just like a can of lager isn't the same as having a pint in the pub, I don't think watching something at home on your home TV comes anywhere near to the experience of watching a movie at the cinema.  That enormous 4k DCI Screen, Dolby Atmos and Vision, so loud you can feel the bass in your chest... You have to spend big, big money to begin to get anywhere near that at home and that's why I think cinema will always have a future.

Full disclosure:  I may be romanticising a trip to the cinema a bit; we had a baby and so I haven't been to the cinema since before lockdown.  Babysitting costs don't justify it!

You'd need to add some eating noise, rustling, that person who wants to be out and in again, random chatter, at least one phone ringing etc.. to get the full cinema experience!! 

Yes, I don't watch many films and just use a laptop. I wouldn't wanta big screen in the lounge, but I understand the expense of cinema trips etc. It would be nice to have a choice.

The Brewery in Kendal is pretty much as you describe. And the newish seats have plenty of legs pace.

Those are the things my rose tinted specs have edited out! Along with people sat there scrolling through their phone, really gets my goat that does…

I haven't seen the film, but I have seen criticism that it is neither faithful to the book, nor to historical accuracy.

See for example https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jan/27/oscar-all-quiet-on-the-western...

If you're going to make a film adaptation of a literary work, it should be a faithful adaptation. Otherwise, what's the point?

I’m not so sure. The last but one film I saw at the cinema was Sonic (with my grandson) just before Covid struck and it was good, but I recently took him to see Ant Man and the Wasp but the picture quality was awful. I did suspect my glasses but looking down the rows below me indicated that they weren’t the problem. Even the promo pics aren’t what I would consider a good quality. So for me, downloading the latest films from Piratebay and watching them on my large HD TV is still preferable, considering the improvements in handcam technology (if a digital rip isn’t available, where the lack of quality is to be expected). So for me, a can (or two) of Guinness at home, watching the latest movie, is an acceptable alternative.

What does "faithful adaptation" mean to you? 

John Huston's 1956 film adaptation of Moby-Dick (adaptation written by Ray Bradbury) may not be considered "faithful" in the way that it shifts emphases and structure to make it more of an actual "hunt the whale for revenge" story than was Melville's novel, but it's hailed as a (somewhat pulpy) classic. A more "slavish" adaptation would be turgid (it's been done, and it was). Maybe you should steer very clear of Jack Aranson's classic one-man theatre stage adaptation of the same literary work. And the classic "The Bedford Incident". Ditto the Sally Cookson NFT production of Jane Eyre. And West Side Story. etc. etc. 

Or have I totally misunderstood your "I haven't seen the film" point? 

Surely many great film adaptations are only loosely based on the original literary work.

It means - at the least - being faithful to the sense and intent of the original work.

Which great films do you have in mind?

Lots of science fiction, Blade Runner for example.

As ever your film knowledge has enlightened me. Bradbury is one of my favourite writers, I love his work. I've seen that film and didn't know the film adaptation was written by him. 

Saw All Quiet last night in the recently refurbished Wetherby Cinema.  No nuisance noise. The audience went out in total silence. 

Ah yes. It came to Kendal last week. Half an hour too long for me, but good. Very realistic action scenes. Yes, total silence at the end.