Our Top 5 Favorite Moviegoing Experiences
DYLA returns to the movie theater! Plus: our thoughts on Cruella.
Over two years ago we started Do You Like Apples so that you could find interesting movies to watch on streaming services. Kind of. We also just love writing and talking about movies, both at home and in theaters. Last night we made a joyous return to the movie theater together for the first time in well over a year. We settled in at the Hi-Pointe Theater, one of our favorite local cinemas, for Cruella (find our reviews below), and it just felt right to be back.
This Memorial Day weekend is the first time that movies are back in theaters in a big way since March 2020. In addition to Cruella, A Quiet Place Part II is also opening this weekend after a year-plus delay. With this in mind, we are dedicating this week’s newsletter to our favorite moviegoing experiences. See our personal top 5s below and let us know your favorite movie theater moments!
Top 5 Moviegoing Experiences
Drew:
Inglourious Basterds
There’s almost nothing like the buzz of catching a huge movie from a one-of-a-kind filmmaker on opening night. I had just started my freshman year of college when I went to see Inglourious Basterds for a late night showing. I hadn’t had a drop of alcohol, but I could swear I was drunk leaving the theater. The fully packed and giddy crowd cackled, hollered, and lost their collective minds at Quentin Tarantino’s wildly entertaining new creation. No one had any idea where this unbelievable movie was taking us next. We were all just along for the ride together.
Gravity
Some people would never even consider the idea of going to a movie theater alone. Personally, it’s one of my absolute favorite things in the world. One random Saturday afternoon in October 2013 I drove to the theater to see a matinee showing of Gravity by myself. The theater was only about a quarter full. Over the next 90 minutes this space thriller proceeded to rock my world. The technical wizardry from director Alfonso Cuaron was astounding. It legitimately felt like I was drifting in the cold weightlessness of outer space alongside Sandy Bullock and Clooney. It was a visceral and emotional experience that can only happen in a cinema. Afterwards, I stumbled out into the harsh daylight so grateful for lonely trips to the theater.
The Hangover
One of the many things that COVID took from us is the pure communal joy that comes from laughing your ass off with a large group of people, be it stand-up comedy, an improv show, or a movie. When The Hangover came out, I was weeks away from turning 19, which was squarely in that movie’s target demographic. In fact, I’m pretty sure I saw it with a couple friends and then we brought more friends back a few days later to see it once more. I don’t know if I’ll ever laugh that hard in a theater again.
Boyhood
There are so many different emotions and moods that the theatrical moviegoing experience can deliver. You can laugh, cry, escape into a new world, or you can get all contemplative about your own life. The 2014 coming-of-age drama Boyhood was famously filmed over 12 years to show the real age progression of the characters, which made for quite the reflective experience for me since I was a similar age as the main character. I remember that I apologized to my girlfriend (now wife) after we saw Boyhood together (at the amazing Ragtag Cinema in Columbia, Missouri) because I was in such a quiet and aloof mood. That’s the power of a great movie; it can make you reconsider your own life’s experience and direction so much that your girlfriend asks what’s wrong with you.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Not many places can make an adult become a kid again like the movie theater. Back in 2015, we weren’t getting a new Star Wars movie or TV show every year like we are now. When The Force Awakens hit theaters, it was the first Star Wars movie in ten years. And it was exhilarating seeing fresh new characters like Rey, Finn, and Poe inhabit this world that I had loved since I was a kid. The Force Awakens isn’t my favorite Star Wars movie, but it is the time I was most thankful to have it in my life on the big screen.
Billy:
Get Out
There have not been many moments where an original story became such a cultural phenomenon. Before I knew the impact Get Out was going to make I saw it opening night where I was maybe one of about 20 white people in the whole 150+ audience. The crowd got so into this story that presented a message to an audience that doesn’t always get a story for them. All that perspective came later and while watching there was the most screams and laughs I have ever experienced in a theater. There is nothing better than a movie theater experience where the audience is in for every frame.
Everybody Wants Some
2016 was the first year I found the website gofobo.com. They alert you when screenings of movies are in your area and if you see the alert in time you get to see a movie for FREE. What I didn’t know is that if you are able to grab a ticket through gofobo the theater is almost always full. My first 3 entries are screening experiences with gofobo and this movie was my first screening experience with them. This buddy comedy about a 1980s college baseball team has all the problems a movie like this probably brings to the table, but the charm of this one negates anything that might not age well. Each character is given their moment to shine and it gave us a breakout performance from Glen Powell. That alone is enough to make this a #2 theater-going experience.
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
I’m going to keep this one short because this is an example of a movie theater experience that clouded my near-perfect movie taste. Walking out of this Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick, and Aubrey Plaza comedy I thought I saw the next classic comedy. A movie that would stand the test of time with Anchorman. I was wrong… this movie is not that good, but the audience was LOVING this movie. Some of the loudest laughs I have ever heard in a theater.
Avengers: Endgame
Eleven years of investing into a film franchise could not have ended better. All the effort came together in such a perfect way. The perfect amount of fan service with a superhero time heist that brought endless chills, smiles, and tears. I’m glad I was at a point where I could purely enjoy this movie because my relationship and reactions to franchises are now, let’s say, complicated. That’s the beautiful thing about movies, though. In the moment those outside influences disappear if the story can capture your attention and this did perfectly.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Freshman year of college we had an awkward and nerdy Billy who still had midnight screenings in his life. I’m still those two adjectives, but the midnight screenings are gone. Me and some friends got all dressed up for this movie and had the time of our lives. Equally nerdy college kids in a small college town allowed for those rare occurrences of large scale commonality. A moment where you can laugh, cry, and invest in a story with so many other people. A story that started when you were 10 years old.
Recent Release Mini-Reviews
Cruella (in theaters and Disney+ Premier Access)
Billy: Cruella stars Emma Stone as the titular character and you can tell she is having the time of her life. This movie has a beautiful aesthetic and charismatic performances that keep your attention. Through the seemingly endless needle drops there is a disjointed story that sets up a villain who is ultimately not that villainous. Overall I had a good time, but these live-action adaptations only have a certain ceiling they can hit. Cinderella is still my favorite of these Disney live-action adaptations. - 3 / 5 Apples
Drew: With extremely game performances from Emmas Stone and Thompson, Cruella is probably better than it has any right to be. This is a PG-13 Disney villain origin story that could’ve been a pointless Joker knockoff. But it’s actually a ton of fun, with a rollicking soundtrack and a fashion-centric visual style. Call it The Devil Wears Prada meets 101 Dalmatians. It’s unclear if we needed this movie, but you won’t have a bad time watching it. - 3.5 / 5 Apples
Army of the Dead (streaming on Netflix)
Drew: Why is this not more fun? It’s a zombie heist movie with a legitimately great premise and opening credits scene. After that, it’s all muddy CGI, jokes that don’t land, and uninspired storytelling. Maybe it would’ve played better in a theater, but Army of the Dead didn’t do much to demand my attention over its 2 1/2 hour (!) runtime. Zack Snyder’s obvious needle drops didn’t really help his already dull story. Dave Bautista surprises with some emotional weight, but otherwise none of the performances are much to write home about. This should’ve been an enjoyable and mindless two hours and instead we got a boring and mindless two and a half. - 2 / 5 Apples
Links
It was a huge week for trailers now that studios are slowly but surely releasing their best movies in theaters again. This week we got our first look at Marvel’s Eternals, Steven Soderbergh’s crime drama No Sudden Move, and the horror-thriller Last Night in Soho.
John Krasinski talked to the New York Times about what it was like to have his long-delayed A Quiet Place Part II finally come out in theaters.