Hey there, folks, and welcome back to The 300, a recurring feature on my impossible attempt to watch 300 movies in theaters in the year 2018. I’ll be watching new releases, classics, hidden gems, and festival films to experience the wide world of cinema in all its forms. I hope there’s something here for you to enjoy and share as well.
As always, there are three rules for The 300:
- The movie must be at least 40 minutes long, meeting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ definition of a feature film.
- I must watch the movie at a movie theater, screening room, or outdoor screening venue.
- While I can watch movies I’ve seen before 2018, I cannot count repeated viewings of the same film in 2018 multiple times.
As we hit week 30, I’ve surpassed 200 movies. I wish I’d caught a few more movies at Japan Cuts this year, since the programming sounded phenomenal as usual. The film tally would have been a bit higher this week, but problems with MoviePass over the weekend (i.e., they ran out of money) kept me out of the theater. Yesterday’s $5 price hike and restrictive policies on new blockbusters are intended to save the company money, but I’m not sure how long these changes will keep MoviePass afloat. It has always been too good to be true, and I have worried about the eventual collapse for a while (The 300 Week 18).
The changes to MoviePass will likely result in a glut of cancellations from people who a) just want to see the latest big studio picture within the first two weeks of release and b) people who live in smaller cities or towns that do not have many theater options. I also expect cancellations from people annoyed by surge pricing, which now seems to apply to all showings of a movie through the weekend at major theaters, including early morning shows. The surge charge has been as high as $8 in some cities, which is a comparable price to a matinee ticket purchased without MoviePass.
Looking at my own numbers, 96 of the 201 movies I’ve seen so far were released before 2010. Since I love catching indies and repertory screenings, my moviegoing habits won’t be impacted too much by the new restrictions. As a friend joked the other night, there’s probably a picture of me on a dartboard at MoviePass HQ. They probably have special urinal cakes with my face on them as well.
And so, onward.
Source: Destructoid The 300 Week 30: Mission: Impossible – I’ve Crossed 200 Films Just as MoviePass is Nearly Dead