The times they are a changing, as Warner Bros and Universal Studios look to shorten the length of time a film plays in theatres, in favour of a quicker jump to digital and the home market.  When I was a wee lad, it wasn't unusual for a movie to stick around our local cinema for weeks, even months. I remember Raiders of the Lost Ark playing in town for 30 to 40 weeks - that's seven or eight months! The last movie I remember getting such a long theatrical run was Titanic, which played for almost a year.

In an era when most people don't venture out of their homes to watch movies, it's nice to be reminded of the communal experience of seeing a movie in a crowded theatre. I've become one of those people who rarely hits up the local cinema anymore, mostly because of the crowds. The current movie-going public doesn't respect the "process" of watching a movie. They talk, text and tweet their way through the film, almost like the film itself is an afterthought. But when a movie works and the audience is engaged, catching a flick in a theatre can be a transcending experience. And few genres work a crowd like the horror genre. When horror clicks, it works over its audience, as the example below testifies to. I never got to watch John Carpenter's Halloween in a theatre. I was far too young. But when people who saw it during its theatrical run are interviewed, they say it played like gangbusters. Well, someone found an audio track of an audience reaction to th...

I've been to the theatre maybe three times this year. Once to see Sherlock Holmes, a second time for Clash of the Titans and then the wife and I recently checked out The Losers. Given the slate of upcoming releases, I will likely screen The A-Team because a buddy wants to bring his kids and I will tag along for the ride. The next film I can see myself dragging my ass to is The Expendables because I don't see how any male who calls himself a movie fan will want to pass up seeing that cast (Stallone, Ah-nold and Willis in the same scene together? Hello!) on the big screen. I might check out Tron 2.0, but we'll see what my mood is like at the time. That's it. Six films worth slapping down $10 to see. Otherwise, I'll wait and watch them on the system at home. Hi-def picture, 5.1 digital surround, no crowds and beer outweigh my need to see Iron Man 2 any day. But it wasn't that long ago that the wife and I would head out once a week and catch all the big releases. Wh...