Weirdest Cinemaic Experience

[BryceDavid]

Speaking of BARBARELLA (see drive-in thread), I had one of the strangest cinematic experiences with that film. I once saw it where they played the reels from BARBARELLA out of order. As you know, movies are made of several long reels of film projected one after the other. Well, when I saw BARBARELLA back in the late 70s, they played the entire film but with  the reels completely out of order. After the credits scene, where Jane strips, the middle part was played at the start, the ending was at the halfway point, the middle part was at the end. It was a complete jumble. I couldn't understand anything that was going on. And BARBARELLA is already a pretty far-out movie to begin with, so you can imagine how messed up I was after seeing it projected that way!

[Bernie]

When I went to school at SUNY Buffalo in the mid-70s, the student government, trying to be o-so-hip, had a fundraising film show -- of porno flicks!  Imagine a couple of hundred college kids (back in those pre-VCR, pre-DVD days), probably most still virgins, probably most seeing their first porns and trying to be cool about it.  Very embarrassing, weird vibe.

[Fearless Freep]

I went to see a double bill of "Creature from The Black Lagoon" and some sci-fi-sapce-creature movie, both in 3-D.

Anyway, for the first time, I ordered my popcorn with butter.  I ordered it sometime before the first movie and finished it farily quickly.  Some time in the second movie I realized all the 'butter' that had dripped from the popcorn into the bottom of the bad had hardened up.  I figured "mm..that should taste nice and buttery.."

It took me weeks to get the taste of whatever fat/lard/grease that artifical 'butter' flavoring was made of out of my mouth.  Ugh!

[The Burgomaster]

I saw FRIDAY THE 13TH parts 1, 2 and 3 at a drive-in triple feature. The problem was, the damned drive-in cut each movie down to about 75 minutes. They didn't bother to carefully edit unimportant scenes (as if there are any IMPORTANT scenes in those movies, but you know what I mean). Instead, they just cut a 15 minute chunk out of the middle of each movie, so they jumped from one scene to another without any continuity and you couldn't figure out what was going on. Luckily (????), I had already seen all 3 movies either at the cinema or on video (back in those days, I had BETA, not VHS, so you know how long ago it was), so I figured out what was happening after a minute or two.

I still want my damned admission fee back!

[Vermin Boy]

When I saw the Empire Strikes Back Special Edition when I was 12, there was an unusually high amount of clearly mentally handicapped people there. Not that I have anything against the mentally handicapped, but when you're twelve, and the grown man sitting in the next row is crying and screaming "ARTOOOOO!!!" it can kinda weird you out.

Another bizarre experience at the movies was when I saw Muppets From Space, and the theater was the most desolate I've ever seen it. The guy didn't even bother checking our tickets, and there were only two other people in the theater besides my group.

[Brian Ringler]

At my friends school they had a screening of a 3-d porno film.  He said the place was packed.  I wish my college would do cool stuff like that.

[raj]

Back in college, lo these many years ago, they showed Pink Floyd's The Wall on Friday and Saturday night one time.  Saw it Friday (I'd already seen it), and went back again Saturday, having eaten some mushrooms.  

I did not last very long.

[TC]

My first or second year of college, I would look for any reason to skip class (I was commuting from my parent's house to school).  I would leave my house, looking like I was going to school and then go somewhere else.  Well, one day, the local theater had a 10am or so showing of Pleasantville.  It was the earliest I ever remember a weekday movie being shown there.  So, I went there to kill a few hours.  I ended up being the only one in the huge theater, and I felt really wierd about it.   Needless to say, I hated the movie and felt like a big goof afterwards.  I can only imagine what the employees were saying about me.

[Evan3]

Bernie wrote:
>
> When I went to school at SUNY Buffalo in the mid-70s, the
> student government, trying to be o-so-hip, had a fundraising
> film show -- of porno flicks!  Imagine a couple of hundred
> college kids (back in those pre-VCR, pre-DVD days), probably
> most still virgins, probably most seeing their first porns
> and trying to be cool about it.  Very embarrassing, weird vibe.

And you were there with these people Bernie???? Is this story a little personal feelings???? Just Kidding!


My strangest experience was when I was watching this awful Richard Gere movie Unfaithful (luckily  it was a free midnight showing at college), but during one of the many sex scenes, I believe he hit the wife and then they started f**king. She started groaning and a closeup of her sweaty face when the screen went brown and the film bubbled and melted. Looks like the virgin running the machine got a little too hot under the collar (not that there is anything wrong with being a virgin).

[Steven Millan]

              W.C.E. No. #1:Two old ladies were loudly,loudly b***hing about all of the on-screen antics of "Boogie Nights",while that movie played at the theater I saw it at(I was surprised to see no one leaped out of their seats to b***h-slap these two).
               W.C.E. No. #2: A young couple wildly making out while "Godzilla 1985" played:couldn't see the certain act too well(theater was real dark),but her shoes were off,and they were in a missionary looking position,so I guess they were really having a good time,and thoroughly enjoying the movie,that very night.
                 W.C.E. No.#3:During a showing of "The Boogens",a Latino dude was constantly loudly chanting "Boogie,Boogie,Boogie,Woogie,Woogie",for the first 45 minutes,before he got thankfully booted out.
                 W.C.E. No. #4:At "New Nightmare",a Latino gang meber loudly vowed that no one could mess with him,and that he could beat up everyone in the very theater,and near the end,when Freddy's extremely long tongue stuck out,and wrapped itself around Heather's son,that very gangbanger loudly screamed in fear for his life(llok who was scared now...).

[Funk, E.]

My wierdest cinamatic experience will go to my grave however my second wierdest was when a friend of my who worked a a rep. movie house invited us to watch "The Abyss" for free (the only way they were going to get me to watch that dreck twice!) anyway, we show up and there's alot of tention in the air and everyone else is acting strange. The movie starts and about 15 minutes into, one friend is screaming at her boyfriend another is crying the rest of us have to jump in clueless and drag them all out of the theater. Turns out one friend had cheated on another friend with a third friend and the whole thing had been found out just before the movie started. Fun times.

[Bernie]

Yup, I was definitely UNexperienced and it WAS my first porno.  Once we all started heckling the movie, everyone loosened up, tho.

[Bernie]

Yup, I was definitely UNexperienced and it WAS my first porno.  Once we all started heckling the movie, everyone loosened up, tho.

[Scott0]

It's been ages since I've been to a theater (nearly 3 years now), but from what I do remember waaaaaay back then, it had to have been when I was still living in Chicago, and it was my first night taking on the big city with a date. We decided to go see a midnight movie and chose the first theater we came across. And damnit if when we got inside, a hoard of cross-dressing men and women didn't come pouring in to see the midnight screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Us two surrounded by dozens of men in oh so tight lingerie and women in boxers, it struck a chord I'll never forget. I offered to my date that we be a part of the crowd and switch clothes, but she said no. Stuuuupid women.... no sense of adventure.

Scottie

[Scott0]

That situation with Star Wars has to be the funniest thing I've ever heard all week. Just thinking about that gives me the goofiest mental image ever.

Scott0