Farthest you've traveled to see a film?

Pilgermann · January 16, 2007, 01:49:00 AM

I've yet to make a very long trip to see any movies, but last October some friends and I drove over an hour to see Tideland at the one lonely venue playing it in the entire state of Kentucky. It was worth it, and I would've probably gone again but they only had it for a week. Some films are worth the extra effort to see on the big screen.

I'd love to go to a big festival like the Toronto Film Fest.

Doc Daneeka · January 16, 2007, 06:38:10 AM

West Town Mall, just about 15 miles or something away

RCMerchant · January 16, 2007, 06:45:18 AM

Me and my brother Glenn walked about 3 miles to sit ontop of a high hill to see RETURN of the LIVING DEAD at one of the last drive-ins on Long Island.A few days later,we walked a mile to a regular theatre to see it with sound.Worth it both times.

Joe · January 16, 2007, 06:58:55 AM

cherry hill NJ which is about an hour from where i live (Toms River) to go to that film festival that featured grave dancers. definetly worth it.

Mr_Vindictive · January 16, 2007, 07:51:21 AM

About 2 hours or so.

Sadly, this is a normal thing. The closest theater to my location is about an hour away. It only shows the standard stuff, never anything good.

If I want to see something even slightly good, I have to drive 2hrs to Jacksonville, NC. This is pretty normal for me, although I haven't been since Borat.

Captain Tars Tarkas · January 16, 2007, 06:02:00 PM

I'm about to travel 2 hours to go see Rifftrax live tonight with the MST3K crew, the movie is Too Be Announced. It's not only the farthest I'v traveled for a film, but the farthest I've traveled to see a movie I have no idea what it is (I've gone to a local theater for the Saturday Midnight shows without knowing what the movies were before)

BoyScoutKevin · January 19, 2007, 03:52:11 PM

How far is it between Tacoma, Washington, where I was living at the time, and Portland, Oregon, where I saw "Zulu Dawn?" And it was worth it. Not only because, it still is one of my favorite films of all time, but because of the audience reaction to the what was happening on the screen. The theater was filled with Native Americans, and everytime one of the blacks in the film killed a white man in the film, the audience members would let out with this Indian war whoop. Never heard anything like it before. Never heard anything like it again.

dean · January 21, 2007, 05:02:53 AM

The only reason why I would travel more than 40 minutes to a cinema was if it was at the Drive In down the coast.

I have all I need right nearby, so no worries there. Of course, due to me usually giving friends a lift, it can sometimes take a bit longer as I troop around picking people up.

Shadow · January 21, 2007, 11:45:15 AM

Quote from: dean on January 21, 2007, 05:02:53 AM
The only reason why I would travel more than 40 minutes to a cinema was if it was at the Drive In down the coast.

Which is the exact same reason my friends and I drove about thirty miles - simply because the place we were going was the last drive-in theater in the area.

El Dogo · January 21, 2007, 01:31:07 PM

Back in 1988, I road-tripped with a bunch of friends from Iowa City to Milwaukee to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It was a special tenth anniversay screening, with a floor show and stuff. I'm not sure how far that was, but it was in the 200-300 mile range.

It was in this gigantic, old time movie palace sort of theatre, dating from the silent era. The theatre had this grandiose Asian decor, the aisle lights where these little buddhas with red lights in their bellies, there were dragons everywhere, stuff like that. It was worth the trip just to see the place.

I don't think it exists anymore.

It either got tore down, or converted into some sort of art house multiplex.

I've heard both stories.

Jim H · January 21, 2007, 04:10:06 PM

I drove an hour and a half to attend the 20th Anniversary Evil Dead screening. It was worth it.

Dennis · January 21, 2007, 11:37:30 PM

The furthest distance I've travelled to see a movie is about 15 miles, but it turned into an adventure in viewing, the movie was The Exorcist. My wife wanted to see this film as soon as possible, as it was only showing at selected theaters in the Hollywood area, that's where we went, as this was a popular film we decided to get there early. Arrived at about 5:30 PM for the 7:00 PM showing, found the parking lot and surrounding streets were full of cars, had to park three or four blocks away. When we got to the box office we were told the line to purchase tickets for the next performance was the one that started at the corner of the building, this line extended way down the street but we figured as long as we were there let's see the movie. About 6:30 a security guard came walking down the line announcing that this was the pre-ticket line for the midnight showing, asked him what that meant, he said that in about 2 to 3 hours we would get a ticket that would entitle us to wait in another line to purchase tickets to see the midnight showing of the film, lots of people in line left, we stayed, went through the whole deal, fortunately there was a restruant across the street and I was able to get a take-out meal and coffee, had a great time, met some fun people waiting in line with us and the reward for all this was seeing a terrific movie.

peter johnson · January 22, 2007, 10:56:07 AM

It varies a lot --
I live in Longmont, which is 16 miles from Boulder, and 40 miles from Denver. Longmont has a decent multi-plex which shows the usual first-run fare, so if you want to see anything unusual on the big screen, then it's drive to one or the other of the close cities.
Last drove to Denver specifically to see "Intermission" -- a small Irish indie flick.
When growing up in Virginia, Mom and I drove 150 miles to Washington, DC, to see Kubrick's "2001" first run on the Cinerama screen --
Anyone else out there old enough to have seen Cinerama? I saw "How the West Was Won" and "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" in Cinerama -- also caught the first run of the first "Star Wars" on the same DC screen in '77, just before they tore it down.
peter johnson/denny crane

BoyScoutKevin · January 27, 2007, 02:46:19 PM

Anybody old enough? Yeah, me. I might even have seen something in Cinerama, though, I don't remember what it might have been, as some of the theaters in the area in which I lived, at that time, were set up to show films in Cinerama.

soundtransit · January 27, 2007, 11:03:33 PM

I rode with my brother on an old Kawasaki KZ-1000 to go from Monterey to Salinas to see Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Hard to believe it has been almost 30 years.