David S. Pumpkins

Any Questions?

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Saw The Odyssey last night in good old wide-screen. Looked like a film. Then went home and watched an ep of the 80s Miami Vice in 4:3. Looked like TV. Didn't think it was immediately better because there's "more" at the top and bottom. Fuck the IMAX snobs.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Someone tell Gabriel Clarke we won.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Double page advert in 1991 Empire magazine. Not quite the blockbuster they hoped.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Visiting my parents for the weekend. No F1 for me, as @bt_uk are incompetent and continue to con the locals with claims of fixing an internet "outage" for the last 5 days. Cunningly it works for a few hours each day, so noone will be able to claim compensation.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Watching the 90s Weird Science TV show, surprisingly decent. Prescient episode where one of the boys becomes President.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Who had zero retail experience and literally didn't know the difference between a Wii and an Xbox 360. Not long later though that store closed after the Game station merge, while I went and started a career in the industry. So all worked out!

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Not that I'm petty or anything, but I've never been a big fan of Game since 20 years ago when they turned me, a gamer for 15+ years with plenty of retail experience down for a job which was given to the manager's Niece instead.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

@nevergosane 89-91 Amiga or Atari S.T. top-down, the screen has spikes on and moves around a world with you within it. You have to collect stuff while not getting killed. Possibly had Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head playing during or on Start screen? Magazine cover disk maybe?

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

This hellsite can be terrible in presuming everyone has seen the latest "in" film in the first few days. But apropos of nothing, what was the last hyped release that actually lived up to it? For me, Black Bag.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Hey Jerry, what number Terrorist do you want to be?

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Sure, Bezos is a prick, but Miami Vice is on Amazon Prime with all the music rights paid for and it's an absolute blast. Season 2 opener just casually underscoring scenes with Billy Ocean and U2!

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

End of an article about River Phoenix from 1989.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

I guess the point is that it's disappointing to see Cineworld not just dying, but go down without a fight. There's so much more they could do, or try to bring in a new family of movie bros and broettes. Instead they're happy to continue to spiral until the inevitable

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Do some more external marketing. Most Cineworlds are in out of town retail parks. Get some big lettering up like US indie cinemas. Especially for events etc advertise. If you don't already go, would you know about the 80's/90's classic that have been re-shown recently?

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Have a function room cinema for groups. Put on drinks and bar snacks, charge group prices for new movies or blu ray projection etc. Let the group decide the rules. I once worked somewhere which had a private screening for a naturist group, put their own towels etc on the seats.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Convert one screen to be always kid-specific. Murals. Ballpit. slides. bouncy castle bullshit to one side, super soft seats to the other. Use it as a playcentre that kids can watch the latest films in if they want. Super-soundproof that screen though!

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

How to keep the place alive? Try some things. Ditch a screen or two, convert some of the huge empty foyers. get a Bar & Cafe in there to make it somewhere people stay and spend money. Get a small shop in there, physical media, film merch etc.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

Not a criticism of most of the staff. I usually go off-peak and they're a bit bored, which isn't surprising. I suspect most of them are equally as frustrated with what the place has become.

[David S. Pumpkins @Dizkko]

I grew up with a terrible local cinema, one screen, crappy seats, bad sound. But it had character, it was full of movie promo stuff, it was run by incompetents who clearly loved films. I grew up loving the experience of the movies. Who's loving the experience of Cineworld?