Unpacking the myths of movie-going (w/ Daniel Moran)

For this episode of the Cinema Body/Cinema Mind in invited Substack writer Daniel Moran to discuss a couple of his recent posts: The Biggest Lie about the Movies and If I Ran a Movie Theatre

Welcome, and thanks for checking out Cinema Body/Cinema Mind. This is the part of my Substack where I write and talk about the cinematic experience from a humanistic-materialist standpoint. I’m fascinated the visceral, sensory-rich world of cinema and how it moves us—not just emotionally, but physically, intellectually, and beyond.

My aim for the writing, podcasting, and video lectures in this section, is to make these ideas relevant to the contemporary environment, particularly in light of the ways in which digital, online consumption is arguably narrowing our cinematic sensibilities.

Here, I advocate for and try to practice a richer, more embodied approach to cinema—one that acknowledges how films resonate through our senses, memories, collaborations, and lived experiences. This is an ethos that I argue offers resistance to the reduction of cinema to mere “content.”

If you are a filmmaker, exhibitor, critic or academic and feel an affinity for the subject and want to talk about, please get in touch.

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I’m really excited to bring you my 2nd video podcast episode of Cinema Body/Cinema Mind, this time featuring Substack writer and podcaster Daniel Moran.

We kick off by exploring Daniel’s formative film experiences, the intersection of literature and film (literature being Daniel’s corollary passion) and the significance of adaptation in storytelling. Daniel shares insights on film writing Substack (Pages and Frames) and his research on writer Flannery O'Connor, who he wrote a book about.

Daniel is also a podcaster, his 'The 15 Minute Film Fanatics' is structured on the short form reactions films and the joy of unpacking what you have seen with friends. We explore the relationship between podcasting and writing and the changing value of film and culture writing more broadly.

The main crux of the conversation is Daniel’s takes on the state of film-going and his polemic, if also somewhat irreverent argument, that cinema-going has become so untenable most of the time streaming is actually preferable.

Daniel came onto my radar when I read a couple of his articles. The Biggest Lie about the Movies takes Lubna Playoust’s Room 999, a conceptual follow up to Wim Wenders Room 666, as his starting point. Each of these films is a pointed meta-documentary in which a series of directors attending the Cannes film festival are filmed with a single camera in a hotel room, responding the question of the real or symbolic death of cinema.

The directors who are interview give a range of responses to this question, some nonchalant, some dismissive, some banal, some bizarre. Daniel, in his piece, reacts to the directors who specifically lament the death of the theatrical experience.

One of the quotes Daniel uses from the Room 999, which I read on the episode, is from Asghar Farhadi, who lyrically encapsulates the romantic ideal of the cinema experience:

To me, cinema is not just about viewing. The thing that I grew up with and that I miss, is the fact that you had to decide to go out, walk, get out of the cab, change cars, stand in line, buy a ticket, purchase some snacks, and find a seat in the movie theatre along with hundreds of other people. We laugh or are silent together. We watch the movie, leave the theater, and discuss it together. When we go home at night, we talk about it with those who saw it. It’s like a journey, a ritual we all share. And today, this aspect of cinema no longer interests the new generation. There is no longer that need. … If someone can watch a film at home, they will. I don’t like that. The ritual of going to a movie theatre has disappeared.

We go in deep on the assumptions and fallacies of this idea, both in terms of the critique that’s it’s a rarefied, perhaps even elitist, ideal of what the film-going experience should be.

Our conversation covers a range of elements that contribute to a malign cinema-going culture:

• The layered impact of technology, particularly streaming platforms, on viewing practices and distribution/exhibition structures.

• Audience behaviour and wider shifts in social attitudes to public spaces

• The hypocrisy of filmmakers who laud the theatrical experience yet take the streaming money

• The potential decline in overall quality of films

• How might theatres enforce rules, is this tenable

We have an interesting debate about the problems of generalising the cinematic experience. I’m an advocate for the notion that there is a context and complexity to the myriad experiences we have, under the banner of cinematic.

As usual, I end with the quick fire round of 10 question to define one’s cinematic identity.

Here’s is part 1 of the conversation:

Part 1 Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage

02:20 Formative Cinema Experiences

11:30 The Intersection of Film and Literature

16:56 Exploring Flannery O'Connor

19:04 The 15 Minute Film Fanatics Podcast

20:58 The Evolution of Podcasting and Writing

23:40 Substack: A New Era for Creators

26:38 The Artist and Their Work: Navigating Ideology

31:51 The Changing Landscape of Film Criticism

32:19 Exploring Cinema: The State of Film Today

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As always, thanks for reading, watching, or listening. Thanks specifically to new subscribers joining since the last post:

Mariana

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Andrew Yong

Jessica Roch

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Chris Jennings

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Bori

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Freya DSouza

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Floricel Burgos

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Desiré Hendricks

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If you’re not already a subscriber, please consider doing so by hitting the button below. Also, if anything here strikes you as interesting, useful, or even mildly amusing, feel free to share it in the Substack app or on any of those other platforms we like to decry—but also can’t live without.

Sharing and commenting (not just liking) is a gesture of curatorial practice and a small act of resistance against complicity with the algorithmic overlords.

Lastly, if you value the work here, please consider making a small financial contribution. I know this is a lot to ask, so it’s incredibly appreciated. A subscription is only £3.50, and you’ll receive access to the paid portion of my work, which includes podcasts, extended interviews, and bonus writing. Every paid subscriber also receives an IRL postcard from me through the post.

For anyone who joins as a paying subscriber you will receive this small token of my appreciation in physical form, aligning with my ethos of championing medium specificity rather than content. The handwritten postcard/letter is a form ripe for a comeback in the same vein as Vinyl.

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Part 2 of the show is below for paying subscribers:

42:29 The Changing Experience of Movie Watching

45:41 The Impact of Streaming on Cinema

49:40 Audience Behavior and Movie Etiquette

53:09 The Hypocrisy of Filmmakers

56:33 The Future of Movie Theaters and Personal Experiences

01:04:41 Theater Etiquette and Audience Behavior

01:07:00 Enforcement of Social Rules in Cinemas

01:09:31 The Future of Theatrical Experience

01:11:51 The Cost of Cinema and Value Perception

01:13:30 Cinematic Escapism and Cultural Context

01:15:03 Cinematic Identity: Quickfire Questions