On the thirty- sixth episode of All the Film Things, I am joined by my friends filmmaker/ Letterboxd Patron member Freddy Burgos and movie critic Matthieu Côté to talk about cinema etiquette and experiences! This episode is explicit.
As passionate cinephiles, going to the cinema is one of the most cherished experiences. There’s nothing like seeing a film the way it’s meant to be seen: on a big screen with surround sound. Various factors like streaming and Covid have caused a decline in the movie theater business which effectively led to a decline in cinema etiquette. Cinema etiquette has become a prominent talking point as of late online. There’s been debate surrounding if it’s alright to sing during musicals, if it is acceptable to take photos of the theater screen, and much more… which is exactly what we unpack in this episode along with sharing our own cinema experiences.
This is both Freddy and Matthieu’s second times on the show! Freddy was a guest on ATFT last year alongside his brother artist Bernardo Goya to talk about Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) while Matthieu’s first appearance was two months ago to discuss Le Samouraï (1967) to celebrate Noirvember. Both have been looking forward to being back on the show for a little while now and I knew this was a perfect topic for the three of us. Matthieu and I became instant friends since recording our Le Samouraï episode and ever since, we often chat about film and what films we have seen in theaters. We have similar movie theater pet peeves, especially since we both revel in the experience of going to the cinema alone. Freddy was a perfect guest for this episode because he goes on “cinematic pilgrimages”, meaning he will travel far and wide to see a film in the best possible format. I greatly respect his dedication to cinema and in this episode, he talks about a few of his cinematic pilgrimages. Actually, he had just gotten back from traveling to see The Brutalist (2024) a day or two before recording this episode! I’m very grateful to them both for joining me for this episode. While this episode topic has been in the works for a little while now, the planning of recording it was pretty last minute due to initial plans of recording an analytical episode went awry. This episode was recorded on January 3, 2025.
Freddy is a filmmaker who has been taking a little bit of a break but is already working on his next project! Check out some of his past work by subscribing to his YouTube channel, Fresh Lad Collective, by clicking this link!: https://www.youtube.com/@freshladcollective. Freddy is also a Letterboxd Patron member and regularly shares reviews and comments about the films he watches. Follow him on Letterboxd by clicking https://letterboxd.com/burgitoes/! Matthieu has been killing it on YouTube lately. He’s been interviewing filmmaker after filmmaker whose films are Oscar- eligible this year! In addition to interviews, you’ll find excellent analytical film reviews. You definitely want to subscribe to his channel so click here!: https://www.youtube.com/@matthieucote2272
As previously mentioned, we unpack certain topics that fall under the cinema etiquette category that are up for debate from snacks to seating to children. Throughout the episode, especially in the beginning, we share our own theater experiences. Freddy’s stories start off very unexpectedly as he shares a story from his childhood, Matthieu recounts his favorite movie theater memory that involve one of his favorite directors, and I fondly remembered the first time I saw a Christopher Nolan film in theaters. Also in this episode, we talk about filmmakers like Nolan who have championed the cinema experience, what theaters can do to improve, and the theater rule that one of us continuously breaks. All this and more on the brand new episode of All the Film Things!
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