Films? No thanks.

I think we all get much more 'selective' about what we watch as we get older - in my 20's, I'd watch anything at all that was 'USA based' . Nowadays, I'd consider watching something that I'm not interested in to be a total waste of 'valuable time out of my life' as well as money .

When I see some of the films that get released these days, I actually cringe and haven't actually been to the cinema since we went to watch 'League of Gentlemen - Apocalypse' in 2005 ;)! (Definitely not everybody's cup of tea, but we were - and still ARE - great fans of the series/writers.) Prior to seeing that, we'd been to see 'Braveheart' in 1995 and before that it was 'Jurassic Park' in 1993. My OH has taken a couple of the grandsons to see films that they wanted to see, but I've not seen anything at all that's really 'tickled my tastebuds' ................ until the trailers for 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. As we're both Queen Fans, we're going to see that on Saturday - and will turn it into a 'Date Day' !

I'd rather watch a documentary than a film on TV and usually watch re-runs of older dramas than some of the very complicated psychological series that are being made now.

I am not a big fan of films and would rather read a book as my imagination is way better than the film makers.
I have read a few poor reviews for Bohemian Rhapsody and have decided not to go and see it. Apparently it has been given a 12 rating which means they will not be portraying the real Freddie as that would definitely not be suitable for 12 year olds.

Does anyone else find it difficult to follow the dialogue in films at the cinema? It's so loud that I don't wear my hearing aids, but the acoustics seem blurred. With a film on TV I can put the subtitles on. However, I didn't have a problem with Mama Mia2 recently!

I, too, would rather read a book than watch a film. Wearing a hearing-aid doesn't help much, and I often miss hearing some of the dialogue, and lose the plot - literally!
My daughter took me to see The Greatest Showman and A Star is Born. The former was greatly over-hyped, though I liked the music.

I was greatly impressed with the singing and acting of Lady Gaga in A Star is Born, as I only pictured her as an over-the-top pop star. Not much plot, but I enjoyed it.
I often read film reviews and fancy going to see them, but just don't get around to it. Even acquiring a 'Meercat Movies' pass, last year, when I bought some insurance, didn't get me there even once.
I also like Queen. Freddy Mercury had such amazing talent. It's sad that he died so young. I doubt that I will watch the film, though. Cinemas are just so LOUD!

DH first saw Queen when they were support act at a Mott The Hoople gig.
I can't remember how often we saw them (although I am more a Bowie & Stones fan).
Looking forward to seeing film but TBH books are far more my thing than films. Rarely watch a US film.

Old woman, I agree with you. I dislike films or TV adaptations of books I have read. That's why I ignored the recent Vanity Fair on ITV which I must have read a dozen times at school and uni.

I also find that the sound in cinemas is often at a volume that distorts and dialogue is hard to hear.

I'm another who much prefers fact to fiction and rarely, if ever, watch films. The last time I ventured to see one it was Top Gun shown at a Rooftop Film Club viewing at the Bussey building in Peckham. I went for the Rooftop experience.
I have a large library of books at home, 95% of which are serious bios/auto-bios, political, economic and wildlife plus some on travel, art, construction and baking.
Kindles are soulless.

I saw Freddie Mercury live with Queen back in the day! They performed at Maine Road football ground (old Man City venue). Wow - what a gig. Amazingingly electric performance by the ultimate showman! Status Quo were the support band too.
That said, the reviews for the film ‘bohemian Rapsody’ are very disappointing. Both the DM and The Guardian give a low score. 2 out of 5 stars! Apparently the last 20 minutes of the film is good.
Be interesting to hear the feedback from those of you going today. I was keen. Less so now!

I love a good film but dislike the cinema, it's always far too loud!!! Films of books can sometimes be a blessing, I was struggling to read War and Peace as each character seemed to have various names depending on who was talking to them, but seeing it on film really helped put faces to names and consequently I enjoyed the book after that.

Conni7 DD and I like subtitles, you can find out when/which films are subtitled in your area at www.yourlocalcinema.com/

I m off to see Bohemian Rhapsody this evening
I usually like ‘real’ films and can’t bear most of the American big box office films
I was an avid reader from a small kid, books under the bed covers on the dinner table in the loo but now unfortunately can’t get into books any more I read a few pages then lose my concentration I think a lot is to do with my poor eyesight which makes it so much like hard work I can so understand how dyslexics feel with a book of many words in front of them I feel sad about that but you have to go with what you have to go with

I always have at least one book on the go, and always read in bed no matter how late. I do read mainly fiction, but enjoy tv documentaries. I like a 'good' film, though as another poster said, there aren't that many of them these days. I just have to say that last night, I went to see Mathew Bourne's Swan Lake, and it was brilliant. It has the lot- drama, costume, music and dance.

I also prefer books especially ones with some factual content and/or based in another country/culture so that you learn from it. I enjoy foreign detective stories for this reason ( eg Barbara Nadel’s Inspector Ikmen books).

However, I have just bought a ticket to a live screening of Alan Bennett’s play Allelujia - it is supposed to be hilarious.

Gosh what a lot of GNers reading worthy stuff! So many brilliant novels and films and so little time! I don't mind an occasional auto/ biography or travelogue type book but love a story.

I used to be an avid reader having all the classics but now my eyes are not so good I watch more and more films on Tv. Have always been a film fan since my father used to take me to the pictures every week at the age of three in 1926. I am not keen on modern American films. Too much sex and violence and bad language and the dialogue is difficult to hear. I watch a lot of French and Spanish films and the oldies. Cary Grant etc. BBC 4 is my most watched TV channel.

Nothing 'worthy' about my reading. Just not a great fiction reader, - and never was, even as a child. DGF was the same. as is DD, DS reads anything and everything and DH reads mainly fiction.

I used to watch dramatisations of older books, until that dreadful adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in the 1990s ( I know I am the only person in the UK. Europe, possibly world and galaxy who hated it). It marked the point where they started sexing up the stories and making them self-consciously modern and politically correct.

I'm also an avid reader, and it has to be paper books not electronic. Fiction or factual is fine, but I'm not a very intellectual reader. The last time I went to the cinema was to see Lion King when our DSs were young, which I enjoyed but it was far too loud for my liking. I would far rather go the theatre, ballet, opera or a classical concert. When our AC tell us the cost of a cinema trip with our GC I'm horrified! I very rarely watch films on TV, I get bored quickly so I always have some sewing or crafting to do while watching.

I don't watch films if I have already read the book anymore as I am usually disappointed. As for the Queen Film, please, please come back and tell us your thoughts on it. Always been a Queen fan and once saw them in concert.

M0nica how did you think they made P&P politically correct..whatever that means!

I didn't say P&P was politically correct. I spoke of sexing up stories and making them politically correct. P&P was sexed up, others seemed to reflect current preoccupations with equality.

I haven't been to the theatre or cinema for years - I fall asleep (which I can do for free at home) but I'm wondering about going to afternoon showings although I'm a bit afraid of going on my own. Several books I've read have been turned into films or TV dramas which I haven't seen but have read reviews of them and have been disappointed sometimes to read that the story has been skewed from the book. Also when I read a book I always picture in my mind what the characters look like. This would not be possible if I saw the film before the book.

What struck me was on a recent cruise was the amount of passengers who had their noses stuck in their books as we sailed past some wonderful sceanery and places of interest, and not saying a word to their partners or lifting their heads to look at views. Most odd I thought.

With a book you can put it down and take it up again. A film needs concentration and commitment. I get impatient with them now!

I love films - and it’s rare that a week goes by without a visit to the cinema. I never see sci fi or particularly violent films but there are some brilliant indie films around. I also read avidly, watch a lot of TV, read a daily newspaper cover to cover - love all that media