MUBI GO: Curated Cinema

I love movies and I got this because I thought it would encourage me to go to the movie theater more. Streaming service notwithstanding, this is really really frustrating in Chicago - there are three eligible theaters (information that was kind of difficult to find on the app), two on the near north side and one downtown. My first week, the movie was supposed to be Wildcat, but instead, I was offered “the feeling that the time for doing something has passed” for two weeks, the second of which only had two showings, total, all week. I’ve had it for five weeks now and I’ve only been able to see one film. It’s annoying to not know what’s coming next and it’s doubly annoying when the rest of the country gets a movie I want to see, like Gasoline Rainbow, and I don’t. This week the film is A Woman Under the Influence, which I adore! But I can’t see it, at all. Like, zero showings in Chicago, no alternative programming. Even though last week the programming was Hit Man (for everyone in NYC and LA) which is absolutely still showing in Chicago. I don’t know if this is more developed for NYC and LA, I know they have more theaters and more of a scene, but if you live in Chicago, it’s much cheaper to just see the two movies a month that appeal to you at the Music Box or Siskel Film Center. 2 stars.

In theory, I love this service. It gets me out to watch films and takes away the effort of discovering a film on my own. Bundled with the excellent streaming service, this feels like a great deal. I end up watching lots of great movies out in the theaters that I might not otherwise! However, in practice I don’t get to use my tickets often. 1. If there are no showtimes for the film of the week, a previous film is repeated. This will be the same film for sometimes over a month (even if other previous films of the week are also still showing) It would be great to have the option to see any of the previous films of the week that are still in theaters. But instead, you are given no choice and the selection does not seem to follow a consistent logic. 2. There are multiple participating theaters in my area, with overlap in the films they offer. I never get a choice of theater. Sometimes this leaves me with only one or two showtime options in a week, meaning I likely have to miss a film. I’d love to see showtimes at other theaters, even ones that are a little more out of the way. 3. The movie of the week is usually, but not always, selected on opening week for the movie. Sometimes I will have assumed Mubi would not select a film, because it’s been out for two weeks, and buy my own ticket- only for it to be the movie of the week later on. All and all, this has been a frustrating service to use that hasn’t gotten me into as many movies as I would have hoped. I recommend looking into a membership with your local theater first, especially if you wont be using the streaming service often. However, the service has promise; the curation is excellent and the idea is great. But without improvements, I can’t really recommend Mubi Go unless you already know your local theaters have a robust connection with the service. (I’m using the service in San Francisco/Oakland)

This time when the prompt for an App Store review popped up I rated it 5 stars. As soon as I did that the App stopped working! I get Error 500 and I can’t use it to go to the movies today. I’ve restarted my phone and deleted and reinstalled the app to no avail. No help from the website.