15 Moviegoing Questions With Erin Depke, Comedian
"I saw Hundreds of Beavers at the IFC Center with a Q&A from one of the beavers himself."
Name: Erin Depke
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Occupation: Comedian
Links: Erin’s TikTok, Instagram
1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?
A Sunday 2 pm showing is the best thing that could happen to me. Gives you enough time to sleep in before and enough time after to potentially make it a double feature.
2. What’s your favorite movie theater?
The Lincoln Square AMC. I will watch anything that I can on their IMAX screen. I watched the Wicked sequel on their IMAX screen, and I didn’t even want to see that movie.
Other favorites in the city include the Paris Theater (I’ve seen so many reissues here I wouldn’t have had the chance to see at a theater otherwise) and the IFC Center. I saw Hundreds of Beavers at the IFC Center with a Q&A from one of the beavers himself. That’s not even just one of my best movie going experiences ever, that’s one of the greatest days I’ve had on this mortal plane.
3. What’s your go-to movie theater snack & drink combo?
This is a potentially controversial take, but I’m a snack smuggler. My usual is a Chobani smoothie and a Justin’s peanut butter cup. I’ve done this probably dozens of times. It’s small enough to put in a purse, quiet, and fills you up with a mean 25 grams of protein. I won’t apologize for caring about my probiotic intake.
4. What’s your dream movie theater snack & drink combo (if noise and sound weren’t an issue)?
I’m gonna be really honest here, I’m sneaking in bonkers things to the movies. I’ve done boba, a smoothie bowl, a greek salad, tiramisu. If you have a can-do attitude, anything can go right in that theater with you. I make my dreams a reality.
5. First movie you remember seeing in a theater?
Horton Hears A Who on a kindergarten field trip. Many have called this Will Arnett’s best work.
6. Last movie you saw in a theater?
The Hadestown pro shot with my best friend. When we were about 16, we tried to figure out a way to fly to New York for a day just so we could see the musical with that cast (we were not popular in high school), so it was very cool to see it with her all these years later after we both ended up moving to New York.
7. Is there a movie you wish you could have seen in a theater?
I wish I could see Dune Part 2 for the first time again every day for the rest of my life. Like I wish I could hit my head or Eternal Sunshine myself every day to ride that high again and again. I cried when Paul rode the worm. Not even in a sad way, but in an “I can’t believe movies can make us feel this strongly” way. Unbelievable theater watch.
8. Have you ever seen a movie more than once in theaters?
Sooooo many times. I’m a huge movie rewatcher, especially if I want to see it in different formats. I saw One Battle After Another in three different formats, which is maybe a brag or maybe something I shouldn’t be willing to share so loudly. Sometimes it’s not even a format thing either, I actually saw Sentimental Value twice in one day (again, is this incriminating?) because I ended up getting a ticket to a Q&A screening with Joachim Trier two hours after I had just seen it, and I wasn’t willing to pass it up.
9. Do you stay through the credits or leave as soon as the film ends?
I usually hang through the credits and chit chat about it as the credits roll. It’s also fun if you’re in the back to watch everyone pull up Letterboxd at the same exact time.
10. What’s one thing you would change to make movie theaters better?
Two things come to mind- price and etiquette. When I invite someone to a movie and they say no because they don’t want to spend $20 on a ticket, I get it. It’s just too much, especially if you’re going multiple times a month.
Recent theater etiquette trends are also something that drive me up a wall. With streaming, I think everyone got so used to talking during the movie and sharing their immediate thoughts, but that’s such a bird-brained way to view it. Wait until the end and discuss the film in full, you bozos!
11. Tell me about an especially memorable moviegoing experience that stands out in your mind.
The Interstellar IMAX 70mm reissue. I was only able to get tickets for the 11pm screening, and I got home at like 2 or 3 in the morning. It was electric. The score for that is one of my all time favorites, and hearing it in that setting was just incredible.
12. What’s a movie you’re looking forward to seeing?
La Bola Negra. I was lucky enough to see this at Cannes this past year, and it was my favorite thing I saw at the festival, and I’m really excited to bring every person I know to the theaters to see it again with me. I went in entirely blind and left the theater shattered and put back together.
13. What’s your dream combination of director and lead(s)?
Paul Thomas Anderson and Renate Reinsve. I’m ready for Renate Reinsve world domination.
14. If you could live in a movie, which one would it be?
I actually just rewatched Return of the Jedi and was thinking about how the ewoks and I would definitely get along, so I’m going to say ROTJ, but specifically Endor.
15. Why do you think people should continue seeing movies at the movie theater?
It’s the right way to do it, damnit! It kills me when someone tells me they watched Train Dreams on a laptop, and then they say it wasn’t really their thing. Of course it wasn’t, you had fingerprint smudges on one of the most beautifully shot movies I’ve seen in my lifetime!
Everything in the world feels overwhelming right now, but for two and a half hours, usually several times a week, my phone is off, and I’m in whatever world I’m in that day. No filmmaker is making a movie with the hopes you’ll watch it on a Macbook in 25 minute increments over the course of several days. You’re meant to watch movies on a big screen, with great sound, with no distractions, with a room full of people enjoying the same thing. I’d also recommend having a Chobani smoothie and a Justin’s peanut butter cup in hand as you do it, but that’s just me.