Post by Alex W.Post by OlrikPost by Alex W.Post by OlrikPost by Mitchell HolmanIn our local megaplexes we are
seeing feature presentations of
Ghostbusters (1984), Scarface (1983)
and Forrest Gump (1994), the latter
in IMAX format no less. And these
are not midnight fare at the local
art house, but major releases to the
biggest theater chains.
And these three films are not even *that* good, at least not deserving
any sort of revival in megaplexes. Well, maybe Ghostbusters, in a campy
sort of ways.
But nowadays, thanks to the Internet, to DVD/Blu-ray, to cable film
channels, etc., it's easier than ever to get and watch the movies you
like, from every genre, origins, time or language you prefer.
It's freakishly mind-boggling, I tell you. I'm 58, and in the '70s I
almost wanted to delay a long trip to Europe so I could catch a very
rare showing of Orson Welles' The Trial.
Now, I have a fabulous Blu-ray copy of that masterpiece (and dozens of
others...) that I can watch whenever I want on my flat-screen TV.
Which is convenient but it isn't the same.
Nor did I pretend it would.
Post by Alex W.Watching a movie on DVD is to
a cinema experience what listening to a CD is to attending a live
concert.
Very wrong, as a movie is always the same, there's no «live» component
to it. Maybe you meant theatre.
I meant *watching* a movie. The live component is the experience of
watching. How you consume something is as important a factor as what
you consume. It even makes a difference whether you are alone or in
company when you pop that DVD in the player.
Post by OlrikPost by Alex W.We lose context, information and atmosphere, and we do not
experience the performance in the way they were intended to be consumed
by the creator.
There's no such thing in movies. It's just a projection.
Go see Lawrence of Arabia or Psycho on your TV. Then go and see it on
the big screen. Then tell me there is no difference.
I'm 58.
I saw these movies on the big screen, in repertoire cinemas, before the
advent of VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, On-Demand HD, etc.
A lot of times, the copies were horrible, scratchy and the switch
between reels were approximate at best. Sound was crappy.
Growing up, we had a 15 inch TV. A saw masterpieces on it that I
remember vividly to this day.
Then I bought an 11 inch B&W TV when I was 13. Only 4 channels, but I
was free to watch TV until the wee hours (much to my mother's
chagrin...). Those are still the best memories of my life as a kid: The
Saint, The Prisoner (in French, of course!), or a good flick, with a
snack of either a Stouffer's Chicken Pie, a pizza or a BBQ half-chicken.
Some films I saw on that 11 inch TV that I don't want to watch again
because they were too powerful. Try to watch Umberto D. on any fucking
screen size without shedding a bucket of tears.
And then I spent a couple of years commuting to a new job (40 minutes),
and spent that time watching movies on my iPhone.
Well, as bizarre as it may sound, I developed quite an affection and a
"proximity" with a lot of the films I saw that way.
Now, my commute time is only 15 minutes, so I switched from movies to
books. Even though I read a lot of books in 10 minutes increments
(sometimes more when I lunch alone), I still enjoy and remember them
just as if I was spending more time with them. Currently reading
«Cooked», by Michael Pollan.
Post by Alex W.Post by OlrikBut I'll say this: watching a *comedy* with hundreds of persons can be
exhilarating. For pretty much all other genres, well, you're alone in
the dark.
Post by Alex W.Post by OlrikOn many levels, we live in a better sci-fi world than actual sci-fi
promised...
Depends what sci-fi you are thinking of...
Think about it. No, not time travel, or FTL spaceships. AFAIK, and
please correct me if I'm wrong, but even something as «boring» as our
iPhones were not envisioned in traditional sci-fi.
Star Trek did famously come up with transponders which are pretty much
what smartphones are today.
Aside from that, while we do not have FTL or time travel, neither do we
have the end of the world. No post-apocalyptic societies or total
global dictatorships. There are as many dystopian sci-fi visions as
there are utopian ones.
--
Olrik
aa #1981
EAC Chief Food Inspector, Bacon Division