The Future of Media: #80 Movies

Isn't this the BEST home theater ever? Imagine hunkering down to see the latest Caped Crusader flick in an actual Batcave! Watching movies has certainly changed, even if you don't have your own movie theater. I've watched movies on my computer and it's okay but not my first choice, especially if the film is heavy on special effects. Watching the Enterprise get sucked into a black hole is just not as heart-pounding on a 19" screen. Even on a flat screen 42" high def TV there's no substitute for a 30 footer with THX surround sound courtesy of Mr. Lucas. Used to be, going to the movies was an event. Now, and maybe it's a side effect of getting older, but it's just not the fun outing it used to be. For one thing, the crowds are unpleasant, the snacks cost as much as a steak dinner and the seats are not designed for anyone under 5'10". I always feel like I'm leaning back at a 45° angle with the seat's lumbar curve in my neck. If necessary, I'll go to a midnight showing but even the excitement of these have lost their sparkle. The allure of 3-D is not incentive for me either. I like to watch movies unencumbered by facial accoutrement. I'm not a Blockbuster gal so if I want to watch something at home, I request it from my local public library. If I've seen the film before and plan to see it many times, I'll wait to purchase the DVD. I don't think I'd subscribe to a fee-based subscription like Netflix, although the idea of using streaming through an X-Box is intriguing. I'm a frequent visitor to Hulu but I've never watched a full feature on it. I tried to watch the ever-so-enticing A Prehistoric Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell but kept snorting with laughter throughout it. I finally settled on a few minutes of a documentary, Journalists Killed In The Line of Duty, which investigates the increasing violence on news reporters in volatile countries. I suppose these types of films are fine on a computer but I'd feel cheated if I saw a big budget movie this way. The trailers were great, though. I watched one for a movie coming out this month called, Waking Sleeping Beauty, about the Disney animation department and how they saved themselves from oblivion by creating blockbusters such as Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. I guess this was before Pixar changed everything. Sites like Hulu and IMDb have revolutionized the movie business by generating valuable pre-opening day interest in films and engaging the public in behind the scenes secret info. I use both at work to figure out what movie a patron could be trying to find. There will never be a substitute for the social experience of going to the movies, but didn't they say that about the demise of drive-ins? Until home theaters become more affordable, we have to make do with the elbow-jabbing crowds and the $12 popcorn. Meanwhile, I suppose I'll have to enjoy "a land where prehistoric meets prepubescent" on my home computer.