Movies, as far back as I can remember, have always been a great American way of entertainment (as they've been throughout much of the world), despite the fact that giant-sized home-theatre systems and the rental/buying of prominent movies ( both old and new) on DVD have all but taken the place of the typical family outing to the movie palace or a drive-in to see a film on a great big, wide screen with lots of other people around to share the experience. I believe that there are advantages and disadvantages to both going to the movie palace/theatre and staying home and watching flicks on a giant home-theatre system on DVD:
The advantages of going to the movie theatre:
A) It provides the opportunity to see films as they're really meant to be seen; on a great big, wide screen with the lights down low.
B) Sharing the experience with lots and lots of other people, whether one knows them or not.
C) Attending a movie theatre provides an opportunity to get out of the house and out and around among other people.
The disadvantages of going to the movie theatre:
A) Unless one holds an annual membership to a particular movie theatre(s), admission can be awfully expensive (upward of 9-10 dollars per adult).
B) Rude patrons, such as cell-phone-users, etc.
However, in my mind, going to a movie palace of a theatre where they play good old classics as well as some OK new films, far outweighs the disadvantages that I pointed out above. I ignore the cell-phone users, generally, and, unless somebody's either doing something nasty, such as kicking the back of my chair, or something like that, then I also just ignore the offender and concentrate on the movie.
Watching movies at home on DVD:
Advantages:
A) No worries about parking, no expensive admissions/concessions.
B) One can create one's own intermission by putting the DVD on pause for a needed moment, if one gets the drift.
Disadvantages:
A) No matter what anybody else says or thinks, imho, or how amazing people think that the experience of watching a favorite movie on an elaborate, giant-sized home-theatre system, or even just on an ordinary DVD or TV, the experience is just absolutely not the same as seeing films as they're really meant to be seen---in a real movie theatre, with the lights down low.
B). It isolates people from each other, because it deprives people of the opportunity to get out of the house and among other people, and, imho, undermines the whole moviegoing experience, a lot.
C) The home-entertainment business, imho, has all but killed the movie business, and, not only have DVD's and home-theatres all but taken the place of moviegoing, and, sadly, most of the grand old movie-palace theatres have disappeared...gone the way of cinema heaven, if one gets the drift. That is, indeed, sad, especially because many, if not most of them, have been replaced by the big, antiseptic-looking multiplex cinemas that have anywhere from ten to twenty cinemas that're more like big-assed TV's, and charge overinflated admission and concession stand prices. There was a time when pretty much every single town, city and neighborhood had a movie theatre or two that was frequented by the people who lived in them, or, if one town didn't have a movie theatre, the townspeople would go to a movie-palace theatre in an adjacent town that did have a cinema. Unfortunately, that, too is gone, replaced by multiplex cinemas that're directly on or off the large interstate or state highways.
Now that I've pointed out what I think are the advantages and the disadvantages to both movie-viewing options, I will go on to say
that I still believe in film as a wonderful source of entertainment.
Now..I still lean towards a good many of the older films, of the 1960's and 1970's, also, although the decline in the quality of films began in the 1970's. Although I occasionally go to see a more current film if I think it's going to be good, (and I've become a pretty good judge on such things), I will attend a screening of that particular film or films in question, if I think that it has a plot and/or substance to it. The films "Billy the Kid", Constantine's Sword, and "There Will be Blood" are good examples of films of substance, even though they are current. So was LOTR, Dark Knight, and Spiderman I and II. However, since films do tend to reflect the times in which they're made, and therefore geared towards that specific generation and what the public at large will buy into, films with constant explosions on the screen, more graphic images, and that are long on style and substance are the norms for films coming out nowadays.
There are reasons for the elimination of so many good old movie-palace theatres: Corrupt politicians, elected by the public at large, who've helped pave the way for this kind of thing to happen, theatres not being kept up or properly maintained, or showing such good movies, therefore turning people off to the theatre-going experience, the decline of the quality of films that're being put out, extremely rude patrons (i. e. cellphone users, incessant talkers, etc.), the easy money that can be made by the tearing down of a movie palace to make a parking lot, luxury condos, etc.
Indifference by much of the public has also contributed to the decline of the movie industry.
Fortunately, however, there are afew good movie-palace theatres left, and, if one possibly can, holding a yearly membership to such a palace-theatre certainly has its advantages; one can get into a movie screenng at a discount, there are free events for members, and, it helps preserve the movie culture and keep such movie theatres alive and going, because money and attendence are contributing to their preservation. There are people (myself included) who still like going to the theatre to see a movie, and who like older films or whatever. Moreover, there are fewer rude patrons at those theatres because most of the movies shown at those theatres whet people's interest, and because it's more of what the movie experience really should be.
Now, to add some other things: One advantage to the home-entertainment theatre system and the DVD's is to the movie-producers themselves; they can make more money by people's purchasing/renting DVDs of various movies, because so many people are doing just that nowadays. Sadly, the movie-theatre these days seems to be a vehicle for promoting the DVD's of given films; today's movies come out on DVD a mere six months or so after having played in the movie-theatres.
Many people have expressed an irritation with previews of coming attractions that're shown in movie theatres: While I can see their point, I believe that having previews of coming attractions prior to the feature film presentation benefits people who've ended up coming late, for whatever reason; they don't end up missing any of the feature film presentation. So, I'm willing to watch some of the previews, even though some of them are overgraphic and/or boring.
Anyway--that's my take on movies.
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