bound to obey and serve ([info]elfundeb) wrote,
@ 2005-09-27 01:45:00
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Movie Meme Update
Nineteen of my twenty movies were guessed, which means either that I've got common tastes or that my memory of the more obscure movies I've seen -- which I am not periodically reminded of -- is deficient. A couple of clues for #3. First, though the photo is black & white, the movie's not that old. Second, look at the setting of the photo. What's that behind the characters? Third, I put up a new photo here.

I really enjoyed this game, even though I was spectacularly bad at it. I found I couldn't identify even my favorite films based on a single pic, unless the scene had become fixed in my mind for some reason. (One film I couldn't identify until I unwittingly chose the same pic for my set.)

Another phenomenon was the number of films others chose that I've never seen but really want to see. So why don't I run to the video store? Problem is, I hate watching films on TV. The screen is too small, and the distractions are too many. I love a darkened theatre, with a big screen that demands my full attention.

Back in the days when I was young and impecunious, there was a wonderful cheap repertory theatre here in town, the Biograph, where the fare consisted primarily of all the old films all of you chose. I have not seen any of those films since the Biograph closed and was converted to a CVS pharmacy.

My question: Do you enjoy watching movies on video? What can I do to make video-watching more like going to the theatre? Do I need to turn my basement into a home theatre? Because I really do want to see Dr. Strangelove.

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[info]sheryll
2005-09-26 06:12 am UTC (link)
My first thought was that #3 was Deliverance, but I'm not sure.

As for watching movies on video, yup, definitely enjoy it. Good thing, as I watch about 10 a week for work. :)

Watching videos isn't nearly as good as seeing movies on the big screen. And some movies just have to be seen in a theatre at least once for the proper viewing pleasure. I really wish I had the time/money to see more in theatres, but as it is I'm working full time hours and watching about 18 hours worth of movies on top of that. I'm lucky I get to see the HP ones in theatres!

As for watching at home, there's nothing fancy here - 22 inch TV, a comfy couch and a supply of microwave popcorn or other snacks. I prefer to watch the widescreen editions of everything, if I can. I detest full screen versions of movies. I do have the advantage of lots of quiet time, since Nyssa has long since moved out of the house. Andy and I rarely get to watch movies together unless we have the same day off. If I'm working day shift, I usually fall asleep in whatever we start watching when he gets home around 10. If I'm working nights I watch something when I get home at 1 am, or I watch during the day. It's very weird watching movies while eating breakfast. :)

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[info]elfundeb
2005-09-29 06:49 pm UTC (link)
You're right, it's Deliverance. Must be my whitewater obsession.

I'm beginning to think the solution is to get DVDs and watch them on the computer.

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[info]sheryll
2005-10-01 05:28 pm UTC (link)
No whitewater obsession here. Nearly drown when I was 8 but apparently I could swim like a fish before that. Now I hate to have my face under water. I've conquered the fear enough to be able to float and do a length or two of a pool on my back, but I get panicky sometimes and want to be near the sides. :)

Watching on the computer would work if that's the only way to get time to see a movie, though I'd probably be put off, personally, by the small size of the picture. I've also got one of the most uncomfortable, creaky computer chairs ever made!

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[info]skelkins
2005-09-26 08:10 am UTC (link)
I know this marks me as a terrible philistine, but I actually prefer watching movies on video. I do enjoy the excitement of the group dynamic you get in the theater, and I do like the big screen...but I also often find theater seating uncomfortable after the first hour or so, and having so many other people about can sometimes prove too distracting for me. It's much easier for me to focus on a film when I can watch it sprawled out in comfort on my own couch at home, without that special and distinctive background rustle of a large group of people all trying very hard not to make noise.

What can I do to make video-watching more like going to the theatre? Do I need to turn my basement into a home theatre? Because I really do want to see Dr. Strangelove.

In my experience, lighting makes an enormous difference. Turning off the lights in the room can make it easier to focus on a small screen. It might also help to serve as a signal to the other people in your household that you're seriously watching something -- not just, you know, having the boob tube on.

If distractions are a big problem at home, would it be possible for you to close the door to the room where the TV lives? Perhaps even ask not to be disturbed for the next ninety minutes?

And do see Dr. Strangelove! I love that film.

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[info]happy_potterer
2005-09-26 06:32 pm UTC (link)
I like watching movies on video, too, though my very favorite way to watch them is in an old-time movie theater. We have one nearby, beautifully restored and complete with an organ that comes up through the floor.

Our TV died this spring, and when we finally got around to replacing it a couple of weeks ago, we opted for a larger one. It's still small by home-screening standards--21", up from our old 13"--but it should make movies look even better. Though to tell the truth, I get so absorbed in the picture within a few minutes that I could probably be watching a 6" screen and I wouldn't notice.

I second the recommendation to turn off the lights and chase away the philistines who don't know the difference between Watching TV and Partaking of a Great Artistic Experience. And of course, make a very large bowl of buttered popcorn beforehand. Better than in the movie theater, and about $4 cheaper.

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[info]elfundeb
2005-09-29 06:53 pm UTC (link)
If distractions are a big problem at home, would it be possible for you to close the door to the room where the TV lives? Perhaps even ask not to be disturbed for the next ninety minutes?

Alas, the TV lives in a room that is open to two other rooms (including the kitchen) and the telephone is only 10 feet away. We have another TV -- 25 years old, not cable ready -- in the basement, but it has no DVD or VCR attached to it.

I'm beginning to think that the solution is to watch the movies on my laptop in my bedroom. Is Dr. Strangelove available in DVD or just video?

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[info]skelkins
2005-09-29 09:52 pm UTC (link)
Erk! Feeling your pain on that one. Our house has a fairly open floor plan as well, and the television drives me crazy from both angles: I don't like hearing the noise from it when I'm not the one watching it, and when I am the one watching it, I find the constant distractions from the rest of the house very annoying.

The laptop idea sounds like a good one. It looks like Netflix has Strangelove on DVD, so I suspect you could find it at a rental place as well.

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