That's right. I said it.
Although I'm not sure I really hate movies. But I am feeling a little worn out by the constant filmgoing since I moved to New York in 1997. Perhaps this is merely a phase I'm going through. Perhaps I'll wake up tomorrow and be ready for a double feature. I'm going to see if my upcoming spring break helps me reaquaint myself with the joys of moviegoing.
So since I'm Listmaker, I need to think this through with a list.
Thus, here are a few reasons I'm sick of movies right now.
1. The DVR fills my need for movies with a constant stream of excellent options to record. Recently, I have enjoyed The Lavender Hill Mob, Bad Day at Black Rock, and many a film noir. I've got Wages of Fear, The Great Dictator, and Intruder in the Dustin the queue. Plus I'm watching more and more TV because of the DVR and I feel the need to stay at home and clear the DVR.
2. I hate having to sit next to a bunch of loud, rude people during movies. I'm more comfortable at home. The closer I get to a large screen TV, the farther I get from wanting to see so many films in the theaters.
3. I'm getting lazy and don't feel like making the effort as often to go see a film.
4. I've been disappointed by the three (count them, only three!) 2005 films I've seen thus far. Granted, two of the three were pretty good but all three (Turtles Can Fly, Nobody Knows, and Head-On) were kind of downers. Maybe I just haven't been in the mood for these kinds of films recently.
5. There have already been a number of movies that I've wanted to see in the past couple of months that I missed. And I realized something pretty monumental- I survived.
But I'll see how I feel after two weeks off- I might be ready to become a steady filmgoer again. And if that happens, I'll have plenty of movies to see to start catching up to the pace of the past seven years. Although if going to see downbeat movies has been what has been causing my recent movie malaise, I'm not sure that the next film I plan on seeing is going to make me fall in love with cinema again.
But the bottom line is that maybe everybody has been wrong in the recent blog wars, maybe I'M the real hater.
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7 comments:
Maybe what wore you out is that you seem to sometimes see movies just for the sake of being able to say you saw them, as opposed to narrowing down your options to movies you really think you will enjoy.
But like you're saying, with so much available on cable (and I don't even have DVR) and video stores nearby with excellent DVD selections, I don't feel as compelled to head out of the house for entertainment either.
>Maybe what wore you out is that you seem to >sometimes see movies just for the sake of being >able to say you saw them, as opposed to >narrowing down your options to movies you really >think you will enjoy.
That is a good point, but not always. There are so many damn films that play in this city that I usually just go to movies that I want to see. However, come Oscar time your point is definitely true.
Since my movie heyday of 1999, where my list had some 60-odd movies, my list has decreased year by year (although the number of films I've seen on planes has increased), until this year I didn't even really feel any point to making a movie list. Under 10 films does not a movie list make.
But since I've worked out how to hook up a splitter to my neighbor's cable box, I've been completely ensconsed in Turner Classic Movies. For whatever reason, those old films seem so much more compelling, so much more stylistic, so much more complex than most of the modern drek out there. And I'm not becoming some purist, I'm just starting to wonder if the reason I'm seeing fewer and fewer films in the theater is that those films are starting to suck more and more. Sweeping generalization, I know, but still...
Add in Netflix, and really the only reason I go to the movies now is when I'm craving that popcorn-dark lights-loud people-big screen experience.
Slick my man (yes! Maestra, I got to use it!),
I think part of it (and the attendant annoyance) is along the lines of what Jim describes: in NYC you are bombarded with entertainment options and a cultural imperative to stay ahead of the game and be an early adopter. This has the peculiar effect of making one resent the fact that you could literally see anything you want. Its what happens when faced with almost infinite possiblities to squeeze into the 6 hours or so between work and sleep and also weekends. Its a classic anxiety state: I'm surprised Woody Allen hasn't made a movie about it (or perhaps he fears adding to the burden).
I used to be like this during my London student days, and still have twinges of it when tweaking the netflix list or when Mrs. Weasel is working on the schedule at the movie theater she manages. Most of the time I have to wait for entertainment to come to me rather than go in search of it; its very calming in a zen way.
As for Downfall, watch for the cameo by Ellen DeGeneres as Hitler's hillariously anmesiac pet fish. Gene Shalit found it "a riot!"
I'm going with the "it''s not you, it's them" theory. I can't remember a less exciting few months in theaters than what we've had to choose from since January 1. Having seen (like you) most of the end-of-the-year Oscar films in December, there's been really very little to choose from for close to three months - certainly not much to get excited about.
I liked "Head-On" and both parts of "The Best of Youth" but am not really that interested in "Downfall." I have measured optimism about the new Woody Allen movie, which I'll probably go see one night next week, but aside from that I think we're in for another slow few weeks, and agree with you that lately, TV has had a lot more to offer.
i guess i don't buy the argument that there isn't anything good playing or that movies aren't good anymore in general. there have been plenty of movies i've wanted to see in the past two months, but i just haven't been able to motivate to go see them.
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