I fear that my kids will grow up to be the NPR listeners who don’t become members, even during Pledge Week with a free fleece sweater and a half pound of Peet’s for incentives.
It hit me that my son had seen every movie considered a new release. I know they’re file sharing everything – rest easy, Lars Ulrich, they paid for “Death Magnetic” – but he’d seen “Tropic Thunder” the day it premiered without the benefit of a ride to the theater and popcorn money. Most teens don’t open the newspaper's Datebook section, search the movie listings for where and when it’s playing, and ask a friend to go or co-ordinate a ride.
Why bother when you have a laptop and Wi-Fi?
They don’t care about quality and they’ll see a crap movie twice. They just need to be able to say they’ve seen it, quote it, critique it -- and then move on. They don’t want a hard copy gathering dust on a shelf -- it’s a clip, TV, a one hundred twenty minute YouTube. Of course it’s free, right?
It’s no longer a big deal to go see a movie. They have lost their event status.
When cable movie channels and VCRs became the norm we still planned around when a movie was on or if a movie was in stock. With DVDs, Netflix and TiVo, time was no longer an issue. It was there when you wanted it and for a price you could watch it whenever. Now with the ability to rip flicks on Torrent, instant gratification has found a new home. Advances in technology and convenience have taken their toll on the film industry’s bottom line and, sadly, our teen’s social lives.
At the now bulldozed Cine Capri Theater, I waited in line to see “Star Wars” in the baking Phoenix heat, leaning against white washed cinder block. Once inside, the marble floored lobby, it felt like a meat locker. It was an elegant theater with red velour seats that rocked. A heavy dark curtain would close and open. My feet didn’t touch the floor when I sat all the way back. I saw “Tommy” in this theater, and pulled my knees up to cover my face during Tina Turner’s Acid Queen scene. A movie was a social event that was a vital adolescent memory in the making. A film was a full experience unlike sitting in your room alone with a laptop and responding to text messages as they come in.
I guess entertainment is different for every generation.
At least movies are still around. The delivery of the form may change – but film has survived – for now.
By Mary Allison Tierney
Labels: Mary Allison Tierney, movies Wi-Fi, YouTube
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# posted by Writing Mamas Salon @ 12:01 AM