During the Home Show, we ran into a customer who had a home theater installed through us about three years ago. For anyone who knows Jim, he is a very unique character and he was going on about how he prefers his home theater to the movie theaters. After a 20 minute conversation I gave him my e-mail address and told him he was writing our next newsletter. So, here are Jim's thoughts on his home theater vs. the movie theater:The Picture In The Theater Is Terrible - Though the digital theater revolution is coming (if George Lucas has anything to say about it) movies on film today look just like that- movies on film. There are scratch marks, artifacts, scene change cues all distracting from your viewing experience. Any fast motion on screen appears as if Dad is quick panning for the first time with the Handy-cam he got on Christmas morning. As technology changes and Dad gets his steady-hand cam so should the theater industry upgrade to digital technology.
What Am I Paying For? - The moment I pay, mostly, upwards of $10 per ticket. I am bombarded with advertising. At the concession stand I am reminded that Coke is a necessary compliment to my Sno-Caps and Ju-Ju-bees ($6.50 each). The moment I sit down I am entertained, once again sponsored by Coke, to some trivia and the occasional still advertisement to get my degree in clerical forensics from International Continental Bipolar University. Then the lights go down and I am greeted by, more advertising. Not even previews of movies I don't want to see but advertisements I might see on TV. Even before the movie starts the theater has recouped the cost of my keister being in their uncomfortable seat. Speaking of which...
What's the deal with those seats? - Sitting in a movie theater seat is like being bumped from first class, to coach, to that little seat the stewardess sits in during take off and landing. Just enough seat cushioning to make it through the previews before you encouraged to go to the lobby for some dancing peanut butter cups ($6.50). Want to adjust positions? Sure, though the 17 year old usher has never used the letters WD and the number 40 together in a sentence so prepare for squeaking louder than Flipper being deprived of a trout head. Not to mention all the other people adjusting their positions at the same time which erupts into a chorus of cheeps and chirps the likes of which haven't been heard since the R2-D2 family reunion.
The line between movies and TV is growing narrower everyday - Recent television shows have taken advantage of advances in technology and talent to churn out some primetime gems that are rivaling anything seen in the movies. Think Lost, 24, Prison Break just to name a few. All of these would make fantastic movies. Yet they are far BETTER as television shows. Throw in an HDTV signal and the experience you get at home for "free" cannot be beat.
There is No Originality in Hollywood Anymore - Think. Hard. What is the last original concept in a movie you saw that has come out of Hollywood? Just for arguments sake lets look at 2005's top grossing movies: Star Wars 3 (sequel) The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (Book adaptation), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book adaptation) War Of the Worlds (remake), King Kong (remake), Wedding Crashers (same genre of "frat pack" characters in a different setting), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (remake). Sigh.
I Have A Great Home Theater - It is truly awesome. Thanks Lee. Take everything that is great about movies, put it on my wall in crystal clear High Definition. Pump it though my 5.1 surround system – and get this, I can sit there in my underwear ( I highly recommend this). Gone are all the distractions. Just me and the movie.
