stop the ride

On a rainy night last week, I did something I hardly ever do: I attended the opening night of a summer blockbuster, The Hangover Part II (in AVX). I could turn this into a rant about what is wrong with the movies today, but I actually more or less enjoyed the film; it's the experience of going to the theatre that makes me shake my head in dismay.

There have always been bad movies, but only in the last five to ten years has the actual experience of watching them been ruined (with a few exceptions, including the short-lived Smell-o-Vision). In commercial theatres these days, you submit to being deafened by digital sound, fattened by bushel-sized popcorn, and brainwashed by advertising--all before the show even starts! I would go so far as to say that the introduction of surround sound and curved screens started this downhill slide; a door-knock coming from the back of the theatre only distracts me and, unless seated directly in the middle, I find curved screens more annoying than immersive.

If you're like me, you go to the movies to forget where you are for two hours, not to be constantly reminded by obnoxious technology. Roger Ebert, a self-proclaimed "reactionary purist", has written about his opposition to 3D (which is already faltering in popularity among North American audiences) and other "enhancement" technologies such as D-Box motion seating. His argument is that theatres no longer sell movies, they sell a theme-park experience. This, along with bad projection, texting audience members, and the high ticket price, is causing many film-lovers I know who actually care about content to give up on the theatre entirely and get their fix online instead.

It may seem sad to squander all the resources, talent and technical expertise spent on bringing films to the big by viewing them on a computer monitor or mobile device; however, there could be an up-side to this progression. If film viewing becomes increasingly a solitary experience like reading a book, maybe the content will get more subtle and intimate as time goes on. I might be overly optimistic, but making films for the "tiny screen" (iPhones, tablets, etc.) will perhaps influence filmmakers to scale back the spectacle and focus on the story for a change.

Until then, thanks to sites such as MUBI, we cinephiles can access thousands of beloved classics and obscure masterworks online while we wait. We can only hope that, in the future, Art will win over Industry, the fads will pass, and one day we'll be able to return to the theatre and actually enjoy the experience.