And the Winner is….

We watched the Academy Awards, or Oscars, on Sunday night — we actually watched the entire thing to the finish. I didn’t know a lot of the “famous” people and hadn’t seen any of the movies nominated for best picture. I could have probably made the same statement about last year’s telecast, and the year before…..

If you didn’t already know, you’ve probably figured out by now that I don’t go to the movies very often anymore. There are a number of reasons — one reason is people. People in the movie theater don’t go to watch the movie anymore, it’s a social event. I don’t like people all around me talking while I’m trying to watch the movie. Then of course, there’s cell phones — I know that people are asked to turn them off, but people talk and text constantly during the movie. Apparently, most theater chains don’t care how the audience acts — I’ve never seen anyone called down for disturbing others in the theater. Another reason — the commercials. You pay money to see a movie, you shouldn’t have to sit through 20 minutes of commercials in addition.
I’ve read a lot lately about the movie industry bemoaning the fact that people aren’t going to the movies because they’re at home downloading movies. I think maybe they’re missing the point — there are a lot of entertainment options available and it’s not so much the movie, but the experience of going to the movie that people miss. Remember when a date used to be to go to the movies? I’m pretty sure the movies aren’t the first thing dating kids think of nowadays. I haven’t even talked about the cost. Movie tickets are expensive and add in a bag of popcorn and a drink and it becomes outrageous. One last thing — the movies themselves. Maybe it’s age, but neither myself or Claire get particularly excited to see a movie when its announced.

The last movie I watched was downstairs. It was on a 60-inch screen, had stereo sound, I sat in a comfortable chair, the food was good and I had a glass of wine — and — if Claire decided to talk on the phone, I had a Pause Button. The downside? I could have seen the movie sooner if I’d gone to the theater. Seems to me that the theater business has a lot to figure out — but I did enjoy the Oscars, even if I didn’t know anyone….
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