Reader Request - At the Movies
December 6th, 2007 - by Eddie
Movie theaters have been home to summer blockbusters, Academy Award winners and horny teenagers in the back, high on Sour Patch Kids and Ritalin, finding interesting ways to have non-sex with each other.
But a new kind of beast is infiltrating the hallowed, darken rooms of movie theaters across the country, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.
Earlier this year Garth Brooks broadcasted one of his concerts live in selected movie theaters around the country. And just today I read that Celine Dion with screen her new concert DVD in theaters for a one-night only event (shame on you if you want more info on that).
The trend was also reported last year by MSNBC and seems to be gaining steam.
The advantages? The sound quality is better. You can see the band. You don’t have to stare at the fat ass crack creeping out of the person’s pants in front of you.
The disadvantages? You weren’t there.
So sound off. Is there an instance where this could be a good thing or is it pure evil?
(and sorry to get serious with this one…we’ll be back to our brand of silliness next week.)
December 7th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
the crack is part of the fun-
so is fighting your way to front-
so is the occasional blown speaker-
this is bad- sanitizing-
December 10th, 2007 at 2:59 am
This doesn’t bother me that much. It would be cool if, say, the Zeppelin concert was shown in movies theaters. That way, the poor unlucky souls who don’t have tickets and/or the cash to go to Europe can catch a little bit of the show all the same.
December 10th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
The Met has started simulcasting some opera perfomances to HD capable movie theaters across the country. There have been similar arguments over the value of the live experience when it comes to opera. Maybe purists look down on it.
But overall I think it’s an awesome idea for the opera, and for concerts. Like Che said, concerts aren’t always accessible. I’m thinking especially about all the rural and small town places spread around the country. Not every area can support Led Zep. But most towns do have a movie theater.
It’s not the same as going to a live show. But it’s better than watching one alone in your house. I just wonder if people can overcome the natural urge to sit quietly in a movie theater. It will only work if people get up and get into the show with everyone else there. That may be a deal breaker for me anyway.
Artists might pick up another outlet for their music that wasn’t possible otherwise. But I can’t forget that movie theaters are a tightly controlled distribution system just like concert venues have become. So I don’t expect this to help out smaller, upcoming acts much.