Movies and DVDs

Now that we are deep in the midst of Summer Movie Season I am once again reminded of a singular annoying trait of of Movies. They are awesome and I like to watch them multiple times.

Seems kind of backwards? Well it should. I am one of those types that eagerly anticipates movies and often goes and sees a movie on opening weekend, if not opening night. The ritual of picking the proper t-shirt, going out to eat, but saving room for popcorn, then getting the tickets, managing to get the center of the center seats, finally to snuggle down into the seat, gleefully watching the trailers and munching my popcorn.

I am one of those who gets really annoyed at people who don’t silence their cell phones, text during movies, or chatter. (For the record there is a difference between chatter and quick quiet comments to the person sitting next to you. If anyone further than 1 person can hear you, you are too loud.)

But I still love going to the movies. I will go see a great movie a few times. I am also one of those people who would pay 20 dollars for a ticket if it meant it was in a theater with no one under 21 admitted that served alcohol and food. (There was such a theater in Memphis and in Dallas, I wish now I had taken greater advantage of them.)

So why does a movie being awesome mean it has an annoying quality? During the Summer Movie season, when the time a movie is in theaters is cut purely due to the large number of large movies being released, even good movies are out for maybe 4 weeks. If they are popular. Unless you live near a Second Run theater, you are out of luck for seeing a movie after it has been out for a month. Then comes the long long wait until it comes out on DVD and you can watch it again. I have been dying to see Watchmen again for months… I am already beginning to feel the desire to see Star Trek again. I try to console myself with Iron Man, Batman and other big movies from last Summer, but it isn’t quite the same. I can even remember walking out of several movies and saying… When does this come out on DVD again?

I know that all of the industry seems to fight the idea of shortening the time from theater to DVD, but with a few changes this could quite wonderful for all us movie goers. Adapt current theaters to be “starred” quality, much like hotels, and then have the DVDs follow at most two months after a movie begins its run. At this point surely they see the value of DVD sales when considering how well a movie does. Surely theaters would like to have a better delineation of their market and be able to fill their customers needs better. Also, why is it do you suppose that theaters have never gotten in into the habit of selling DVDs? Not of the movies they are showing, but of new releases. Think of it, a small counter with a few shelves of the last months new releases, for your Home Theater!

Let the movie revolution begin!

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