It’s been said before and no doubt it’ll be said again but the movies are ubiquitous these days. They’re very literally everywhere; the sides of buses, underground billboards, site adverts, viral campaigns, even households brands link themselves to upcoming theatrical releases to boost sales and get their product in our faces. And to be fair this to me doesn’t ever feel like a bad thing at all. I’m in favour of movies and for that reason largely in favour of the ways and means we hear about them.
What’s slightly more extraordinary is that moment beyond hearing about a film. It’s the magical moment the title comes up on the screen, basically the moment we watch one. And that more than the everywhere advertising is the most extraordinary development – and indeed continuously developing – phenomenon sweeping the film industry today. There are seemingly limitless possibilities for us to procure movies, even the very latest ones!
Gone are the days when you had to queue up round the block, get that cherished ticket stub and sit in a cavernous room to experience a film. Many lament the erosion of the cinema experience and I certainly have given it thought but the cinema experience felt corrupted to me even when as a largely unreflective child I visited my local theatre. I dislike the mechanical cold atmosphere of many modern day cinemas that feels more like you’re in a money making production line of showings than an enriching discursive atmosphere. We file in and file out sharing little titbits of information then we are back out into the cold light of day and onto a bus or in a shop. Essentially then the magic’s gone and perhaps for many so is that slight moment where we are (hopefully) enthralled, perplexed and captivated by what we’ve just seen.
Of course this isn’t always the case and there are many opportunities to see films in places where love and enjoyment are top of the agenda. Community cinemas (much like the one I’m currently setting up in my neighbourhood) abound and you can see here for your nearest local community cinema. Pop up cinemas too, which have been covered and discussed at length on our site, are bastions of ingenious and creative cinema watching, showing fantastic modern and repository films in relevant and beautiful places. And this is just scratching the surface of what’s possible. More and more people are choosing the comfortable, relaxed atmosphere of their own home to enjoy an old favourite or now, with the discussion of beaming theatrical releases straight into people’s homes, the chance to see something in conjunction with its cinema release.
In short there are a myriad of ways of seeing films. With two mammoth studios, Disney and Universal, bringing movies straight to you digital style. Completely opening up the portable medium, making it accessible, enjoyable and tailored to exactly how you want to view it. Having movies ported straight to your itunes, smartphone or any other portable device means you can watch movies anywhere, anytime. The point of what I’m trying to say here is that in a world as connected and diverse as that which we live in, let’s use these opportunities to watch great films, immerse ourselves in stories new and old, really in ways both new and old.
And of course there’s the option of renting. The good old fashioned blockbuster or the ubiquitous lovefilm (which I use avidly) and even the overpriced but ultimately accessible pay per view movie channels that get access to the latest titles sometimes years before terrestrial channels like Film 4 or BBC pick them up.
As you may have guessed from this piece I’m an evangelist for film. Probably more than most as well I’ve been aided in my filmic education by the endless channels for getting hold of them and for that I’m an evangelist too for seeing films by any means possible.
