Ho Ho Hollywood

You know when your schedule is so crammed that you can't even think straight? I hear you…shopping, wrapping, parties, work, deadlines, Christmas merriment, and well…then there is dating! Now on top of that…Hollywood always seems to put out its best films within a six week period. (Why?) I have so many movies I want to catch up on, it boggles my mind. What to do?

So literally, today…it's raining in Hollywood (the TV news reporters react like Armageddon has arrived and we should all sit at home and not dare get on the road.) But I always go against the grain.

I hit the multiplex.

Here's a little factoid. I went to USC (University of Southern California) to study Film. I had a professor there who made a proclamation on day one…Go see movies at a movie theater. Take in the experience, and make it an event.

Over the years, as friends have built screening rooms, purchased larger-than-life TV's, I've been able to watch movies with a fire roaring, sipping a cup of hot coco, in my pjs…and here's the thing, I have always felt guilty. Films are made to be enjoyed in a theater, with an audience of more than one. This I wholly believe in.

There is this new trend here in Hollywood, and I'm not sure I'm digging it. Movie theaters are transforming the standard rows and rows of seats and making the "theater going experience" like you haven't left your living room. They are tearing out seats for sofas, serving full on gourmet meals versus popcorn, and swamping soda for beer and wine. They are assigning seats, and hiring a wait staff instead of ushers. I'm totally serious.

I will admit, I have one local "art house" theater that who is bucking the trend and has the most uncomfortable seats. But, for two hours, I can suffer through it because they show some really great films. (This theater never got the "stadium seating" trend either…so god forbid you sit behind a tall person.)

Oh and newsflash: If you decide to go on a date to a movie in Hollywood…bring your wallet. It's going to cost you. Sofas and alcohol ain't cheap and will set you back a good $15.00 a ticket to take in a blockbuster (even more if it's in IMAX or 3D). I've been on more than one date recently where he took me to the "love seat" style theater. Dude…I'll take the lazy boy chairs, we aren't in your frickin house so paws off on the love seat. (PDA in a dark theater is not cool in my book. I actually do enjoy movies. Oh and I have my own place for that stuff!)

I tend to head to outer boroughs for a bargain. My friend Lori (and fellow USC classmate) and I went to film recently and she was SHOCKED when it cost $6.75. (I know. So cheap. And yes it was a matinee, but still…that's a good deal for a matinee.) This did take some searching, but bargains can be found.

I'm kinda not cool with the whole 3D thing either. You see…these films aren't shot in 3D, they are enhanced with 3D. Maybe I'm getting old, but I get kinda dizzy watching films in 3D. And no offense, it's just a way for theaters to make more money and charge more for this experience. I watched a mother and her three crying children beg her to take them to "Yogi Bear" – but she couldn't find a "regular" version of the film and ended up shelling out an extra $20 for the 3D version, and trust me…her kids didn't need to have the 3D experience. SO what is probably going to happen in the future, she won't be able to find a "regular version", and can't afford all these rising costs (due to comfy chairs etc.) so she's not going to go to the movies, and she's going to wait until she can purchase the DVD for her three crying children to watch it at home. And wouldn't that be a shame…her kids won't get that "theater going experience".

(The 3D and IMAX cost exception would be seeing a grand film like "Avatar" – which took me multiple visits to sold out theaters before I was able to see it in IMAX 3D – and it was worth the extra costs. So film nerds…I get that, no hate mail. Thank you.)

I understand why people build their own theater experiences at home. But I don't think people understand how much they are shelling out for their "at home" movie going. Sure you can stream Netflix from your sofa, but how often were you going to the movies in the first place? Why not make it an experience and actually co-mingle with other patrons? I don't get it.

I have a friend Gary who was telling me about his 800 BluRay DVD collection and his 50 inch TV…blah blah blah. Here's the thing Gar…save your dough, go to the movies, and well...use the money from your collection for some Real Estate? Add it up…you've spend about $2,000 on your TV, Surround sound, and probably $16,000 on DVD's, you probably won't watch again, and aren't as good as when you saw them on a big screen the first time.

I have another friend Suzy, who was confessing to me that she has begun to sell some of her beloved VHS collection because she knows she's never going to watch them. Why? She no longer owns a VHS machine. You see…the technology is changing folks. Everything will eventually end up on our giant TV's and we will be able to stream everything over our cables, wifi and giant dishes shoved down our throats by the entertainment industry. But here's my point. Just go to a movie the old fashioned way…in a movie theater. And let it transport you for two hours. There is truly nothing more blissful.

Of course, I'm writing this right after I viewed "Black Swan" (for $6.75)…so I am a little disturbed right now. But that was my point. I loved every minute of my experience.

See you at the movies.

HC