During the Oscars ceremony last night, the president of the Academy of Arts and Sciences went out on stage to talk about why the movie theatre is a better venue for watching a movie than at home on the DVD player.
Sure, that may be true at some top tier theatres across the country but don't tell me that if you haven't watched a movie in either of the two Carmike Cinemas here in State College, PA. The seats are worn out and uncomfortable, the heat is jacked-up, the floors are messy, the screens have tears and are very worn out as well as too small and the sound systems stink.
Then there's the people who are in the theatre. Some don't turn their cell phones off, talk during the movie or kick the back of my seat. Getting out of your seat to go to the bathroom can be a chore if the entire row is filled.
Additionally, tickets and concessions are overpriced and the popcorn is stale.
After seeing all three Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter movies, my biggest complaint is the lack of an intermission. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was close to four hours long, which really tested the patience of my bladder. Maybe I should show my discontent with this by bringing a big cup, filling it up during the movie and leave it at the manager's desk with a note thanking him for making us endure a four hour movie without intermission.
You don't have to spend a lot of money to set up your own home theatre. The reward is ability to have an intermission, watching with your friends, great sound, good climate control, healthy and fresh concessions. Best of all, if you have a family, things are cheaper. Not only that, if you have a nice widescreen TV, the video quality can be better.
Here's another plus for a home theatre most people don't think about. If you are hard of hearing or deaf, the DVD usually has closed-captioning. I've only seen one movie, ever, at a theatre, offer closed captioning for the deaf or hard of hearing and that was only at the 2pm showing.
The idea of a simultaneous theatrical and DVD release of a movie is a good one. I don't think theatre sales will suffer because for some movies, like Dances With Wolves or the Lord of the Rings trilogy, viewing on the big screen is best. Scary Movie 3 can be relegated to the DVD rental or viewing via one of the premium cable movie channels unless you want to just get out of the house.
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