this is why i go to the cinema every week

I just read an article in the NY Times about a new electronic product that hopes to take the living room by storm: Vudu. Unlike Apple TV, it blocks out the middle man (meaning your computer) and makes movies available for purchase via your TV so that you may view them directly on your TV. Sounds like pay-per-view to me, but I understand that once you've bought the film--from any number of the major participating studios--it's saved in the box for repeated viewing later on.

I have to say that I don't like that technology is becoming more and more personal and mobile. You see this with people glued to their iPods and YouTube and Myspace and Facebook. You see this as they download movies and TV shows and music online, most notably via iTunes. Netflix is different because I have always seen it as an alternative to renting from a video store, especially the evil Blockbuster. But don't get me wrong, Netflix has its problems, too.

The point is, as entertainment becomes more attainable through the Internet, pretty soon we will not buy the physical DVDs (hi-def or not) and CDs. I for one really enjoy having the tangible product, especially since with CDs, they generally come with liner notes and artwork. Will movies purchased through the Internet come with all the extras? Remember that's one of the features that got us excited about DVDs in the first place. And I still think people prefer to explore them if they like a movie enough to know about its production, for example, through an audio commentary. As for music, pretty soon we won't know what our favorite bands look like unless they're big enough to have music videos played on MTV. Nevermind. There's always YouTube and/or their own websites, but this is not enough.

I haven't even touched on how this affects the movie-going experience itself. I don't really need to because we all know that the box office has suffered a lot these past few years. Piracy, YouTube, Myspace, Facebook have all captured young people's attention and they're going less and less to the theatres. This summer promises to be packed with blockbusters that will bring people back, which is unfortunate for me because I could care less about all of them. What will I watch instead?

I've said this before, but film is an experience, and to share stories with friends and strangers in a dark room is probably one of the most bizarre things one can do, but we're all so used to it. Why give that up?

What about those movies that are released (almost) simultaneously in the theatres, on something like pay-per-view, and on DVD? I hate to say this but I am more inclined to rent those on DVD than pay more money for either of the two other options. I understand this is a way to get people to see a movie the way they want, but I think it damages a film's integrity. Call me old-fashioned but movies are supposed to come out in theatres and then enter the home. If I were interested enough in a film, I would go see it in the theatre. For instance, I would see Diggers (2006) in the theatre if it weren't coming to DVD as well. I understand others are not like me, but who says we have to cater so much to this "me me me" culture? Oh right. It's all about money, but it's cutting people off from each other (sorry, but networking sites prove you don't need to know someone in real life in order to call them your friend).

Isn't this something to lament about?