...watched Woody Allen's Interiors on Turner Classic Movies tonight, letterboxed without commercials, as I lay on my parents' couch in Maple Ridge. It remains one of my favourite films of his; I don't like Woody much, but Marybeth Hurt, Geraldine Page and Richard Vernon give great performances in this film, and much of it rings truer than any of Allen's other attempts to create "serious cinema," however stilted the dialogue is at times and however unlikeable many of his characters are. What was strange, though - and what I wanted to remark on - was the experience of watching a movie on television. Because of the format, it looked and felt like watching a DVD, but without my having the luxury of pausing it. Since I lack cable (or an antennae) at my home, I don't often experience movies this way, at least not on a small screen; the only time when I lack a pause button is at a movie theatre.
I wonder if that's a common experience, these days? It seems like few of my friends have cable... When was the last time you watched a film, from start to finish, as broadcast on television?
Hey I stumbled across your blog and find what I've read so far funny. And, yes I watch movies all the time without a pause button and it IS weird. Especially when you miss a line and have to infer what was said, and no one's around with an extra set of ears. Or you have to run to the washroom. Or you want to make popcorn. You miss a bit of it. But it's sort of a nice feeling too, like listening to the radio vs. listening to a CD - you feel more 'connected' to the world somehow. It's odd. Nothing beats movies on TV WITH commercials though. Absolute best.
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