Comments | the_s_guy: On TV

the_s_guy

On TV

Aug 07, 2006 01:54

I've found, as I get older, that TV is something which happens to other people.

It's strange, considering that as a kid I regularly watched all manner of TV and had dozens of favourite programmes.

Are the current offerings just that much worse? Or is it me who's changed?

( And it's not just TV, it's movies too. )

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Comments 9

lunatron August 6 2006, 17:51:39 UTC

Very good points. For my part, I don't watch much TV. I just buy DVDs.

oasis_pink_peng August 6 2006, 19:09:28 UTC

Your cinema ideas have been done. Some theatres used to do what you've suggested, such as the Star Theatre in Southfield, MI: valet parking, ice cream/coffee shop, bar and grill, toy store, stadium seating, etc. This didn't help them at all. This theatre has lost money since 2003.

I work in market reasearch, and what I've learned is that nobody does anything that isn't a sure thing. This stuff SHOULD be a sure thing, but it's not working. They can't sell anything, even though it's supposed to appeal to everyone.

TV is the same thing: they want mass appeal that will get them money; a sure thing, thus the common denominator philosophy that makes TV suck. Any 80s sitcom before "Married With Children" sucked.

Mass appeal over quality and nobody's buying. For the last 25 years. I'm not surprised most people run to the internet.

the_s_guy August 6 2006, 19:32:56 UTC

I'm guessing that instant profit also wins out over the Long Tail; moneylenders don't want to be told "Oh, but in 20 years it'll be a cult classic and making cash hand over fist," they want to hear "You'll have your original investment plus interest back in six to twelve months because we're making something that's always made money in the past ( ... )

finatronics August 6 2006, 19:21:05 UTC

Interesting points indeed. I don't know that the modern cinema will all but disappear; there are still tons of families and middle-americans who don't even have the internet, let alone fast enough connections to download movies. DVDs are still daunting to a lot of people; too many buttons/options. Many towns are so frigging boring that the cinema is all they have going for them, etc. That said, they may start to dwindle significantly... as you pointed out, many are of the lowest quality! I hope they start returning to the classy cinemas of yester-year... there's some really nice one's around Seattle. Old decorated columns, balconies, nice seats, stage behind the screen, etc. And there are increasing numbers of full-service bar cinemas. One of my favorite places (and the only one of these I've been to) is Big Picture; very classy. http://www.thebigpicture.net/... )

razorgirl_au August 6 2006, 22:02:17 UTC

I think you've been going to the wrong cinemas.

They should have excellent sound, perfect focus, and comfy seats.

But then, I've been in the US for the past year. Maybe I've forgotten what Aussie cinemas were like, but I don't remember them being that bad.

: /

the_s_guy August 6 2006, 22:12:19 UTC

Not all of them are bad, but occasionally there's an unpleasant reminder that maintenance happens to other people, or at least considerably slower than would be the case in a person's own home.

princess_kessie August 7 2006, 04:22:05 UTC

Ahhh, $deity bless Greater Union Gold Class (Innaloo Megaplex ( ... )

the_s_guy August 7 2006, 07:43:31 UTC

Bingo.

Er, I mean, arrr.

megpie71 August 7 2006, 09:12:06 UTC

Ah. But for that same $100 - $120, I could probably get a couple of decent tickets to a live-type theatre performance at a venue like the Playhouse or the Hole in the Wall theatre, or similar, and see an actual play performed by live actors. Live theatre has a lot of things that the cinema isn't able to reproduce - including a more edgy range of performances and options, and a wider range of special effects. I'll cheerfully admit that this is something I'm looking forward to now that I've moved back to Perth - I enjoy the live theatre, even when it means I'm chasing parking spots near Pier Street on a Saturday night ( ... )