Topic: Movies ... not doing it for me anymore.

[DJ Doena]

When I look upon my 2009 Movie Marathon thread it confirms something I felt for quite some time now.

Whenever I think about what I am going to watch next, it's getting ever rarer that I decide to watch a movie of mine. I am still interested in them, I buy them at the stores ... but then they land on the shelves and often stay there. Even if I've never even seen the movie I can't bring myself to put it into the player when I just have to turn around and pick one of the season boxes.

When I have to decide if I'm going to watch a 90-120 minutes movie or a 170 minutes season disc with 4 episodes on it I often decide for the latter. Due to its very design I have a much deeper emotional connection to TV Show characters and I have the possibility to follow their "lives" for years instead of hours. Even if the story of one episode wasn't good at all, there's often something that brings the character forward and I'd hate to miss that just because this one particular story wasn't as good as the others.

And so I watched six entire seasons of Smallville between December 6th and today and I watched these characters becoming young adults, making decisions and mistakes and having to live with them. So here I have an experience that lasted over 90 hours in comparison to the 90 minutes of a movie.

I even have a list named "Movies you could watch again sometime soon" but I nearly have to force myself to actually do it instead of grabbing another season box from any of my favourite TV Shows.

And so I watched 352 season discs in the past year and only 88 movies and I am seriously starting to wonder if it still makes sense for me to actually still buying movies - even though I tell myself at that moment that I am surely going to watch it.

[RossRoy]

I usually get that in "phases". Right now, I'm in a movie phase. I'll look at the shelves and find myself drawn to movies. Sometimes it's TV shows. Sometimes it's Anime. Sometimes it's nothing at all and I turn on my Xbox and play some games. It all depends on my mood.

I do find myself looking forward to TV shows more than movies nowadays. Same reason as you actually. I find I get a much better overall experience with TV Shows. You get to see the characters develop (well, unless it's a Fox show, which will inevitably get canned). Even the bad episodes are sometimes much better than average, and you at least get a character or two who grows through the episode. It's also a big reason why I prefer shows with a single long story arc, because decisions the characters make now will have an impact in a future episode/season.

I also like the fact that a TV Show disc will have ~4 episodes of ~45 minutes each, which makes it much easier to fit into a schedule. Try to fit the 4 hours of Hamlet anywhere... or the 12 hours of The Lord of the Rings.

I find TV shows are also more rewarding. Sure, some shows have abysmal series finale (Enterprise), but some are truly awesome (second-to-last episode of Enterprise, Charmed). Even with a bad ending, it is still more rewarding in the end because you've invested so much time and emotion into these characters.

[snowcat]

I go through Phases... last year I didn't watch barley any TV shows until about Novemeber then I watched more TV shows then Films... I think its just the way I feel at the time.

[goodguy]

Can't say that this applies to me. From my 2009 movie watching stats, the ratio between watching new movies and repeated viewings is about 50:50. On the other hand, I do have spend more time watching TV shows than movies. 170 movies vs. 560 TV episodes. If you equal a movie with 2 TV episodes, that's a ratio of about 40:60.

So I certainly can see the appeal of good TV shows (*1) compared to mainstream cinema. Recently I said, that the hightpoint of the Terminator franchise is the TV series, and that was even on Network TV, not cable. If you look at HBO's output in this decade alone: Deadwood redefined the Western, Carnivale redefined Fantasy, Six Feet Under redefined family drama, etc.

But I specifically mentioned mainstream cinema which is lacking. I don't think it applies to movies in general. And since I don't have that many mainstream movies, I'm quite happy with watching most of them repeatedly.

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(*1) Although with Smallville, you have chosen what for me is probably the worst possible example.

[Najemikon]

Thing is, a TV show is better at telling a pure story about characters, but that isn't the aim of film. The writer of a TV show wants to tell a story; the writer of a film wants you to understand an idea and his characters are often metaphors. Film is inherently nostalgic because it becomes a monument to that particular idea.

TV shows tend to fade away quite quickly as do many films. The films that do survive down the generations are like paintings that only work properly when they are studied time and time again. Part of the reason we continue to watch such films is to understand the ideas. It's interesting, Karsten, that you have said many times before that you aren't remotely interested in old films and I suppose it's because you more enjoy stories written for our time and generation. As a counterpoint, I'll watch and enjoy film from any time or country, but I can't be bothered with books, TV or music outside of my favourite genres. I mean, why the bloody hell do I like Rebecca? I wouldn't go near the book, because it isn't "me"! 

Recently I said, that the hightpoint of the Terminator franchise is the TV series, and that was even on Network TV, not cable. If you look at HBO's output in this decade alone: Deadwood redefined the Western, Carnivale redefined Fantasy, Six Feet Under redefined family drama, etc.

As a story, perhaps The Terminator story did have its sweet-spot during the TV series (actually I'd go one further and say the comic did it even before the third film), but the epitome of the idea was perfect in the original film. Everything else since was just noise.

Again, Deadwood was an interesting, new take on a Western story, but I don't think it had anything to add to the film genre. You can't compare the two. It's the same with The Sopranos, which I know you didn't like, but I certainly did. Is it better than Goodfellas or The Godfather? A lot have an opinion on that question, but I simply can't link them. They're about very different things.

It's just about choosing the right tool for the right job. I think this is why it's fairly easy to continue a film into a TV show, but not the other way around.

[Jimmy]

Certainly not the case for me. It far more easier for me to watch a film than watch any TV series because I've the bad habitude to watch the complete serie when I start one. With the movies, I just try to choose different thing to watch to not get bored and with the selection I have it isn't a problem. I don't watch only adult films or drive-in features as you can see in my banner today (of course in a couple of days that won't be true anymore ). It's the trick for me, the variety prevent the movie watching boredom.

[Dragonfire]

I think I go through phases with this too..sometimes watching more movies than tv shows...and other times more tv shows than movies.  It depends on what I'm in the mood for.  Sometimes I'm in the mood for a certain movie and other times I'm not in the mood for anything in particular and just look though titles until something seems interesting.  I've been trying to watch more movies that I haven't reviewed yet though I do still rewatch stuff I've reviewed.

[Critter]

I don't really go through phases like a lot of you seem to of watching either a lot of TV shows or a lot of films, I think I sort of just spread it out between the two. Although there are times when I am watching a TV show where I will sometimes watch nothing but it for weeks just to finish that certain show.

[addicted2dvd]

I have always watched more TV series then movies. I found what works the best for me is to save the movies for the weekend. Usually by then I am in the mood to watch a good 6 or 8 movies. And even then I usually fit in some TV show episodes throughout the weekend as well.

[Achim]

I usually watch TV series during the week for their length. I spread a disc over several days, depending on the length of a single episode, so that I can share my free time among internet (like this forum), DVD watching and my gaming. TV shows for me also have more of a casual feel to them, not having to pay 100% attention the whole time.

[Kathy]

I'm like Jimmy - once I start a TV series I want to finish it (Due South any one? ). And, unlike many, I prefer film to TV. There are occasional exception - old series such as Cheers (with Coach), St. Elsewhere, or Hill Street Blues I used to always watch when it was shown. Now I like to wait until the DVD comes out for TV series.

[goodguy]

TV shows for me also have more of a casual feel to them, not having to pay 100% attention the whole time.

This is what I don't get. If it isn't worth my full attention, then it isn't worth my attention at all. I despise shows designed for the "casual" viewer, e.g. by repeating their meager plot points after each commercial break for those who might have missed something.

Sorry for the rant. My friends already think I'm insane because I don't even "casually" listen to music.

[Achim]

This is what I don't get. If it isn't worth my full attention, then it isn't worth my attention at all. I despise shows designed for the "casual" viewer, e.g. by repeating their meager plot points after each commercial break for those who might have missed something.

Maybe I said it too strong. Of course I don't watch it like fluff that plays in the background while I am doing the ironing. But you'll admit that ssomething like The Big Bang Theory needs less of an investment than, of course, Termintator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles or The Godfather.

[lovemunkey187]

At the moment CoD:MW2 is taking the place of virtually everything else, including eating at the weekends.

[MEJHarrison]

Like others I tend to save movies for the weekend.  But when I'm into a series, it's also hard to put aside for the weekend.  I used to have more willpower, but lately it seems I have an easier time putting the movies aside one more week.

It also doesn't help that lately I've been exploring things that don't involve projecting an image on a screen. I've been playing a lot more with real people both online and off.  And sometimes when I'm ready to settle down for some watching time, it's too late to start a movie.

One area where I differ from most is I don't like to gorge myself on show.  An episode or 2 a night of any particular show is enough for me.  Though I have gone through entire discs of 24 in one sitting.  But after an episode or 2, if I still have time, I'd prefer to switch to something else. And when I'm done with a season, I like to drop it and pick something else up for a while. Especially if it's a new show I'm really digging.  I like the anticipation.  For me it makes the watching all the better.