| Editorial April 2003
The Movie Theater and the Home Theater
The more my home theater gets used the less I go to the
movie theater, yet there are some movies I simply refuse to miss on the big screen. I was
thinking about this on my way to Hollywood Video the other night and wondered if the
decision -- see it at home when it hits DVD or go out to the local Carmike Cinema --
hinged on the movie itself, my mood, or other factors.
The same dilemma does not seem to be there with music; the
more I listen to tunes at home the more live shows and concerts I attend. With music,
though, it’s easy to figure out why this is the case. Musical performances are live,
whereas listening at home is obviously not. They’re fundamentally different
experiences. (OK, don’t e-mail me about some of the live lip-syncing
we’ve all seen lately.) Conversely, movies -- whether at the theater or at home --
are by and large the same material. By the same, I mean the recorded image is the
same, not the same experience.
More and more I find myself considering the movie when
determining where to see it. Each time The Lord of the Rings came to theaters I was
in line with the rest of the hordes waiting my turn. Those films are all about scale,
especially the second installment, The Two Towers. The battle at Helm’s Deep
just has to be seen on the big screen to be appreciated. The filmmakers went to
extraordinary lengths to create this epic battle in truly realistic proportions. Truth be
known, I like to see epics at the theater for this reason alone. The scale of the image at
a good theater is unmatched in a domestic setting -- at least my domestic setting.
Comedies, on the other hand, are usually enjoyed at home. I
like to laugh with my wife and friends, but there are times when obnoxious strangers
laughing at something I don’t think is funny annoys me: "What are you laughing
at? That wasn’t funny. And keep that popcorn in your mouth when you’re laughing.
I just got sprayed!"
The visuals are generally better at movie theaters; you
just can’t compete with the projected image and screen size. Sound, on the other
hand, is typically better in my home than anywhere else I can think of. It’s all
perfectly calibrated for my listening position and tastes. Add to that the fact that I can
turn it up louder, or make it quieter, when the need arises. There’s also the
bathroom-break issue. Don’t underestimate that. The pause button is a
wonderful thing when you just gotta go, and who doesn’t need to pour that second cup
of coffee about halfway through the movie? Intermissions were created for a reason, and it
seems to me that breaks are more easily accomplished at home these days than at the
theaters, especially when there are 16 screens and the restroom is a mile away from the
one you’re watching.
So, while I watch about two to three movies a week at home,
I only see about six to eight movies a year at the theater. What’s clear is that both
the movie theater and the home theater have a place in my life, though the home theater is
continually growing in importance, and has been for several years now. The only downside
to this trend: The popcorn has always been better at the theater, but now I've found Vic’s up the
street.
...Jeff Fritz
editor@hometheatersound.com |
