From The Big Screen To The Palm Of My Hand

The magazine rack is where I noticed him first. He was in his sixties, bearded, a bit scraggly, thumbing through a Hollywood Reporter.

"This the Awards edition?" he asked me.

"Not exactly," I told him. It's the new format of The Hollywood Reporter." [Slick and glossy. Nestled next to People Magazine's announcement of the newest baby bump and a bunch of US Weekly knock-offs.]
He seemed displeased.

"You know how hard this was to find? There' s no newstands anymore. There isn't even a bookstore in this mall. Remember Rolling Stone? The large format? A buddy of mine was a journalist at Rolling Stone. There aren't journalists anymore. Remember LIFE? You're too young to remember, but..."

"I remember Life!" I protested. "I'm not too old for that," I assured him. Then, I backed away slowly to extract myself from a conversation I knew would go on for far too long.

I do remember life. Life when 3-D was just a matter of walking outside and experiencing the world. Life was when the feature presentation of a movie presented itself in 35mm on the big screen and you were happy to share this experience with other people. Laugh when they laughed. Cry when they cried. The floor might've been sticky and the popcorn might've been stale, but you were having this shared experience with strangers.

A couple weeks ago, when I went to see True Grit in Hollywood, the theatre manager apologized as he told us they were having problems with the digital format of the film. Instead, they'd thread up the 35mm print.

35mm. In the Cinerama Dome. For a modern take on the old-fashioned western by none other than the Coen Brothers. I couldn't think of anything better. Indeed, the 35mm print was richer and more layered than even the crispest digital print could've been.

I enjoy seeing films on the big screen. I also enjoy seeing them at home. Like most people, I've embraced most of the newest entertainment viewing options. DVDs, Netflix, even streaming on my Wii. To each advance, there is a loss that is never completely re-gained.
For instance, how do I deal with subtitles on a streaming movie? Sometimes there's no option to turn them on and other times, they're rendered useless when they are cut off at the bottom of the frame. If the film's been re-formatted to fit my screen, I can't help wondering what's going on along the edges I can't see. Streaming films don't offer the director's commentary and other extras that DVDs typically offer either.

Recently, I read [in the print version of The Los Angeles Times] that during this awards season, Fox was experimenting with allowing SAG members to download award screeners from Itunes. In many ways this makes sense, saves money, and levels the playing field for films to be viewed to the wider audiences of award-voting guilds.

I think voting members would feel somewhat obligated to view the contenders in their respective categories. But who has the time? Downloading the movie to your ipod/pad/laptop/fingertips allows you to do your "homework" on a transcontinental flight, bring it with you while you're hiking, or heck, bring it into the bathroom with you while you're also brushing your teeth. It's called multi-tasking. Why not?

I just worry about what's lost when a film meant for the big screen gets shrunk down to something the size of my palm. Could I, in good faith, judge its art direction or sound editing? Would the wide-screen cinematography be as breathtaking? Would I get swept away with the story? Would I be as immersed in the time and place or as invested in the characters? I don't think I would be. How can something as special as a film seem bigger than life if I can hold it in the palm of my hand?

I agree wholeheartedly that the various entertainment guilds need to look at different ways to get their members to screen award contenders. I also think that those members have to consciously think about how they are viewing and judging films... and if their viewing habits are doing justice to the filmmakers and entertainment professionals that put it all together.

©2011 by KLiedle
Photo credits:
Library Of Congress/Commons

Technology: Wii, Mii, and Getting Ahead.

When it comes to computers and technology, I can usually figure things out-- mostly out of perseverance. That isn't to say that I necessarily like it or that I'm even close to being technologically advanced. In some ways, it's really gotten irritatingly fast and furious. Damn those printer drivers and software updates that have rendered the "scanner" function of my perfectly good printer useless. (Thanks again, HP!)

It was only last year that I finally got an ipod. I do enjoy it, especially for working out and music on the go. Yet, I'm only utilizing a fraction of its memory and I've run out of data. I can't even fill 4GB. Does that make me an ipod loser? Then again, I'm not a downloader. I still come from the school of CDs and full-length albums. It just seems strange for me to download an itune.

I don't have texting on my cell phone. There are no games or apps and I can't surf the internet with a click of a button or check my e-mail remotely. I'm on Facebook, but I can't even begin to compete with those who change their profile pic every couple of days and put way too much thought into coming up with a catchy, cool status update to send from their iPhone [appropriately enough.] I don't have the time, the inclination, or the iPhone for that.

I got a GPS for Christmas two years ago and it was only six months ago that I finally got around to opening the box.

"This is actually pretty convenient," I thought as I wondered why I hadn't tried it earlier. [Although, I still have an old school Thomas Guide to L.A. in the car-- still the "go-to guide" as far as I'm concerned. ]

This year, I got Wii Fit Plus for Christmas. I decided to be more "up on things" this time around so I hooked it up. Although, it will never replace my regular workout, it definitely has its pluses-- especially on those rare, rainy L.A. days-- like today. I like the balance games-- namely the snowboarding, the ski slalom and even the aerobic hula hooping even though I feel [and look] ridiculous doing it. The yoga and training exercises have potential, but I hate having to listen to the trainer explain every little movement. I have exercised before in my lifetime. The little, jumping Wii balance board icon with its ultra computer-sounding voice can be super-annoying, too. Apart from that, I think I may actually use my Wii often enough that it won't collect dust. I've even gotten a reluctant friend hooked on some of the Wii activities. We're competing on top scores.

Some, okay most, of this technology is highly unnecessary. We've just allowed ourselves to get lazy and bored. I was perfectly fine without the ipod, the GPS, the Wii, and even e-mail [way back when] but all of it opens up a new world of possibilities.

When jogging with the Wii, for instance, a friend pointed out, "OR you could just jog for real outside..." Well, yeah, sure I could, but Wii jogging in place in front of a faux waterfall won't replace real jogging-- it's just a different experience.

Microwaves have become ubiquitous, yet they still haven't replaced ovens. And we were, I might mention, the last family in the neighborhood to get a microwave. (My mom was convinced that it was shooting radiation microwaves into our brains. I guess the jury's still out on that. I still try not to stand in front of the microwave for that very reason.)

In short, technology has its ups and downs. Some days I hate, hate it and other days, the convenience factor makes me never want to look back. On the other hand, some people have trouble looking forward. To this day, my mom still has dial-up internet. She can't even view episodes of our web series, "It's Always Smoggy In L.A." and she pays more than I do for DSL. Her new years resolution is high-speed. By the time she gets it, technology will be onto the next big thing and we'll both be left in the dust.

Certainly things will continue to somersault ahead of me faster than I want to follow, but technology has certainly improved some things. Although, HP, if you're out there, stop with the software updates-- seriously. Not all of us can afford to get a whole new system of doing things every time you decide to upgrade.

Copyright 2010 by KLiedle
Wii Photo Credit: Bakerella/flickr.com