Buy: Going to Movies Alone
“Can I get one ticket for the 3:15 Pineapple Express, please.”
That’s right folks, just one ticket. No date, no friends, no relatives just me… and about two hundred anonymous people.
Sitting through Pineapple Express by myself wasn’t my first solo-movie going experience, nor was it even the first time I realized that I enjoy venturing to the theaters unaccompanied. But it’s the first time it dawned on me that that I would rather see a movie at the theaters by myself than with a buddy or a cluster of comrades for that matter. Not only is going to the movies with pals unnecessary because you are not at the theaters to chat, it can be downright distracting and counterproductive to the movie-going experience.
When I venture to the cinema with baggage, I worry about everything conceivable. Is the arm-space being equally distributed? Why is my friend mooching off my popcorn without even asking? And I worry about what other people are thinking about the film. Maybe mom hates this so much that she is going to disown me because I suggested it as an activity for family-fun bonding time. Shit, who is going to pay my cell phone bill? Yep, those are the kind of dark and tormented thoughts that run through my head. Moreover, I dread post-film conversation, especially if a friend and I have different opinions on the film. There is no need to immerse myself into a conversational brawl about the evolution of the bromantic action-comedy, but sometimes these are the kind of discussions that can’t be avoided if you are a stickler for over-analysis like your truly. Oh, and you don’t even want to know the neurosis that I harbor when I drag a first date to the movies.
And yet, when I see a movie with me, myself, and I, all of these extraneous anxieties disappear. I can zone in on the picture, sans disruptions. Love the movie or hate it, I become mesmerized, and maybe even hypnotized, by the dream factory a.k.a. Hollywood. That James Franco, he is a real winner. I am kind getting bored of this Seth Rogen shtick. Thank God I have all of this arm room for myself.
While I am obviously a proponent of the “ticket-for-one” experience, there are certain rules and regulations to follow. First off, there is a 7am to 8pm statute for the solo movie-goer. For reasons I will never understand, it is taboo to venture to the movies by yourself after hours. (We are not here to break societal conventions and cause anarchy, just discuss them.) Furthermore, just because you are going to movies by yourself, that mean it is still sketchy to travel to bars alone. Sorry happy hour enthusiasts.
Woody Allen is quoted as saying, “don’t knock masturbation; it’s sex with someone I love.” And even though seeing a movie by alone isn’t as self-indulgent as masturbation, Allen’s adage is a testament to a greater thematic truth; sometimes it is just better to accomplish a simple task on your own accord. Limiting the variables that cause distraction will indefinitely enhance the overall cinematic experience. Indeed, getting the most out of your twelve dollars at the movies has finally become an exercise in self-enlightenment.
Submit your own post here!
Loading ...
One Comment, Comment or Ping
When recorded music first became available, many music enthusiasts were deeply upset about the forseeable lessening value of the live concert. But the shared experience of experiencing a unique live performance still is far from obsolete. As music became more and more commercialized and owned by its consumers, some artists made new music that depended entriely on the means of production. Consequently, production-based electronic music became the father of many new types of music creation.
With headphones, music solidifies itself as an escape instead of its origins in shared experience. Yet soon after, electronic music leads the club scene, where everyone melts together on ecstasy. Video games follow this same pattern, where role playing games start out as a collective experience (D&D), then turn completely one-player (Final Fantasy in the 90s), then transform into social obsessions (MMORPGs like World of Warcraft).
So what I’m thinking is if movies have made the turn to individualized experiences (as they likely are for any internet pirate) and commercial commodities (DVD collections and twelve-dollar ticket prices that tempt the moviegoer to sit through the whole experience no matter how painful it might be), is their next move going to be group-unifying?
I see this in two lights: 1) Mass releases that break records because everyone goes to see them (The Dark Knight). The scale of this is greater than clubbing could ever be, and transcends the niche community of MMORPGs. [Yet Dark Knight exploits the niche community (comic books, which are subversive in their own rights). The nerds were always right]. A worldwide mythology starts to become implemented by moviemakers. Or, 2) I’m completely wrong and movies can never be interactive unless you’re making them. And since we can finally watch our movies in private like we read our books, why bother going out in the first place?