I Just Want To Watch a Movie!

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Pre-COVID, I loved going to movie theaters. I was a "first show of the day so I could get things done" girl. That's usually because I would see something serious or scary or seriously scary and I needed to let my brain think about a few other things so that I wouldn't have weird or terrifying or weirdly terrifying dreams. 

Since COVID, I have seen maybe two movies. One reason for the dramatic change: I don't want to sit that close to strangers and listen to them make any noises (chewing, slurping, questions about the movie or things off topic). The other: there just haven't been a whole lot of movies that I needed to see on the big screen. Something like Maverick is just meant to be in a theater with all the speakers and floor/seat rattling! 

This year, I paid attention to all the award show buzz. I can totally get down with a big blockbuster, but I also really like the underdog - especially if there's a human interest story. While I was not watching the actual award shows, I was seeing the winners. It was making me want to see movies in the theater again! I grabbed my phone and looked to see if any of the theaters were bringing back the best picture nominees. No luck. A few years back, AMC Theaters would let you pay to watch all the best picture nominees or you could buy admission for specific ones. The first year I did this the Oscars had 10 nominees. I think it cost $50 and you got a popcorn and drink for each day (refillable, naturally). I dedicated a weekend to watching these movies. It was SO much sitting but it made me watch movies I would not have ordinarily seen. Then, the AMC Theater I used to go to was taken over. I couldn't find this deal anywhere. 

I decided I wanted to watch The Whale. I have loved Brendan Fraser since I saw him in School Ties and, yes, I'll admit I liked him in Encino Man. The chatter around The Whale made me seek the trailer. Then, I couldn't avoid him on daytime or late night TV. So much talk that I wanted to see this movie! But there was a problem. It was no longer showing in my city. The one independent movie theater closed a few years ago. I checked the streaming options and was immediately annoyed.

It is going to cost $20 to watch this movie from the comforts of my own home on every streaming service - including the ones to which I already subscribe. It's not the $20, it's the fact that I have a subscription and if it's going to be offered up it should be included without an extra charge. I cannot find any good explanation for why I have to rent/purchase a movie on these services. At that price, it feels like punishment that I didn't rush to the theater months ago. For not much more, I could solicit nine of my friends to throw a party to rent out a theater for $26 each WITH pizza, popcorn and a drink included! I found the DVD for $13.99.  

Why does this bother me? Because I am spoiled by my original streaming service, Netflix. It has always just charged me my monthly rate to watch whatever is there. No extra charges for new content. If I didn't have a handful of other streaming services, maybe that $20 wouldn't seem like a nuisance? But if they're getting the content, I feel like it's their responsibility to cover the cost on their end instead of charging me to watch something one time. There aren't a lot of other movies I watch on repeat. Series? Of course. I have a bunch of shows on rotation that I watch before bed. When one streaming service loses a show, I don't follow and subscribe to another service. I find something else that's already available.

Do I need to watch Fraser's award winning performance right now? No. I'll either have to wait until it's released on one of my paid streaming services or, if I see it in the bargain DVD bin I'll grab it knowing I'll be a big, blubbering mess at the end and probably won't have the emotional strength to watch it again. Until then, I'll watch any of the movies or shows that I'm already getting.

It's fine. I'll root for the Brenaissance and promise I'll see his next movie in the theater ASAP. I'll hope that next year some theater chain will bring back Oscar watch weekend. Then maybe I'll watch the awards show again and the jokes will make sense.

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