Saturday, February 28, 2009

There's never been a better time to be a cinephile

Indeed, there has never been a better time than now, in 2009, to be a movie buff. Doesn't matter if you're into silent-era films, the latest Bollywood blockbuster, mainstream romances, sci-fi, splatter, you name it, the movie business is booming all over the world - and if the big production houses are seeing hard times at the theater, they're making up for it on home video. And the advent of the DVD has not only allowed almost all movies that have ever been made to be readily available, it's also boosted the stuff of independents (and by this I mean the guys who do movies in their garage, or on the streets of their own neighborhoods - from New York to Mumbai) to the forefront.

This slew of choice also makes it more difficult to decide what to watch. Do you go for the "certified", critical darling or the obscure effort - both of which may not be your cup of tea or may the most startling, riveting thing you've ever seen. Thousands of critics churn out daily columns on newspapers, on TV and on the web to influence your choice (you can even see my own - very personal and subjective - opinion at www. reellifereview.com), but in the end nobody can really know what YOU are going to like.

My advice: explore. Take a chance. Catch a movie that has good buzz that may be outside your comfort zone. Sit through the first half hour. If it doesn't work for you, that's OK, just go grab another. In this world of Netflix / Zip, iTunes downloads and Blockbuster stores you're only a few minutes away from another, better choice.

Who knows? That movie that's been gatehring dust on the shelves may be the best thing you've ever seen.

No comments:

Post a Comment