Peter and Media: A Love Story
Okay, that title was stupid. Let’s move on. I love movies, and I watch a wide variety of them. I’m often drawn to movies that feel very subjective—An Angel at My Table would be an example—as an expression of the director’s personal vision. When I watch a movie, I like to give it my full attention, entering the logic of its plot and emoting in synch with the characters. I tend to follow directors, rather than genres.
I don’t go to movie theaters as often as I used to, although it’s by far my favorite way to watch movies. I’ve been pretty unimpressed with a lot of the movies that have come out recently; even on days when I just want to go to Block E for some escapism (I mean in the movie form; not at Escape nightclub.), I can’t find anything that I even want to sit through. When I’m not at a theater, I usually rent DVDs and watch them with friends. I sometimes download movies and watch them on my computer screen, but that feels weird to me. I like movies to be a huge, overpowering image in a dark room—if a movie theater is like a night out at an ambient Italian restaurant, a movie on a laptop is more like a Hot Pocket. But we all need a Hot Pocket from time to time.
I’ve gotten really into some TV shows over the past few years, too. I don’t get cable, and my network reception is pretty much nonexistent, so I usually download shows, usually in a less-than-legal fashion. My favorite at the moment is Mad Men, but I’m pretty psyched about 30 Rock coming back soon….