I LIKE to watch movies in my own home...

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Title:	I LIKE to watch movies in my own home...
Creator:	Pam Willbanks
Date(s):	January 1983
Medium:	print
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I LIKE to watch movies in my own home... is an early 1983 essay by Pam Willbanks.

It was published in the Harrison Ford zine Rogue's Gallery #9. Willbanks had a regular apa to that zine series called "Almost Casual Observations from Down South," and this essay is one of them.

The essay does not have a specific title, and the one used here on Fanlore is a phrase from the essay that is hopefully appropriate.

Some Topics Discussed

• watching movies on cable and on purchased tapes for VCRs rather than going to the theater
• the high cost of VCR tapes, bootleg tapes
• the downsides to watching movies with other people in theaters
• how watching movies at home can be more accessible for those with disabilities or those who don't live near a theater

From the Essay

That's right, the Southern Belle is on the warpath again! This time, it's about the Hollywood bigwigs and their attitude towards those of us who would rather stay home than go to the movies.

I'm not saying that I don't go ever, but I can't help it, I LIKE to watch movies in my own home and I don't feel the least bit sorry for missing out on^what some have termed the 'group experience.' What about the experiences that I m missing the most? Like not having to filter out a conversation behind me while trying to concentrate on the film. Like not having to try to find another seat when a guy the size of Darth Vader sits down in front of me. Like not having my feet stick to the floor or finding that my seat is wet from the previous patron. Isn't comfort also to be considered in the total experience?

I'm no dummy. I know that there are certain movies that if I want to see them at all, I'll have to go out, but that does not automatically make me enjoy it.

I have no idea what it's like in other parts of the country, but I can guess that it's more or less the same all over. I don't enjoy having to sit in an uncomfortable seat, eating often times stale popcorn and most of all, with ticket prices being what they are, I do not want to know what going to happen before it happens cause the people beside me have already seen it three times! What

I don't like the most is having a guilt trip put on me for preferring cable TV and video cassettes to the movie house 'experience!' And another thing... if the big studios are so worried about boot-leg tapes, why don't they take a lesson from Paramount and release some of the big money makers on tape at a price that's cheaper than the boot-leggers? Naturally, I'm speaking of their STAR TREK II being sold at $39.95.

Do these people ever stop to consider what a real inconvenience it is for the truly handicapped people to go to the theater? I've a friend who has been in a wheelchair since college and am slightly disabled myself so I know whereof I speak. I know the handicapped are a minority but that's no reason to totally exclude their comfort.

And there are other factors to consider. What about the people who don't live near a theater? I'm lucky, the closest one to me is only about twenty miles away, but what about people like our editor [of Rogue's Gallery] who has to go sixty-five miles, (one way!), to see a first run film?

I'm a hopeless movie buff, but I would much rather stay home than go out and go through the hassles previously mentioned. In the past, I thought I'd just die if I couldn't go see certain movies when they were playing nearby, but since I got cable TV, I've learned that with a bit of patience, I don't miss a thing. What I am going to miss is the cable when we move further into the country next year!

So listen up guys, there are many legitimate reasons for not wanting to go out to the movies, so give us a break and quit trying to make us feel bad about it. I've spent my fair share on tickets over the years, and for certain films (I'm sure I don't have to list them here!) I still will but that doesn't mean that I'm going to enjoy it more for being in a crowd. Just in case you haven't heard, not every one LIKES to be in a crowd!

Fan Comments

I agree with most of Pam Willbank's observations on pay-TV vs theatrical.

Just a couple of things: some movies are made to be seen in a theatre on the big screen. I've got APOC. NOW and the spectacle isn't there on the small tube - not to mention the loss of sound! And the "group experience" is fantastic if you've got a good crowd.

As for pirated tapes - they're illegal, period. The ones around here are not cheap, by any means, especially the first run ones and the ones which will probably never be sold (like RAIDERS and E.T.). Know some people who brag about getting them, "owning them," at "whatever cost" and they rarely watch them! Mention it's against the law, and they laugh it off. Also noticed these are the same people who think other laws are a joke. While I do not take the approach that such attitudes will eventually lead to anarchy, I do believe that in the end the rest of us pay for it - just as we do for every other crime, like shoplifting, tearing up tickets and cheating on taxes! The attitude these people have of "you're the fool" really slays me.