Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Back in the early 80's, I was at Reuben's Summerhouse, a once-popular (but now sadly gone) restaurant in The Valley, when I overheard a man talking excitedly to his friend about RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981).  I was just a kid at the time, and wanted to go see what all the fuss was about.  Mom thought it was too scary, so I didn't get to see it when it was new.  Last fall, the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood brought back RAIDERS and I went to see it there.  I didn't bother to write about it at the time, but now that it has been re-released nationwide by Paramount, I decided it was time to say a few words about one of my all-time fave films.
When I was a kid, even though I didn't see it in the theatre, I did ultimately see RAIDERS many times on VHS tape and CAV Laserdisc (which looked only a little better than tape on my old TV set).  When it appeared again at the Egyptian, it was shown in digital projection (presumably a prototype for the Blu-ray set).  Technically, the presentation was brilliant.  Beautiful photography, stunning sound, I can see why it won five Oscars (four regular awards, plus one Special Achievement award).  In terms of content, the film holds up well after more than 30 years.  It's just the kind of story that thrills audiences of all ages, and still holds a special place in my heart.

Losing That Big Screen Experience

There has been a lot of talk lately about how home entertainment, and in particular Video On Demand or Pay-Per-View, could cause the end of movie theatres. Might even cause the end of over a century of big screen experiences. As someone who has enjoyed going to theatres, and also was planning on going to work at one as a summer job this year, I have to admit I am biased. I am very partial to saving the Big Screen Experience.
Having said that, I can tell you that once a theatre is gone, it's gone forever, and so we have to ask ourselves how important it is to keep it.
There is something special about the movie-going experience that you can't duplicate at home. I have seen a number of films both at the cinema and at home, and I can tell you that even if you have a decent-sized TV and a Blu-ray Disc player, you will miss out if you can never go to the theatre again.
And while it is true you can't see a favorite movie at the Regal or AMC forever, and you will probably end up with a copy of it at home anyway, even seeing it on disc is more of an experience if it brings back happy memories of seeing it in a darkened cinema with your sweetheart. Or from a night out with friends. Or the time you took your kids to see their favorite film that they were just begging to see.
If theatres go away, so will those memories. And while you can make other memories at home, the ones you could have had at the local movie house will be lost forever.