htaccess - 2010-03-25 6:23 PM These days there are no TV shows I find even remotely compelling but there are still occasionally films that I enjoy and District 9 is one of them. I've wondered why this is and i think that in general TV is more homogeneous and formulaic than movies and movies more homogeneous and formulaic than books (in general terms). I agree with you and I think it's interesting to see the direct correlation in level of effort required for each media type and the baseline level of sophistication in the entertainment offered. TV: You don't even have to leave the house. Plop down on the couch and turn off your brain for a few blissful hours after a hard day's work. You don't even have to know what's on or when. Power-up and start clicking. You can find something to watch and it doesn't even have to be good. SyFy knows this and they thrive because of it. They could buy stories from Harlan Ellison or PKD and make thoughtful and challenging shows but they choose not to. Instead we get Mega Shark, Ghost Hunters and wrestling.
Movies: Generally, you've got to get out of the house to see 'em in first run. You have to invest a bit of effort to see what's out and when it's playing and where and you often have to make arrangements for the kids or to coordinate with friends etc. Not to mention the expense. You're expectations are correspondingly higher and if you're going to make all that effort it had better be better than what you could have stayed home to watch on TV. But really, to do better than TV they don't have to reach very far so they often substitute action, violence, explosions and boobs - the stuff they can't show on TV - for story and acting and dialog.
Books: Reading takes a substantial amount more time to enjoy. You've really got to want it to read a book. Reading is work compared to TV or film. Just finding a good book is a chore, hence WWEnd. Once you get it you have to make time for it. A lot of time when compared to a movie unless you're a graduate of Evelyn Wood and can read 400 pages in 2 hours. You have to imagine everything with the barest of clues from the author. You have to think almost the entire time. It's not being poured into your brain via your retinas. There's no soundtrack to manipulate your emotions. The author describes the action and you have to compose every scene yourself. The commitment to read a book leaves you with very high expectations. That book had better match up to the effort required or you'll bail for another. Of course, these are just generalizations. Many movies rise up beyond expectations like District 9, 2001, Moon or Gattaca. The same goes with TV - though I think with less frequency. The best of Star Trek or even Battlestar Galactica had important things to say. For my money, I'll trust an author to deliver more than I will a studio but I'm not above turning off my brain for some fun TV like Fringe or SGU or even Avatar, for the special effects mind you. I've learned to temper my expectations lest I have another Sunshine or Terminator Salvation experience. @Pierre: Glad to see District 9 got the win over Avatar. I would have been happy with Moon too.
| 
District 9
