Freeday 5 October 2001

Pic of the day: Computer games, active entertainment. Comparatively speaking, of course.

Entertainment

Yes, yes. It was a dumb thing, to buy Unbreakable instead of just renting it. I just want you to see me talk this to death, OK? And then move on. It's as stupid as buying a shirt to wear it only once. (Actually I think I still have a couple shirts that I haven't worn at all, but then again I'm not proud of it either. Not anymore. Hopefully I'm learning faster this time. It sure looks like it.)

So today I nosed around in the city of Kristiansand and found a video rental outlet that also had DVD. (It was named something Hollywood ... Planet Hollywood or some such. No matter, I know where it is.) The staff was oriental, but I'm sure I can register myself to borrow DVD there. But first I guess I should nose about some more, and see if there is any competition. In a city of 70,000 plus lots of students, there ought to be.

What I did notice was that the number of DVD movies was still quite small compared to videotapes. This will almost certainly change as more and more people get DVD players; they are certainly more practical. But at least for now, there was just this really short wall with DVD. And I could count on one hand those titles that were even remotely interesting. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon seems an obvious choice. From what I hear of it, it has a lot of beauty and meaning. I guess I shall just have to live with the violence. The Matrix was also there, a movie I'm happy to say that I have seen on the big screen with my friend. I wouldn't mind seeing it again once, even though I remember the story in enough detail that I could probably tell it to my grand-nephews if I live that long. Of course, it may not sound very special to them, used as they'll be to go in and out of virtual worlds ...

***

Two interesting movies out of several dozen. There may be a couple more that are tolerable. I don't think the selection of DVD was worse than of tapes ... it just happened that there were not hundreds and hundreds to choose from. There is a saying that 90% of everything is worthless or worse than worthless. (OK, that is not the actual quote, but that's the meaning.) This is most certainly so with entertainment. But there is one thing to bear in mind: It is not the same 90% for everyone.

I must admit that I have been thinking: "They pander to the lowest common denominator. The others, the normal humans, have a terrible taste in entertainment; they want mindless sex and violence, low humor, anything that can provoke some visceral emotion. Then there are the few of us who want some meaning in what we see, or at least some style, some technical competence, some little proof of genius in plot or performance." But is is quite that simple? I am not sure any longer. There seems to be quite a bit of different garbage; it is not all the same. Perhaps there are no "common people" who like the other 90%. Perhaps they all like only a few movies, and think that all the other, the common people, like the other 90%. Wouldn't quite surprise me. (Then again, I am fully convinced that the percentage of acceptable movies – or any other kind of entertainment – rises rapidly with intake of alcohol. Quite possibly some other chemicals too.)

***

It may seem a bit strange, me watching movies. I mean, I don't even have a television. But when the movies come on DVD, suddenly they are OK? Well, let me explain. One main benefit of a DVD player over the television is that once the movie is over, it is over. There doesn't automatically come another movie or some other entertainment. I've seen friends watch television. They start watching a program they really wanted to see. Then it ends, and there comes something they're not particularly interested in. But they don't turn it off. They keep watching. Eventually there comes something they don't even like. They may even start to complain, but still have a hard time just turning it off. It looks kind of like hypnosis to me. And even when not watching, they still leave it on, to chatter and blink in the corner.

Furthermore, borrowing a movie or going to the cinema is much more of a conscious decision. It may occasionally be a wrong decision, but it is still something you decide to do. It doesn't just happen, the way TV tends to do. And you set your own agenda. This means some slight measure of personal growth, even though I admit it may not always mean growth in the right direction. Still, you are a bit more you, compared to being just fed with someone else's selections, like a goose being fed for fattening. Whether you go to Heaven or to Hell, shouldn't you at least go there by your own choice, rather than just drifting down the stream like a piece of wood?

***

Anyway, I did not try to borrow those two films either. They have to be brought back within the next afternoon, and I'm not sure I'm going to the city tomorrow. I am there every workday, so I don't miss it in the weekends. It would be better to borrow movies somewhere on Monday to Thursday, when I can bring them back in the lunch break next day.

And besides, I have Baldur's Gate II to learn. The role playing game. I don't get my hopes to high up, but it is supposed to be playable over the Internet as cooperative multiplayer with friends. Now that I have friends, at least cyberfriends, there is a small chance that I could eventually do something fun together with them. Some day. Now that would be something different, wouldn't it?