Let's Get Physical!

So, what still makes me excited about films? What makes me look forward to the world of cinema to come?

Let me tell you a story…

I was a devoted user of Netflix for many years. It was not during the DVD-in-the-mail years, but when it became an online forum and page for cinema. I was also an Apple user, getting my first iPad at the same time as I became an online film watcher. I knew that there were other pages available for film lovers who did not want to go back to a theatre to pay well above the mark for a film that might not be worth their time. Online pages were proliferating – Netflix, Tubi, Hulu, all those torrent services, etc. – and joining the one that had the best reputation seemed the safest option. My laptop, tablet, and credit card were all ready to go.

So, what happened?

I discovered piggybacking.

Let me explain: on both my Apple and Netflix accounts, I discovered that there were other users on my page who did not pay a fee for the services. One address was printed up on an email; the other simply appeared when I tried to change iPads for an upgrade. Needless to say, I complained about this. And both companies failed the basic test of customer service: keep the customer happy and returning to the scene of someone else’s crime. No one made any effort to block those other users. In fact, it felt as though they wanted me to just go along with things as they stood and let them watch what they wanted to watch on my dime. This I could not do. I closed both accounts.

Now, you might be wondering, do I miss the programs and services provided by both of those megacorporate entities? Yes…and no. I did see “Stranger Things,” several documentaries, television series (“Love” was a favourite) and others while I was a customer. But Netflix had a very odd quirk that still bothers now as I think about it…and I think that I am not alone in my annoyance: they pull down programs to make space for the newly-released titles and events they want you to watch. This makes absolutely no sense, folks. Netflix is not your local video store that really did need to make space for new releases, and had to reduce its stock of DVDs and video tapes.

Ah, the video store… Anyone remember that old institution? My favourite was not Blockbuster, or any of the other big names stores that grew out of Canadian media groups (Rogers, Videotron). It was Video Land, a small shop that was perfectly situated between two stops on the way home from the university I attended. If I timed it right, I could find something very unique, weird, wild and eye-opening before my connecting ride appeared around the corner. I saw the best work of Tarkovsky (“Andrei Rublev”), “200 Motels”, “The Killer”, “Pulp Fiction” (did not have time to see it in a theatre), and every major release of the late 90s. I am still smiling as I think about how so many critics now admit that it was a golden age of cinema, and like so many golden ages, we did not notice it while it was happening.

But maybe we can bring it back.

I still have my DVDs, and I note that I am getting more and more of them through volunteering at a film festival, at the local secondhand and discount shops, and from friends and acquaintances who think that they are a dead medium. I refused to give up the ones I had before I used Netflix or any online page, and my laptop still has a drive to take it (I may even still have the portable one I found many ages ago).

There has been a lot of talk about the stark numbers for feature films these days, and I am not surprised that the situation is so dire. Most of the features out there are remakes, sequels to films that do not need them, or premises that we have seen too many times before. At the festivals, you will end up seeing films which may not end up in wide release. How are you going to enjoy them again? Sure, you can go onto online pages (Shudder is still popular with the horror fans I met); YouTube has become much better at preserving films, and Criterion now has an online page. But the prices for all of that physical media has dropped dramatically (I buy DVDs on Marketplace, and there are a lot of sellers who want to get rid of all those once overpriced Criterion titles). And they are not very likely to be pulled down from my cupboard. They are mine, and they will be as long as I want them to be.

Now, let me end this with a moment of honesty: I have used CBC Gem and YouTube when hunting things down that I want to watch, and there are some frustrations when I realize that certain titles will never end up on a portable physical form. But I can live with these minor inconveniences. Watching movies should be something that draws you in after you have made an effort, whether it is going out to a theatre to see a real movie, or just setting up a DVD to enjoy a feature on a weekend. Nothing excites me more about films than the idea that we can still dive in and read about our favourite features while the film collection grows.

Get back to the boxes, folks.