JA from MNPP here. Yesterday Nat finished his delightful run-down of his favorite films of the previous decade, and his write-up of his #6 film,Wong Kar-Wai's masterpiece In the Mood For Love, reminded me how desperate I've been to watch the film again now that I've upgraded to a bigger HD'ier TV.So last night I did. I wrote up some extended thoughts on the film over at my blog, but here's something else the experience brought up in my head: the process of re-watching films in these new technological formats.
Ever since getting the new TV for Christmas I've scarcely watched any new films (keeping my Faves of '09 list at bay, unfortunately), instead preferring to barrel through old favorites that I've appreciated especially for their visual splendors. This is a good thing to be sure - my appetite for film is one of forward momentum, always trying to see as many new films as I can, so I don't look back nearly often enough. It's been a treat.
Living here in New York I get to see screenings sometimes of old films that I've only ever seen on a small screen before and you notice so many things you'd missed before. Seeing Rosemary's Baby, my favorite film of all time, in a proper theater was a revelation - I'd seen that movie a
million times but there were so many small details suddenly vying for my attention (the one that pops to mind are the posters hanging in Rosemary and Guy's apartment for "Luther" and "Nobody Loves an Albatross," the two plays Guy had starred in that Rosemary name-checks a couple of times in the film).And this new HD experience has felt akin to that. The image is so crisp, and so big! I don't think I'm ever going to leave my house again, is what I'm saying. This is where I close the door, turn my Netflix account up as far as it goes, and forget the world outdoors.
Anyone else been spending their days marveling at this wondrous point in home theater technology unto which we have arrived? This extends beyond great cinema - I spent half an hour hypnotized by a PBS special on hummingbirds the night before last - I thought the hummingbirds were gonna hit me in the face. It was awesome!
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