One thing I’ll never forget from my adventures at ConCarolinas, a sci-fi convention in Charlotte, is what “Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin had to say about Netflix.
“Don’t use that word; it’s a bad word,” he said to a woman sitting at our table (my friend and I got tickets to a dinner with him on the first day of the convention). As the owner of an independent movie theater, Martin is understandably not a proponent of streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, as they hurt cinemas and, even more noticeably, video stores.
North American Video, my favorite video store in Raleigh, closed just a few months ago after more than 30 years in business. It got me thinking that while I love how Netflix allows me and countless others to access thousands of movies and TV shows with the click of a button, at the same time there really is nothing like taking a trip to the theater or renting a DVD from a nearby shop. I considered this all while talking with the bearded cinephile store owner behind the counter.
Yet, with the worldwide phenomenon of streaming, many video stores began to disappear. Blockbuster shut down all its stores by early 2014, and really it’s quite amazing that a number of independent ones have survived for this long. If only people would see the irreplaceable joy and sensation of renting videos instead of streaming them.
Our culture lives and breathes convenience. If information, messages or entertainment is not delivered to us instantaneously, we act as though the apocalypse is upon us; at the rate at which technology is advancing, SkyNet is becoming all the more plausible.
I myself am guilty of this. I can’t recall how many times I’ve become infuriated when my Wi-Fi is too slow, or how many times I’ve cringed when painfully slow internet connection has interrupted a screening on Netflix.
But with watching DVDs and Blu-Rays, you don’t have to worry about Wi-Fi connection or buffering. All you have to do is pop in a disc and enjoy both the film and any number of bonus features it contains. No matter how many movies or shows you stream, you can’t access the commentaries or behind-the-scenes material unless you have your own copy of the film.
Beyond this, renting videos and going to cinemas makes it more of an experience and forces you to socialize. Part of the joy of going to North American Video was always the interactions I had with other film buffs who shared my interests. We would eagerly discuss our favorite directors, films, shows and just get to know one another. Sure numerous outlets exist for online discussion, but it just isn’t the same as leaving the comfort of your own home and actually meeting people in person.
I write this not in the hopes of eliminating streaming. I myself am a Netflix junkie and have binge-watched a number of its original series, including “House of Cards,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” and “Sense8.” Streaming offers a whole other dimension for how we access and experience entertainment. These sites also allow users to stream a number of independent and foreign films that are otherwise hard to find. I recently watched on Netflix the 2009 European fantasy drama “Mr. Nobody,” a moviethat didn’t make it to the United States until 2013, which even the late Roger Ebert failed to review.
While it does have its benefits, streaming should not be the only way we watch movies. Instead of going to your laptop, or, heaven forbid, your iPhone to see what’s new on Netflix, try instead looking through your DVD collection or searching for a rental store in your area. Engage with what you watch, and talk about it with others. I think you’ll find the rewards more satisfying than the instant gratification of streaming.
