I know that that streaming services have forever changed home entertainment and that there’s no going back.
Netflix, Amazon and the rest have even changed how we talk about home entertainment. We’ve gone from “watching a movie” to “consuming content.”
That’s why I still miss the Blockbuster Video experience.
We used to go to the Blockbuster at Forest and Jewett avenues and to the one that was on Manor Road. I still think about those long-gone Blockbusters every time I drive by those spots.
Friday was the big day to go to Blockbuster because there would be new titles to choose from. Everybody wanted to get their hands on the latest flicks to hit video. And of course, it was the start of the weekend, so you wanted a couple of things to watch.
There were sometimes only a few copies of a particular new movie on hand. So you tried to time things just right if you wanted a shot at getting one.
Options. (Advance file photo)
But there were lots of movies to choose from beside new titles. The Blockbuster on Forest Avenue had an upstairs, so we had options.
And if you went with a family member or two, there were negotiations. You and your spouse had to agree on a flick. And you had to get something for the kids too to watch too.
Renting a movie from Blockbuster was a commitment. You only had the video for a set number of days. You had to drive back and return that flick or else pay the late fee.
So, yeah, it was a bit of an event to watch a video from Blockbuster. You structured your Friday or Saturday night around it. And in our house at least, we had to share the single VHS (or, later, DVD) player with the kids. So you had to schedule things.
It was a communal experience. The whole household was involved.
Watching a movie at home on some streaming service just isn’t a special experience. Not when you can watch it any time you please. Not when you can watch it in bits and pieces over days or weeks. Not when you can endlessly pause it. Not when you’re watching it all by yourself on your laptop.
There’s nothing special about something that you can have any old time. So a bit of the fizz has gone out of the movie-watching experience.
And there’s almost too much content to choose from on streaming services. Old movies. New movies. Exclusive movies made by the various streamers. Multi-season series. The eyes blur. It’s impossible to choose one thing.
Here’s our favorite show to watch on streaming these days: scrolling through the various choices on the various channels for an hour or so, passing judgment on everybody’s choices, without ever actually agreeing on anything to watch.
Sure, Blockbuster and the other video stores had their drawbacks. They could get crowded. You had to wait on lines. There were fees if you didn’t return a vid on time or if you weren’t kind and failed to rewind. VHS tapes would get tangled in your player at home. Scratched-up DVDs would freeze up at key moments in the film.
But still, there was a charm to the whole experience. And it’s not like there aren’t drawbacks to streaming: Amazon Prime Video just started inserting commercials into its programming.
Newer isn’t always better.
Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney, other streamers can’t top those old Friday nights at Blockbuster Video
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03.02.2024
I know that that streaming services have forever changed home entertainment and that there’s no going back.
Netflix, Amazon and the rest have even changed how we talk about home entertainment. We’ve gone from “watching a movie” to “consuming content.”
That’s why I still miss the Blockbuster Video experience.
We used to go to the Blockbuster at Forest and Jewett avenues and to the one that was on Manor Road. I still think about those long-gone Blockbusters every time I drive by those spots.
Friday was the big day to go to Blockbuster because there would be new titles to choose from. Everybody wanted to get their hands on the latest flicks to hit video. And of course, it was the start of the weekend, so you wanted a couple of things to watch.
There were........
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