All this past month, Spike TV has been running HUGE amounts of advertising letting the world know that they would be showing all six Star Wars movies, in story order (so Phantom Menace was shown first) over this and next weekend. They started on Friday and last night showed Revenge of the Sith (pretty much accepted as the best of the prequels). Next weekend they’ll pick up with the classic trilogy. Sounds good right? Sure it does… it’s Star Wars after all.
But here’s the thing… even though I could possibly be the biggest Star Wars fan on the planet, I realized last night as I flipped past Revenge of the Sith (which I happen to really like), that I had no desire to stop and watch it. It’s not that I wasn’t in the mood to watch the movie… if SoulVideo came by my place with a copy of the DVD and suggested we watch it I would have said “HELL YA!”. But for whatever reason I had no desire to watch it on broadcast TV (not to be confused with On Demand or Pay Per View).
That little revelation got me thinking and I soon realized that I can’t remember the last time I actually watched a movie on broadcast TV at all. Oh sure I’ll watch some old classics (50’s and 60’s) if they’re on as I’m surfing through the channels, but I don’t recall the last time I sat and watch a movie from the last 5 years or so on television.
So I have a question for the international friends. Do you watch movies on broadcast TV anymore? If you do, do you watch more or less than you once did a few years ago? If you don’t watch them on TV anymore, or watch a lot less… why do you think that is?
– Commercials?
– Fixed start times?
– Editing?
– Other factors?
Let me know your thoughts.
Unless it’s something educationnal (Discovery, History, Military)commercials make it difficult to remain focused on a particular show, especially when they cut in the middle of an action scene.
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Your blinking ad above is enough to make me not want to bookmark your page. Let alone click the silly ad.
So old-school web…
only when cleaning or painting the house.
I usually just watch movies on TV when I’m bored or lazy. I think I’ve watched The Matrix more than I should have just because it was on TBS, TNT, or AMC late at night.
Watching Star Wars on broadcast TV made me realize how much I actually hate watching anything on TV anymore. I would watch Return of the Jedi last night, say to myself “sweet, here comes the really good part”, and then bang, 4 minute long commercial. Damn! Ruins the immersion.
Its much easier and enjoyable to watch the DVD, or to download a TV episode from the internet. No commercials, no interruptions, and if you have to go downstairs to make a sandwitch you can make the movie/tv episode wait for you.
id rather rip it from a torrent
Its just more convient to watch a dvd.
Here’s the BIG problem with Watching Movies on Broadcast TV.
Are you ready for it???
Most if not ALL the movies they show on tv by the time they hit I already own them and the ones I do stop and watch are ones I didn’t see in the theater because I really didn’t want to pay to see CRAP and I deemed it not worth renting.
Even then I can switch channels if the movie is really bad and then no harm no foul and no money spent.
Why sit and watch a movie with ad’s all over the place when I can watch the whole thing on dvd and see NO ad’s?!
So that’s why I don’t bother to watch on tv nor rent movies anymore because the movies I really like I just buy it so I don’t have to drive to the vid store only to find out it’s out or don’t have it to begin with.
If you buy it right away then you have it at 3AM if you want when the store is closed and have a marathon and guess what? NO late fees! LOL
Don’t rent Don’t watch on tv just do yourself a favor and BUY it and get it out of the way.
i just hate it when they say “what the fruit?!” or block “shit” by saying “stuff”
i dont care about the comercials or editing but the sensoring is so retarded
Oh my God. The same thing has happened with me! I haven’t watch any of the Star Wars movies since last summer. As much as I’ve loved them (And Star Wars Ep. 4 is my 6th favorite movie) I kinda forgot about how great it was. I’m gonna have to watch them again. I missed it because I was in Great Wolf lodge. Limited movies on the tv suck. Especailly R-rated movies. They cut too much out.
only docu and sketch programs… for me on tv…
DIRTY JOBS!!! (Pretty much an hype here in Holland)
I watch them if I’m channel surfing. Although I refuse to watch movies like “Gladiator” on TnT because they edit out what makes those movies so good, the cursing and the violence. The only other reason I don’t really watch them on television is because they turn a 2 hour movie into almost 3 by so many commercials. Overkill anyone?
I watch movies on television, but only movies that have been popular choices of mine. Most likely if I am watching a movie on television, then I already own the DVD.
Commercials are hindrances though.
@AjaxLou
The only good thing to come from those movies that don’t exist is Duel of the Fates. I really, REALLY love that piece of music.
@AjaxLou
Thanks, babe;)
Commercials. Can’t stand them. If I’m going to take a break from a movie, I want to hit the pause button, not the networks. Now, a movie theater, I can sit there all nice and fanboyish for whatever time is needed, but don’t throw a Mountain Dew commercial at me when Gimli or Luke is about to kick ass. It breaks the cycle.
Kristina. Your last post about the prequels not existing has made me fall even deeper in…..
….admiration and respect for you!
If I’m flipping through the channels and I stumble upon something that looks good or something that I haven’t seen in a while, I’ll watch it. Otherwise, I typically don’t. Most stuff that I want to watch is stuff that I have on DVD. The editing of network TV really annoys me. A prime example of this is when I watched Kill Bill Volume 2 on Spike a few days ago. They kept going to commercial seemingly after every big scene, and it destroyed the pace of the movie for me. They cut to commercial RIGHT as her car pulls up in front of Bill’s place, and my jaw damn nearfell off. What an awkward spot to go to commercial. I put up with it and watched it anyway since I didn’t have my Volume 2 DVD in my dorm, but bad editing, cutting out little scenes that I like solely to keep the runtime down, and BLATANT censoring of curse words always gets on my nerves.
And as for Star Wars, who the hell doesn’t own at least some form of a Star Wars film? I got the ORIGINAL original trilogy on VHS, the original trilogy special edition on VHS, and the original trilogy on DVD. I don’t need to watch them on TV. The prequels don’t exist in my mind, so that’s another story.
ah yes half joker half two face is the way to go. its like going half coke, half diet coke.
1.Commercials. = pace ruiners
2. Panavision. or whatever that is, where it has to physically move the frame because you are watching widescreen on the networks 4×3 display.
3. Commercials
C) Also, as others have mentioned, the commercial breaks suck. Screw commercials.
I used to watch movies on TV when I was younger because I felt they were more exciting. IE, I was actually watching them with the rest of the world.
Now I don’t, because a) I just think that movies on TV are for lonely people and b) full screen.
The only movies I watch on TV are almost exclusively from three Cable subscription channels: Turner Classic Movies, Sundance Channel, and IFC, and with those movies I always use my DVR so I can watch them at my leisure. Broadcast or basic cable – not anymore. I guess once in a blue moon I’ll catch a couple scenes of something.
The last time I watched a movie with commercial breaks was when I was stuck in a hospital and had no choice back in 2002. That was the most tortuous part of the hospital stay.
1. Hate the commercials
2. Doesnt phase me about the fixed start times.
3. Editing sucks, they usually cut way too much out of the film.
4. I will only watch a movie on Normal TV if i dont own it, or a mate close by doesnt own it, I havent seen it or its an old movie i really enjoyed that would would gladly sit through again.
To be honest, I think only a few made for tv movies are the only ones I wait for. In that category, Sci-fi pretty much is the only one that puts out anything of interest, like tinman. Though if George R.R. Martin gets his movies on HBO… that will be something to wait for. As for a normal box office movie…I’ll just pop in the DVD or go rent or purchase it. Commercials and quality don’t really keep my attention.
I got suckered into watching The Return of the King last night on TNT. It was in HD, which was the only reason I did (I don’t have HD-DVD or BluRay). I bitched and moaned the entire time about the “limited” commercial breaks. Limited, my ass!
When the movie was almost over, I realized just how ridiculous the entire situation was. While TNT showed the entire movie unedited, it was the theatrical release. Not 5 feet away from my couch was the Extended Release I own on DVD. For the amount of time it took to watch the theatrical release plus commercials, I could have watched the Extended cut with NO commercials, and had a far better viewing experience. The difference in picture would have been about as close to zero as to be no difference at all, and I would have been far happier. Feel free to call me a dumbass now.
For me, much of the joy of a movie is that you can make your viewing of it fit your schedule. Theaters have a slew of times that a movie will be showing, so you can pick one that fits in where you have two free hours. I can pop in one of my DVDs whenever I please.
HOWEVER….
Anything on TV at all demands that I be in my recliner with the TV on at this specific time on this specific night and if I’m not there, then tough luck.
Not to mention commercials ruin pacing.
More than once I’ve seen a movie on TV, watched about 5 mins of it (usually until the first commercial) then either put in the DVD if I had it, or put it in my Netflix queue.
Movies on commercial television only work as suggestions or reminders of what to watch.
Image quality is less and less of a problem. TBSHD, TNTHD, the networks, and other channels usually show movies in full-HD quality. But, I have an upconverting DVD player…so…..
It’s not the commercials that bother me, it is the editing. Even PG-13 movies are edited in some way, and its just annoying.
Have to agree. Broadcast TV is dead. Been without cable since 1994, so I’m perhaps not the best judge here, but I can get movies and TV on nice shiny discs to be watched at my pace on my schedule. That’s fine by me.
Maybe if I was under 13 I’d watch movies on TV to avoid parental control or something, but the commercials would drive me nuts. I hates me the adverts…
TV is for series and/or mini-series only. Or sports.
Movies on TV don’t work for me because of already mentioned reasons:
1) Quality – audio/video
2) No ability to pause
3) commercials – ruin the pacing and mood of a story
And by the time a movie gets to TV its already been out on DVD for awhile and already watched.
john, didn’t you know? broadcast tv is dead. it just doesn’t know it yet.
it’s just a big staggering/singing/dancing zombie moaning “braaaiinns” because it has none.
i was visiting the parents the other day and happened across the opening of “get shorty” on gameTV (or some such). after the opening credits, and the opening scene with JT and mr. farina, it cuts to commercial. it was like a punch to the ear. i shut it off.
downloading commercial free tv/movies has spoiled me irrevocably. i can’t and won’t go back.
Yes. But with some bit of guideines:
1) If I have that film on DVD it is of low priority.
2) If I get caught up in watching the scene from that film on TV which I have on DVD, sometime in the week I’ll revisit that film on my DVD player.
3) If it is a film that I, for some reason, don’t have on DVD, and I’ll just watch it because I haven’t seen the film in a number of years.
For example, Robert Redford in “Jerimiah Johnson” or Humprey Bogart in “The Maltese Falcon”
4) If it is a film that is made for TV. If I can’t watch it then I’ll DVR it, fast forward the majority of commercials. By the way,
the last two TV films I seen in thier entirety were a Sci-Fi Pictures Original called “Living Hell” and “Mafia Princess” with Alyssa Milano and James Caan. (Note: “Battlestar Galactica: Razor” does NOT count!)
5) Documentary films – Which is the cream of the crop which I’m concerned. That spans The History Channel, Documentary Channel, Discovery and so on.
I only watch the news and some shows (not shows as in TV series but show as in American Idol & Co) on TV. I watch Movies and TV series on DVD, because everything is dubbed in Germany and subtitles are a rarity (I am hard impaired, so subtitles make watching a movie easier).
Commercials, fixed start times and censorship are factors, too, but they aren’t as impotant as dubbing and subtitles.
My roomate and I watched the Matrix yesterday afternoon, on Showcase HD. I used the term “watched”, loosely as both of us were sat in front of the TV with our laptops, glancing occasionally at the TV when a certain visual effect caught our eye.
I’d say it has a lot to do with commercials and fixed start time. Heck I don’t even like watching TV shows on TV anymore. I prefer DVD releases or downloads. Watch it whenever over and over, I can fast forward/rewind etc.
It’s pretty bad to work at a TV station and be able to legitimately claim “I don’t watch TV”.
The only time I watch “Live” tv is to see If I like a show. I watch maybe 2 episodes and then stop and wait for the dvd!!
I usually don’t because of editing. I once saw Ferris Buellers Day Off on TBS and the whole thing was just unrecognizable. Some of he funniest parts where cut or changed because of swearing.
Hey John, here in the Philippines, movies on broadcast TV is still played. I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s big in the provinces where people have no access to movie theaters, cable or your basic video CD, DVD, etc.
I for one don’t watch them because yes, commercials. And two, the chop the movie up to make it fit into two hours, commercials included. So they take out significant parts of the movie. If it’s something like Titanic of Lord of the Rings, they make an “event” out of it split the movie into two nights.
I still remember back in the days before video became big where showing a movie on TV, any movie, was a big deal. I’d watch anything. Now it’s DVD.
I never watch movies on tv anymore.
1.Quality is not as good as DVD.
2.You can’t pause it if you want to whizz.
3.Commericals(I remember they took a 30min one for the news one time)
4.You HAVE you watch at a certain time that might not suite me.
Over in the UK we have Sky TV which is the most popular subscription TV service, I subscribe to sky movies, and I watch about 2 movies a week on it usually the premieres (new movies, just removed from PPV) on terrestrial TV (the free channels) I rarely if ever watch movies on them, maybe I’ll stick a van damme film or arny flick on for 10mins while channel surfing, but I’ll never see and advertisement for a film and think, I’m gona watch that.
Films on TV used to be a big deal, the latest and greatest advertised and shown as big events, you dont see that anymore.
Besides I’d much rather watch on DVD or blu-ray now, for the better quality in features, picture and sound.