Just a speedy mid-holiday update as trip to visit family winds down, and mere hours remain before the journey home commences. Best thoughts to all who have been able to celebrate what is indeed in our hands whether they be friends, family, or both. Aside from spending time with the desert clan, much has been watched, mostly via a pair of absurdly large screens (One plasma, and the other with True HD enabled). And while I personally would never consider screens that opulent, it is a great way to explore the limits of certain works available on Blu-ray. Of the most notable I caught were Rebuild Of Evangelion 2.22 (Which looked and sounded terrific, justifying the very project's existence.), as well as The Mist, and the recently released Evil Dead II. Again, as nice as it was to experience with such grandeur, I'm not sure I would ever go this far for my movies. There is still a part of me who prefers the theatre experience, and home is home.
Regardless, being able to be in a house where in one room, Kiki's Delivery Service is playing while Lupin III: Castle Of Cagliostro is playing in another, feels like a massive paradigm has shifted. Not only with family, but with media in general. And that's pretty exciting, despite the new challenges that seem to crop up with each new technological growth spurt. My only hope is that ease of access doesn't cheapen this love of art and story to the point where everything is mere distraction, incapable of inspiring thought or discussion. Those who are familiar with this site know full well where these concerns stem from, and as access tinkers with value, the challenge becomes ever greater to have some kind of determined amount of impact. And while it took many years to finally reach a point where Miyazaki films could be treated as something wholly mainstream on these shores (memories of working at a major local video store, virtually forcing the sole copy of My Neighbor Totoro onto confused families swiftly come to mind.), there is always the danger of being seen as just more for the pile as entertainment overflows, and submerges our minds. Quality speaks-yes, but consumers also have limits.Much like how I can be with looking at the latest array of new shows available via Crunchyroll, or another legitimate anime streaming site, it becomes something of a blurring point, making writing off to become one of the more accessible options.
That said, it's exciting to witness this latest toy era, but I often question the cost. And as the family and friends section of the weekend becomes hijacked into yet another celebration of a culture's fascination with the material (yet endlessly ephemeral), it is at least good to know that not everyone has let their monitors speak for them, and allowed their thoughts and words come across. If the culture of the real remains the focus, and the audio-visual end continues to work as an extension of it, bringing out new ideas and debate, perhaps we're all the better for it.
And speaking of discourse...
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