This post has been inspired by two comments left on earlier posts by two friends. One on the blog itself by Shackman on my post Mystic River. I quote him – “It is an excellent film. Luckily I am not handicapped by my dislike for performers personal lives/politics so I wil see movies regardless of my dislike of them personally. I am no fan of Penn’s but the guy can act. As for Eastwood’s directorial abilities, the man tells a great story while respecting the material and the audience. I’ve been a fan since his debut Play Misty for Me.”
The other was by another friend Mahesh on my facebook wall where a link to my post on Jazbaa was given. I quote him – “You see a lot of movies I can’t keep pace with you.” And I responded – ” Mahesh, unlike you, I have no other unmanageable distractions!” Mahesh has grand children!
During my post education days, I would catch movies regularly on my so called upcountry tours as there was no other entertainment those days. This meant that I went to theaters in small towns and mostly saw Hindi films and occasionally some English reruns. While back in town, on Sunday mornings, theaters would show some English movies apart from just a handful of theaters that regularly showed a limited number of English films. Back home movie going stopped after our son was born and never really re-started as the advent of TV saw to it that once home, I would be too lazy to get dressed again and go out. Further with smuggled VCRPs being available in plenty and video tapes being loaned from libraries at ridiculously low rentals simply got me out of the habit of going to theaters. Except for some really important films, like Star Wars we did not go to watch movies.
After retirement, I should have been seeing movies regularly, but my late wife’s health and after her demise my caregiving duties for my late father prevented any further forays into movie going. During this period I also lost interest as I was more involved in reading and had even stopped watching TV. The old VCRP was junked and I never got a DVD player till providence came my way and I was given one in exchange for a favour I did for a friend about two years ago. I still did not connect the player up till about a year ago and since then I have been seeing films regularly at home via the DVD route as online buying and renting DVDs is so easy. Meanwhile, multiplexes closer to home and a footloose friend in Ramesh ensured that I started going out to theaters to watch movies as well.
I am actually catching up with a lot of movies that I had missed during the period that I was away from them and whenever I get a lead from a friend I immediately see it one way or the other. For instance, many of my recent DVD viewings have been old movies referred to by someone or the other in some context to something else. For instance, I learned from Shackman quoted in the first paragraph that Clint Eastwood has been directing films since 1971! And his reference to Play Misty For Me had me scooting to buy a DVD online. I saw it last night and was quite impressed!
There are others waiting to be seen, mostly old Hindi films that I had not seen when they were released and I do not generally review them as my readers are unlikely to be interested.
Now that I am retired and have the wherewithal to indulge, why not? And, Mahesh, I repeat, unlike you, I have no other unmanageable distractions!
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