The Threatening of the Theater Experience

A terrible tragedy happened in Aurora, CO during the midnight showing of the remaining film in the Dark Knight trilogy – The Dark Knight Rises.  A masked gunman interrupted the showing and riddled the audience with gunfire – killing some and maiming many.  Our thoughts and hearts go out to those that are affected by this incident.  We will not give that man credence by naming him nor by reliving his unspeakable acts in insurmountable detail.  We don’t care why he did it and he does not deserve any further attention such as he is currently getting, only the families / friends of those affected do.   This short note is not for that.  This note is for the overreaction and rampant paranoia now hitting the internet and water coolers across America.

What we will do is tell you why we started this podcast to begin with.  All four of us love movies.  Some love to go to a baseball or football game and soak in the sweat to relieve their stress.  Some prefer to go to a bar and hang out with friends.  We love to go to the movies, take 2 hours out of our day, pay inordinate amounts of money – just to sit back and be swept away into whatever world we are there to see. For most of us here at the show, the theater experience is our favorite thing to do and has been since as far back as we can remember.  Many of you that listen feel the same way and that is what this note is for.

Since this even happened, every nut with a microphone has come out with every personal agenda they’ve ever known – gun control; violence in films; midnight showings (some of the most fun viewings you can go to) need to be banned; raise security in theaters; and I am sure someone, somewhere, has already started something to effectively limit even further who can see what and when.  This is the problem.  America has simply gone too far, time and time again.  A tragic incident happens and suddenly we need to change everything we have done for 100 years to make everyone FEEL safer.  Politicians, lobbyists, and other groups are using this event, this tragedy, to further their personal agendas – whatever they may be.

This was isolated.  Plain & simple.  This was the work of a crazed lunatic, not a factor of anything theater owners have done.  No more than the Beatles caused Manson to do what he did, theater owners nor The Dark Knight Rises crew have any fault in this so please don’t hold them accountable.  We went to midnight showings of TDKR and we all had a great time, people were there to have fun and it saddens us that for those in CO, their experience was shattered in this horrendous way.  If you were planning on seeing a film this weekend, see it.  Whatever it was.  So many businesses have suffered in the U.S. for the last decade, and believe it or not theaters have quite a bit already as well.  Keep them humming, keep them full.  Most of all, do not allow some random psycho the ability to influence and affect our lives any more than they already are.  The more things we overreact to, the more things that we love will mold into something we don’t.

So whatever your stance on this incident is, whatever about it bothers you, do not hold theaters accountable and allow a great American pastime altered due to fear and paranoia.  Feel for those affected, and this includes theater owners across America.  From the shiny corporate ones to the mom & pop small town ones – this incident is threatening that experience.   We need not let that happen.

Go see your movie, whatever it is. See your movie with your family or those closest to you.  See it and remember why we choose to escape this way.  Remember why we love the huge screen, the booming sound, stadium seating and overpriced Gummy Bears.  We are not going to let some random idiot dictate our new course in movie-going enjoyment – are you?

Aaron

The Hollywood Outsider