Movies vs. Television: My Entertainment Dollars

As a typical resident of the United States, and not one of the upper 2% who have the vast majority of wealth, I have a limited budget for entertainment. And let's face it, there are literally hundreds of forms of recreation just begging (symbolically and literally) for my money. Some of this entertainment is not in my "moral wheelhouse", so we can discount that right off the bat. (Sorry strip clubs...you're out.) Other forms are not in my physical realm or in the realm that I consider sane, so things like bungee and BASE jumping are gone, too.

I have friends and relatives who go for rock climbing. Good for them. I'm sure it's jolly good exercise. I'll pass.

For the sake of this blog entry, I have decided to limit the fields of entertainment to two, with a surprise third entry at the end. Let's begin with the cinema or, to put it in normal language, the movies. There is a huge glut of films to choose from. Some of these are rated "R", and these fall out of my moral wheelhouse as well, so let's just eliminate those. What's left? Violence, sex, stupidity (see Hollywood Hot Tub for example), and children's films (which may also include violence, sex, and stupidity, but of a different sort). Frankly, the stuff out there right now doesn't thrill me. I have trouble laying out over $10 for something that isn't worth my time and effort to go see. Cars 2? Cute, but I can see that on DVD. I'm in no rush to go out to see it with a bunch of screaming kids. Captain America? Meh. I might see that on DVD, but it feels like another "super American soldier" kind of flick (see GI Joe). How about the new film, The Help? Chick flick, for sure. Brownie points from the wife if I go see it, but the man card goes right in the bin. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing it, but I find myself in the same boat with this one as others; I can watch it on DVD 4 months from now and be just as happy with my choice.

Let's move to television, then. Here's where I find some quality stuff that I like. Granted, there is crap out there, too. (Jersey Shore...take a bow...off a cliff) And yet, if you have read my blog before, you'll know that I sing the praises of shows like Doctor Who, Top Gear, Leverage, Eureka (r.i.p.), and Psych. Good fun, and well-written shows are worth it to me. And yet, I am paying Comcast / Xfinity / XMen / XRay about $150 per month for television and internet! I am beginning to doubt my sanity and conservative spending ways! This is why it is a choice between movies and television, and not choosing both of them. Television is no longer 3 channels plus UHF for free. It costs money - every month.

So here's the third option, and mock me if you will: video games. I know, I know...childish and wasteful of precious time. But aren't movies and television in the same category? Let' s imagine that one buys a PlayStation system for around $250. If you buy a game for $60, that seems like a lot of money. But ask yourself how many hours of play you can get for $60! You get 4 hours of bowling for the same price. 5 theater tickets run more than $60. Video games begin to seem like a bargain!

In the end, there is one final option: read a book. Some say that readers like Kindle have ruined the book industry. I disagree. If it makes reading convenient and enjoyable, so be it. Just make sure that authors get paid for their work. We can save a few trees while still getting people involved in good stories.

Just leave the Harlequin Romances alone.