Digital Video Recorders (a.k.a. TiVo) are, in my opinion, the greatest invention since the Thermos Bottle. For those who are unfamiliar with these devices, just understand that they seek out and record your favorite television shows and allow you to watch them anytime… and skip the commercials.
I’ve found that I can literally watch three hours of regular television in two hours time! Plus, I can begin watching my favorite shows whenever I want to watch them instead of whatever time is dictated by network executives. The ads that run for TiVo say things like “this little box changed my life!” They’re not kidding.
They do even more than just record the shows. They actually keep a record of what you watch and then find suggestions of shows that you might like, records them for you, and then lets you know what it found. It can also further modify your viewing patterns.
So I was pleasantly surprised this weekend when my DVR box picked up the movie The Village by M. Night Shymalan. If you have not seen this movie, stop reading right now and don’t read on until you rent it and watch the movie.
My wife and I saw this movie in the theatre and loved it, but it had been several years. We both looked forward to watching this movie again.
We figured that, since we knew the end of the movie, that it would be a completely different viewing experience. We were right, but we tremendously underestimated just how different it would be.
It was a very enjoyable and happy movie to watch—the horror, the fear, the anticipation that came through the movie the first time we watched it was completely washed away. We were left with truly appreciating the fear of the characters but knowing that there were no monsters in red robes. If you haven’t seen this movie a second time, I strongly encourage you to do so.
The Village was not the first movie where I experienced such phenomena, but it certainly was the one with the most impact. I have been to many other movies and then watched them again for a different experience. Try this sometime: sneak in to a theatre and watch the last 10 minutes of a movie, then watch the whole show from start to finish! You might not know all the details of what is going to happen, but with certainty of the end results the experience is totally different.
So here’s the point, and I plan to make it several times through this essay: Because I had seen the end of the movie, there was no fear in the middle.
That’s not to say that bad things don’t happen in the middle of the movie—sure they do, but I know that they will be resolved. Somehow, that makes the “bad” in the middle of the movie a lot more bearable.
Someone once told me that I always seem so calm. Well, the secret is that I'm not alsways calm... but I am calmer than most people are--especially in more recent years. I'm calmer because I have seen the end of the movie. I have read the book of Revelation.
Guess what--we win!
I’ve found that I can literally watch three hours of regular television in two hours time! Plus, I can begin watching my favorite shows whenever I want to watch them instead of whatever time is dictated by network executives. The ads that run for TiVo say things like “this little box changed my life!” They’re not kidding.
They do even more than just record the shows. They actually keep a record of what you watch and then find suggestions of shows that you might like, records them for you, and then lets you know what it found. It can also further modify your viewing patterns.
So I was pleasantly surprised this weekend when my DVR box picked up the movie The Village by M. Night Shymalan. If you have not seen this movie, stop reading right now and don’t read on until you rent it and watch the movie.
My wife and I saw this movie in the theatre and loved it, but it had been several years. We both looked forward to watching this movie again.
We figured that, since we knew the end of the movie, that it would be a completely different viewing experience. We were right, but we tremendously underestimated just how different it would be.
It was a very enjoyable and happy movie to watch—the horror, the fear, the anticipation that came through the movie the first time we watched it was completely washed away. We were left with truly appreciating the fear of the characters but knowing that there were no monsters in red robes. If you haven’t seen this movie a second time, I strongly encourage you to do so.
The Village was not the first movie where I experienced such phenomena, but it certainly was the one with the most impact. I have been to many other movies and then watched them again for a different experience. Try this sometime: sneak in to a theatre and watch the last 10 minutes of a movie, then watch the whole show from start to finish! You might not know all the details of what is going to happen, but with certainty of the end results the experience is totally different.
So here’s the point, and I plan to make it several times through this essay: Because I had seen the end of the movie, there was no fear in the middle.
That’s not to say that bad things don’t happen in the middle of the movie—sure they do, but I know that they will be resolved. Somehow, that makes the “bad” in the middle of the movie a lot more bearable.
Someone once told me that I always seem so calm. Well, the secret is that I'm not alsways calm... but I am calmer than most people are--especially in more recent years. I'm calmer because I have seen the end of the movie. I have read the book of Revelation.
Guess what--we win!
Comments