Well, what do you know? Paranormal Activity is going to make it here in the Philippines after all. I would like to thank those who took the time to demand this film and promote it themselves. Now, with that taken care of, I would like to make some few points on how to watch a film of this hype.
Paranormal Activity now in the Philippines
I thought the “demanding” part was the hardest to get by, turns out that was the least of my problems as a number of people have either texted me or come up to me and complained that Paranormal Activity was a disappointment. As a semi-anti-social person who watches movies by himself and considers it his definitive moment of peace and entertainment, I get why these certain people felt the way that they did.
The all-access, presumably-illegal luxury of Torrent is technology’s most popular tool for the drool-while-you-wait art of downloading. And if you have a rabid combination of curiosity and love for movies, then I’m guessing that you already know that Paranormal Activity is just a click away from possessing the movie right under your roof.
Now, I do not have any problems with laptops and PC’s. Without it, there would be no Youtube, Google and Facebook but most importantly, Plants vs. Zombies would go missing from my life, but when people use it as the medium for movie watching, then I feel a deep and sweaty sorrow because I know, in the bottom of my gut that I dearly named Joban, that people are missing the point.
Everyone who has complained to me that Paranormal Activity was nothing special has all one thing in common- they all watched through a laptop or a PC. Believe me, I’ve tried to do this, and I failed joyously. The act of watching a film through a laptop was a personal nightmare. Slouching towards the screen, trying to understand each line, attempting to enjoy the visuals is what I would define as a teen-life crisis.
I once recommended a great horror movie to a friend. He watched it with friends (on a laptop), and told me that it was just “okay”. ‘Okay?” How can a rational person make a rational judgment of a film if he spends more time trying to tip-toe his way on a good view rather than enjoy the film itself? Do whatever you want to do with your laptop- type on it, edit videos with it, eat with it, sleep with it, heck, even use it as something to hit a thief with, but never, and I mean never, use it to watch a film.
As my favorite critic, Roger Ebert, confidently states, movies are meant to be experienced in the comfort of a cinema. Because in a cinema, the movie is the main attraction. All seats are arranged directly to its attention. Lights are turned off solely to enhance its beauty. Screens are widened to enlarge the visuals. Speakers are improved to increase its impact.
The movie house is the Disneyland of moviegoers
A movie theatre for me is a kid’s view of Disney Land.
I never get tired of it. Other’s go to the movie house to spend time with their girlfriend. I watch movies alone because the movie house IS my girlfriend! (If you happened to be my crush, and you are reading this, the sentence beforehand is just an exaggerated pun. I am still single.)
I’m not saying that you are guaranteed a masterpiece if you watch Paranormal Activity in the theatre, it may still suck. What I am saying is that it may suck a lot less for you if you watch it in the theatre rather than through a laptop.
The ratings of Paranormal Activity in the States have lowered since it has gained popularity and got a wide release. This is because when people entered the cinema when the movie was still “unknown”, they didn’t had an ounce of expectation, so they went out of the cinema with a surprise. After word got out, people came in with a giant expectation and an increased standard- leaving a lot of the audience hugely disappointed that they didn’t get what they expected. Here’s the thing: Your imagination will always exceed the product.
Paranormal Activity will be released soon here in the Philippines, and I am trying my best to see it as just another horror movie rather than the biggest success of the year in terms of budget-to-gross ratio. I apologize if my post was too long, but I wanted my point to be IMAX clear. But to sum it up, here it is: Say NO to laptops, OORAH to the movie house, and don’t expect a masterpiece. Ninja out.
