Two Observations About Movies

So I wanted to see Rambo. I will admit it, I wanted to see Rambo. Never got around to it.

Also wanted to see In the Name of the King. Never got around to that one either.

And it occurred to me that it is becoming an increasingly rare instance that I go see a movie and would surmise the same of Gen X men. The reason being two fold and thus I tender my theories for commentary;

1. Gen X has no "manly man" heroes in the cinema. The Baby Boomers had Schwartzenegger, Sly Stallone, Charles Bronson, Bruce Willis.

What have we got?

Carrot Top and Adam Sandler.

Even "our" heroes of today are aging boomer heroes;

John McClane
Rambo
The Terminator

The closest thing we have to a "he-man" hero is Jason Bourne and you don't see him carrying heavy machine guns around. I'll grant Jason Statham some credit as well, but again, he hasn't achieved the cult status of his boomer predecessors.

So aside from "Live Free or Die Hard" or "Rambo" there really isn't a lot of movies compelling me and my Gen-X male colleagues to go sit through a movie.

2. That whole "sit through the movie" thing. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to drive to a megaplex in a mall, spend hours looking for parking, only to fork over $9 for something I can inevitably get on Netflix or buy from Wal-Mart for much cheaper and watch on a big screen TV or LCD projector.

Additionally it is in the comfort AND SILENCE of my own home. No little kids with their mothers trying and failing to discipline them. Nobody talking in the theater. Just me, my martini bar, my humidor and maybe the occasional female lieutenant of capitalism.

Regardless, I sense a trend. With home theater entertainment having the technical capacity to outdo a movie theater (because you are sitting that much closer to the screen) not to mention Gen-X men are aging and we no longer have the testosterone to go out all the time and are finding the comforts of home, comforting, you are going to see less and less of them going out to the movies.