Arggh me hearties. (In my best pirate voice).
Friday, October 16, 2009 by northin
I find myself in a dire situation. Contemplating my choices for a Friday night viewing schedule, I notice a distinct lack in quality, a common sight for most television stations in New Zealand. Between the usual suspects of Rove (who by all accounts offers nothing but culturally imperialistic, American-style hogwash) I contemplate my choices and can’t help feeling distraught. On a whim, I decide to go on to the internet and have a poke around to see if I can muster anything with a soul, something provoking, something enjoyable and something that I can really enjoy. I end up a surfthechannel.com, which unless you have been living underneath a rock for the last year or so, offers links to pretty much anything that you desire - television shows, movies, pretty much anything that you desire. A quick search finds me settling in with a decent movie, Bruce La Bruces’ ‘The Raspberry Reich.'
This annoys me. I find myself in two minds, contemplating the nature of piracy and the affect that has on me as a viewer and the greater affect that it has on the film industry. I feel slightly guilty in the fact that I am enjoying a great art house movie, which presumably was produced on a limited budget, shown to a limited audience and properly not making much money in the process. I find that watching the drool that we are offered during regular hours of television completely mind numbing, yet the only chance of watching a great original movie is at the ‘Art House’ cinemas, or forced to reckon with the uncomfortable chairs in the audio visual library or waiting for the annual International Film Festival to arrive, in the hopes of finding an indie gem. Where does the blame lame? And should I feel guilty? Perhaps I should contemplate watching Rove, atleast knowing that by not watching art house cinema illegally, I possibly be able to catch a gem at the next film festival. Maybe.
NB: I stopped watching the movie and went to the AV Library the next week. I endured Rove for a few more minutes and was then saved by John Stewart. I find that C4 and Maori TV do offer some interesting shows from time to time. Keep an eye out.