Movie watching: USA vs. China

Certainly a far cry from a movie buff, I am a big fan of watching movies. Among the numerous unfulfilled goals in my life is to watch all of the AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list as well as every movie that has won Best Picture. I am doing okay on those goals, with about ten left on the AFI list and am halfway through the Best Picture winners. China is a great place to achieve this goal, if only requiring a slip of morality. Back home, the public library is infinitely better than Blockbuster because it's free and you can keep the movies for two weeks, and they generally carry movies like How Green Was My Valley that are probably in the Blockbuster dumpster. China, by contrast, has the new releases, old, and random films all in one, convenient place: any of the various DVD/CD shops that sell pirated copies of movies. Generally, they do pretty good business. The DVDs cost 10 yuan ($1.46) and come with their own plastic sleeve and cardboard case and insert (in case, apparently, you had actual, blank DVD cases waiting at home). I have been able to return or exchange any DVD that doesn't work, or has the wrong audio or subtitles; this happens about one out every 10 DVDs. Their selection is expansive and impressive. Additionally, if you give them a title, they can get it for you within a week or so (mysteriously, they seem unable to find It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). I have been peppering in some Chinese/Hong Kong movies (to be fair to 真真) with my normal fare, which has been another great way to learn about China.

Albeit, my students think I am crazy to do this, because they just watch movies on their laptops. Movies which they get for free from the innumerable Chinese download sites, including some movies provided by the school. These movies are just as illegal as the pirated versions I buy from the DVD shop, but something about going and giving someone money makes it seem more legitimate to me. It's not. It's all piracy, but then again, this is China I'm living in.

Way back when I was in college, there were generally two options for watching movies. Occasionally, for a documentary or something for class, I would go to the library or Blockbuster to get the movie, and then watch it on my TV, while laying on the couch in my dorm room or apartment. But, more often than not I would get together with a group of friends, drive out to the theater (often the $1 theater), get popcorn, Mike&Ikes, pop, and catch the movie. Usually, we would stop somewhere like Freckles or Braum's to get some treats on the way home.

Contrarily, on a Friday night the normal Chinese student will start the download in the afternoon before going to dinner. After dinner he may play some basketball, or chat on QQ, or play video games while waiting for the movie(s) to download. He may go and grab a snack, like spicy chicken claws or spicy tofu strips and then head back to his dorm. The mosquito net will need to tied closed in the summer, or in the winter, he'll be sure to throw on his extra comforter- as his room isn't heated. He'll then put his laptop (or one borrowed from a richer roommate) on top of his bed tray and watch the movie. Some students talk about watching two or three movies back to back on a weekend night. From what I have garnered through various conversations, students almost always watch movies alone. There's no group laughter, no chats afterward about interesting plot items, no incessantly repeating catchphrases with friends for the rest of the night. I can't say that watching a movie alone is bad, I do it all the time. I just think that watching a movie, in bed, on your laptop, isolated in your mosquito net on a Friday night is a great example of college life in China-and provides a great contrast to my time in school.