This Blockbuster Old

I only watch movies either at the regular cinema or at home, in my TV. Don't like watching it in the computer, or downloading some.

Being old, I'm old school. So the last time I was at Blockbuster and saw the used DVDs on sale, I grabbed three of them: Don't Mess with Zohan, Pride and Glory and Bangkok Dangerous, ($21 for 3). Blue Rays still offer a very limited selection.

Then, there's a huge mall about thirty minutes away from home, where the shops are almost 100% Chinese-owned and where I saw a store peddling Philippine movies. In this mall, you can buy 8 movies for $20. Just released movies are readily available, but of course, these are pirated.

I remember the video rentals of yesteryear, where you paid membership fees, and paid for late returns. Now, Blockbuster offers so much variation in their rental policies: one- night, two- day, one- week, three for $8.99, and so forth.

When I was watching "Don't Mess with the Zohan," the dog Spike was sleeping in front of the TV and jumped as I pumped up the volume. I like watching movies with all speakers on: Sensurround, five Bose speakers on, especially if I'm watching a Bond or the old Die Hard movies.

I love to hear the crackle of the gun, the blasting of the bombs, the explosions of cars with the clarity of a live trombone in my ear. That's the only way I enjoy my movies. But ironically, when I used to have multi-cable channels which included an XXX, I only watched the xxx's in silence.

There you go, when it comes to punishing my ears watching regular movies, I'm once again young.

But what I really miss are those Million Dollar Movies I used to watch with my father and mother on Sunday evenings (9 pm, I think). Classic movies, classic moments. Jeez, I miss a lot. Really.