Sunday, January 29, 2006

To the Arts Editor:

Three cheers for Steven Soderbergh ["Bubble Vision: With His New Movie, Steven Soderbergh and Co. Hope to Launch a Sweeping Change in the Way Audiences Get to See Films," Arts, Jan. 21] for pioneering the concept of "day-and-date," creating movies that are instantly available by DVD and other digital mediums. I know a demographic neglected by the Hollywood box-office industry who loves this idea: parents with small children. Before I had children, I loved going to the movie theater to catch the latest film.

However, as the mother of a toddler and an infant, I rarely go out at night anymore, and if I do, a babysitter in my area can run more than $10 an hour, assuming one is comfortable leaving a small infant with a sitter, which I am not. The last movie I saw in a theater was "Master and Commander" in 2002, and no wonder: time and expense. With time to drive to the theater, previews, the film and the ride home, baby-sitting can cost upwards of $60, and that doesn't include the price of the film or snacks -- forget about lunch or dinner, and who wants to feel rushed on a day or night out?

My husband and I use Comcast on Demand or Blockbuster to watch movies, but we still have to wait a season to see the latest releases. With all of the media coverage of new releases on television and in newspapers, it is frustrating to wait upwards of four months to see what all the buzz is about.

We recently purchased a wide-screen television to compensate for the loss of the "theater" experience, and watch more "original programming" movies, available on cable.

We've seen the revolution hit radio, with satellite radio offering the consumer the choice of being able to determine the content they want to hear when they want to hear it; it is time for the film industry to follow suit. So you fear change? Soderbergh summed it up neatly at the end of the article: "You know, people are stuck in this old way of thinking and the consumer is just going to pass them by." I already have.

KATHY SHOREMAN

Arlington

To the Arts Editor:

Steven Soderbergh's and his business partner's ["Bubble Vision," Arts, Jan. 22] defense of their decision to simultaneously release "Bubble," Soderbergh's new film, in DVD, cable and theaters rings hollow.

His partner's claim that they are only giving consumers a product "in a way they want it" glosses over their intention to grab the exhibition revenue now going to movie theaters. But, by siphoning off thousands of potential viewers who would otherwise see the film in a theater, Soderbergh and his partners would, possibly, threaten my preference for viewing his -- and other filmmakers' -- "product" on a large screen with other viewers. How long would it take before movie theaters begin closing for lack of customers? If that happens, it would mean the demise of one more setting in which Americans enjoy a shared, collective experience. As an owner of a theater chain himself, Mr. Soderbergh's partner should be all too aware of the inevitable effect of this unfortunate experiment.

STEPHEN McLAUGHLIN

Forestdale, Mass.