Building a Theater for the Ear-Muffed Generation

I was a sheltered youth.

My parental units held firmly to certain, ‘age-appropriate’ censorship of television and movies. I grew to despise the TV-MA page, which was always swiftly followed by a change of the channel. It was a grand feat when I, at a mere 12 years old, convinced my parents to let me watch Jurassic Park (PG-13).

And while I had my ways of experiencing this contraband elsewhere, I missed a lot of quality cinema.

In some ways, the damage has been done. I’ve had more than my fair share of awkward Halloween interactions, staring quizzically into the eyes of an exuberant costumed guest.

Please, do not quote the film. I have no idea what the hell you’re talking about.

Reel Late is not about vindicating my pre-teen self, a kid uselessly watching MTV on mute with my parents within earshot. It’s not even about the Halloween parties.

This is about having a community to share first impressions of timeless classics, and being able to connect with others who are just as pathetic as me.

It’s about having the conversations I missed out on. And how great would it be for us to have a place to get excited about really great, old movies again? What if it were possible to watch these classics and come away not only with fresh new opinions of them, but build a community to engage in this dialogue, perhaps for the very first time?

The films out at the box office or Netflix shouldn’t be what dictates these conversations, yet they almost exclusively do. Maybe it’s time for the spotlight to shine in a new direction.

Surprising actor cameos will be highlighted, terrible graphics will be ridiculed, and holes in the plot will surely be discussed.

We’ll always give you a heads up for the next movie on the watchlist, and I encourage you all to watch along and share the details of your magical journey with us.

With Open Ears,
Rebecca

Originally published at medium.com on December 15, 2015.