As a boy, one of my favorite parts of going to the movies was the coming attractions. As I got older and movies at home became more convenient and commonplace, I learned to appreciate trailers as one of the still unique experiences about going out to a theater.
A few years ago, moviefone started sponsoring ads running before the trailers. The first one, featuring an old Russian man and a potato was laughable. Then, they became less funny. And there were ads for Pepsi and Coke. Shortly thereafter, the ads got longer, and Blockbuster joined in. Now, when I go to the movies, I don’t just get previews, I get all sorts of nonsense including NASCAR drivers peddling soft drinks and video game trailers (uh…video game trailers?!).
Is there anything not for sale anymore? It seems at every opportunity, someone is selling my time. A 30 minute TV show is only 22 minutes. A Bond film is practically one long commercial. I’ve been whining about commercials for a while now, but the thing is, ads are everywhere. And it’s pissing me off.
