( 1 ) Netflix has adapted to modern viewing habits in other ways, too. In an article for n+1, Will Tavlin writes that screenwriters are often told to make characters announce what they are doing so people who have Netflix on in the background can still follow along, leading to lines such as this from Lindsay Lohan in Irish Wish: “We spent a day together. I admit it was a beautiful day filled with dramatic vistas and romantic rain, but that doesn't give you the right to question my life choices. Tomorrow, I'm marrying Paul Kennedy.”
Word: EgérmoziThe silver screen is shrinking.
Word: EgérmoziThe silver screen is shrinking.
Etymology: Egérmozi, Hungarian, a modern slang term literally translating to “mouse cinema.” Mozi derives from mozgóképszínház, an archaic term for a movie theater.
Meaning: This evocative phrase refers to the act of watching films or television on your phone, a habit increasingly adopted in our content-obsessed modern world. Morning commutes and late-night gym sessions would not be complete without the sight of several bleary-eyed people squinting into phones held sideways.
The environments that engender such behavior are typically spaces of boredom. Why shouldn’t you make the time pass quicker by binge-watching episodes of the latest straight-to-streaming thriller or catching up on a movie from your watchlist? The convenience of your phone makes the decision a no-brainer, but it’s had a curious effect on the content the streaming platforms produce. Eager to meet the burgeoning demand to fill those mindless moments, companies like Netflix have sought to optimize their offerings for small screens, including exploring the possibility of editing films differently—tightening up wide-angle shots, for example—to ensure maximum impact for those watching on their phones.1
The rise of mouse cinema has co-icided with the decline of movie theaters, which are struggling to draw an active, cinema-going public and increasing their ticket prices as operating costs become untenable as a result. The sanctity of the cinema space has been rejected, but can a six-inch phone screen watched on a noisy train ever truly compare? At the release of his second Avatar film, James Cameron—a filmmaker firmly committed to big-screen action—said: “When you start looking at something on a phone, you’re sort of missing the point. Going to a movie theater is less about the size of the screen and the perfection of the sound system. It’s more about a decision to not multitask.” In the theater, he continued, “you’re making a deal between yourself and a piece of art to give it your full attention.”
