Liked the movie-- hated going to see it...

[BiggusGeekus]

My wife and I have pretty much stopped going to the movies. When we go out we'll just have a nice dinner and some drinks and talk.

The last movie I saw in the theater was Serenity. No problems there. Before that it was Revenge of the Sith and I took great care in selecting a seat that was kind of on the end of a triangle/raised-platform so I got the single-seat "row" to myself.

I had bad luck with Lord of the Rings movies though. In Fellowship some LotR nerd kept telling his girfriend irrelivent trivia ("hobbits love mushrooms") so when something would happen, she'd miss it and have to ask him what was going on. When we saw Two Towers, some family brought their two year old kid with them. Hey, I have a kid myself, but I don't pretend every single place in the world is kid friendly and a violent movie is not one of those places!

Sorry, Hollywood. It's DvD for me.

 

[sniffles]

They could not eat!

I've never understood why people sit in the cinema filling their faces, when (at my local cinema at least), there are four perfectly good restaurants within 200 yd where you could get much better food and drink (and for less money).


glass.

I don't know if cinema food prices are as bad in the UK as they are in the US (sounds like they are), but I never eat at the movies unless I'm too pressed for time to go anywhere else. It's bad enough to have to pay $10 - $12 for the tickets, without having to shell out another $15 for a bin of popcorn and a beverage! I don't know how people with kids can afford to take the family to the theatre.

I agree with jester47 about the ushers. Nowadays they just have some people to sell tickets, run the concession stand, and clean the theatre. No one checks on the theatres during the films. And if you do complain they're often afraid to do anything. Everyone is so afraid of everyone else!

I miss the days when movies had an intermission and a cartoon, too. (Yeah, I'm old)

 

[Tolen Mar]

(Incidentally, I have a mobile phone. The only times I switch it off are when I'm in a public performance or when I'm in an area instructing me to do so. But I'm also quite happy to reject an incoming call, if it isn't convenient.)

God, if only more people would be like that!

I'm one of those people who beleive that phones + cars = messy statistics, and my best friend answers that blasted phone every time it rings: when he's at work (with a no-phones policy no less), when he's painting the house (on top of the bloody ladder no less!), and when he's tooling down the highway at 70+!

I swear I have no idea how that boy hasn't had a serious accident...

As far as the theater goes, I don't get to go very often. As a result, I really hate it when my enjoyment is interrupted (made all the worse by the prices these days). My patience is pretty thin these days, so if you are near me, andw e end up in the same theater, expect me to say something to someone. I used to work at the local theater, so I know most of the management crew. Kinda nice knowing I can get someone thrown out if I feel like it.

 

[Bryon_Soulweaver]

edit: what is wrong with screaming "shut the up!" at the morons who talk on the cell phone during a film?

That I'm aware of, nothing at all. I did it last week and almost got into a fight with the guy until he found out I was sitting with a 6'4, 260 pound friend built like a tank.

 

[The Thayan Menace]

Yes! (x2)

So what's the deal? Are people just getting more stupid, or am I just getting too old?

Probably a little bit of both; such is life.

-Samir

 

[delericho]

I don't know if cinema food prices are as bad in the UK as they are in the US (sounds like they are),

Yeah, they're probably about equally bad (based on the 1 instance of my visiting a US cinema ). The ticket prices seem to be a bit less, though. That said, the ticket prices also seem to be going up rapidly over here. Given that DVD releases are becoming quicker and the home viewing experience is getting better all the time, it shouldn't be any surprise that cinema attendances are dropping so rapidly. Somehow, though, news reporters do seem constantly amazed by that

but I never eat at the movies unless I'm too pressed for time to go anywhere else. It's bad enough to have to pay $10 - $12 for the tickets, without having to shell out another $15 for a bin of popcorn and a beverage! I don't know how people with kids can afford to take the family to the theatre.

Well, relative to other events it probably remains a fairly cheap night. That's changing, but I'm not sure it's there yet. How much does the average sporting event cost over there?

I agree with jester47 about the ushers. Nowadays they just have some people to sell tickets, run the concession stand, and clean the theatre. No one checks on the theatres during the films. And if you do complain they're often afraid to do anything. Everyone is so afraid of everyone else!

Customer service generally now favours the people most willing to make noise and complain about the things that bother them, often ignoring the merits of the case in question. Unfortunately, the people most willing to make noise are also, almost by definition, the same jerks who see nothing wrong with talking during the film.

 

[Panthanas]

I have noticed that etiquette has slowly degraded. It hasn't been too bad in my experience but I have seen a few mildly annoying people. My biggest pet peeve is when people bring their 2 year old to a 10:00 or 11:00 PM showing.

I have 2 young children myself. First, I don't think they would sit still for the entire movie so I wouldn't bring them and second...they're in bed at 10:00 at night! If I cannot find a baby sitter to watch tv and listen to the baby monitor, I don't go to the movie!

On another note, which I found rather humorous...(it goes along with what bodhi said):

The one I wanted to kick out was the middle-aged woman sitting nearby with her...husband? boyfriend? day-trip chaperone?

During the movie, she'd pipe up with insightful tidbits like "He's a lion!"

This was a while ago at a showing of LotR: The Fellowship of the Ring.

My fiancée and I were watching and this lady and her date were 2 seats down and 1 row in front of us. The lady made a comment or two during the movie, which was a bit annoying but she was trying to be quiet (she seemed to be attempting to whisper, albeit loudly), so it didn't bother me too much.

Anyway, in the scene where Bilbo gives up the ring to Gandalf in Bag End, and Bilbo says he is going on a journey, the camera pans out for a full shot of Bilbo, to which the lady asks her date, "Where are his shoes?"

 

[Felix]

is it just an inner-city ethnic thing?

P.S. to WmRAllen67: It isn't an ethnic thing.

No, it's not an ethnic thing.

But it is a culture thing. Some folks don't mind the talking in theaters, and some do. Where it becomes confusing is that while a culture don't include the exact same population as the ethnicities it came from, there is a correlation.

That being said, in my experience talking in theaters is more of an inner-city culture thing than elsewhere, and when I've been in a theater where it was common (not just one guy being rude, but many people for the duration) it has been in a city. This experience has been shared by everyone I've ever talked to.

 

[Sidekick]

Customer Service? Heh gimme a break. I live in London.

Actualy Customer service, such as greeting, speaking, acknowledging - that doesn't exist here (the rest of England is much better trust me, just london is p00).

Hekck the other day some staff member actualy got out of my way. I didn't know what to do! In the 18months I've been here they've got me trained to get out of their way!

Oh - went a saw X-Men:3 the other day. Thankfully three were no annoying people - except for one REALLY fat kid just in front - he couldn't sit still. I blame the sugar and excess food colourings.

 

[Chainsaw Mage]

My experiences in Singapore are much the same as what you have mentioned here.

Despite all of the government "courtesy campaigns" (I am not kidding you), cinema audiences here are profoundly ill-mannered and ignorant. Cellphones (aka handphones) and talking during the movie are de rigeur.

Of course, this is also a country where the best place for a cyclist to avoid pedestrians is on the pedestrian-only path that runs parallel two metres away from the bike path so let's just say that Great Leader and Dear Leader still have some work to do when it comes to inculcating good manners and common sense....

Dear Leader? Great Leader? Isn't that North Korea? Or does Singapore have a Dear Leader/Great Leader combo as well?