Comments on: Friday movie roundup - April 20

By: David Manning

David Manning — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 00:29:56 +0000

Thank you, SpellChecker! (Although to be honest, I learned just that about three seconds after I posted my comment above–oops!)

By: SpellChecker

SpellChecker — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:02:40 +0000

The plural of “vomitorium” is “vomitoria,” or if you want to be especially arcane, “vomitoriae.”

By: Cafe_Au_Lait

Cafe_Au_Lait — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 15:52:23 +0000

Here’s one more addition to the annoying movie experience: At the last movie I went to, there was a couple sitting right in front of me that actually started making out halfway through the movie. They were practically in each other’s shorts before they noticed there were people staring at them from about six inches away. Who knew Blades of Glory had such aphrodisiacal qualities?
Anyways, they stopped, and then the guy lit up his Blackberry. And then the twenty-something girls in the front row started gossiping at the top of their lungs about nothing that was worth making the entire audience listen to, and letting off really shrill laughs, to boot. So, yeah, BeeDub has a good point when she says it’s other movie-goers that are keeping movie-goers from movie-going.

By: BeeDub

BeeDub — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 02:59:51 +0000

Sorry, Jeff. It was just that time of the month for me.

By: David Manning

David Manning — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 01:28:20 +0000

Weird. At one of the theatres near my house, cell phones’ recpetions are blocked in the lobby and hallways, but NOT in the showrooms or vomitoriums (I include “vomitorium” because it is an awesome word).

And, yes, I hate the “please move down because I decided to come to the movie when it’s half over” people, too.

Joe: I couldn’t agree more; that was funny.

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:52:44 +0000

“I canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t imagine movie theaters going to such lengths, or movie distributors agreeing to something that would discourage people from seeing their movies.”

They show Uwe Boll’s movies.

By: Jeff J. Snider tha

Jeff J. Snider tha — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 23:34:06 +0000

I agree that enforcing the rules is a good idea. I also think anyone who is so easily distracted that they can’t enjoy a movie being projected on a 100-foot screen with sound blasted at 100 decibels because someone three rows away is using a two-inch screen with a tiny clicking noise … well, they have bigger problems in their lives, not the least of which is a major case of movie snobbery. Is it annoying? Sure. Would it be nice if people had the social awareness to avoid annoying the people around them? Absolutely. Should movie theaters enforce their rules? Of course. But if the problem inspires five paragraphs on a blog (not naming any names here, of course), then perhaps a bit of introspection is in order.

By: BeeDub

BeeDub — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 04:12:15 +0000

I believe the day is fast approaching where movie theaters will no longer actually show movies on their screens, but just allow people to sit in the theaters and talk on their cell phones for two hours.

Theater owners seem to be at a loss as to why moviegoers are so dissatisfied with the modern moviegoing experience. They wonder if the advent of HDTV and high-tech home theater systems is the death knoll of traditional moviegoing. I don’t think that’s the only reason, and probably not even the main one. What moviegoers seem to be resenting more than anything else is OTHER MOVIEGOERS, the ones that are talking, texting, and chatting on the phone while the movie’s playing. General moviegoing etiquette is in the toilet. Why deal with that, they ask, when I can see the same movie at home on my HDTV in a few months?

The ideal (and most obvious) solution to this, I believe, is to ENFORCE THE THEATER RULES. Hire more ushers to patrol the screenings - and to kick the offenders out. Talking on a cell phone? Out. Carrying on a loud conversation? Out. Texting? Out. Gone. No refunds. Zero tolerance. If theater owners did this, moviegoing satisfaction would improve and more people would return to the theaters, offsetting the cost of hiring more ushers.

But, of course, theater owners and managers will never actually do this; they’re too afraid of the kicked-out offenders getting angry and complaining to corporate headquarters, a place usually populated by unsympathetic bean-counters. Complaints, even those lodged by obnoxious a-hole moviegoers, reflect poorly on owners and managers. Thus, they will do nothing that might cause said complaints.

And really, I don’t think that blocking cell phone signals in a theater is a terrible idea. The cell phone problem has become large enough in many theaters that blocking signals is the most practical solution - more practical than, you know, actually enforcing the rules. Some people may not like the signal blocking, may resent being “out of touch” for a couple hours, but I think it’s a sacrifice that may soon have to be made by someone wanting to see a movie in the theater.

By: Jane

Jane — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 02:02:32 +0000

BeeDub, Jeff, & Holly- Some live (plays, not movies) theaters have dealt with the issue of patrons who expect calls by having you leave your phone/pager with the house manager, with a note saying what seat you are in. If an emergency call or page comes in, the house management staff will come get you.
This service used to be mainly for doctors and people of that ilk. I imagine that in the dark days before widespread cellphone ownership, you would have had to leave the theater’s phone number with the babysitter and have them call the theater itself if there was some emergency with your kids.

By: Phil

Phil — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 15:52:58 +0000

I can’t believe I was alive at a time when there were no cell phones. How did parents ever make it? I understand that people must be accessible, but surely you can come up with two hours to see a film without annoying the other people.

But in any event, I think teenagers should be absolutely banned from having cell phones in a theater, since they don’t even have the “what if my babysitter tries to call?” excuse. I think a better solution would be to have theaters for adults only, preferably over 25. I know which theater I would be in.