One day, someone will write a beautiful thesis exploring the history of Movie Theatre Irritation - were people more well-behaved in public places in some long-forgotten Golden Age, or was it always as bad as it is now? And then there are the social implications. If a large percentage of the population can’t even understand how to behave sociably in a movie theatre, what hope is there for us?
The description of a special chain of SDMB movie theatres reads like something out of heaven. I’m very, very lucky because I work for myself from home, so I can very carefully choose to see the movies I want at times and places when there are probably going to be very few irritatants present.
I’d just like to mention one positive note. I don’t know about anywhere else, but here in the UK there was a big trend about 10 years ago for allocated seating. You would go to buy your ticket, and a sign at the window offered the ridiculous notion that “the computer will select the next best available seat for you”. This really annoyed the hell out of me. Then it kind of died off, and more and more cinemas (as we call them over here) went back to simply offering you a choice or leaving the seats unallocated.
These days, if it’s a big hit movie and they expect to sell out, they usually try the old ‘allocated seating’ ruse - and why not? - they want to maximise profits and get as many people in as possible - but will listen to sense and special pleading. But most other showings are unallocated, and the sad old line about some crappy computer being able to read my mind and tell me where I want to sit is seldom encountered. This is a good thing.
What it is is, standards have changed. I’ve heard and read that in the days BT (Before Television), the movie-going experience was a whole nother animal.
One source which is to some degree apocryphal, but rich in detail, is a chapter from IN GOD WE TRUST—All Others Pay Cash, by the late Jean Shepherd, titled “Leopold Doppler and the Great Orpheum Gravy Boat Riot.” According to this, there were no adults at the kiddie matinees, and they were essentially bedlam. There were ushers, but they only intervened when kids started throwing things or fighting.
In the evenings, kids were sometimes accompanied by adults, with the admonition to keep their lips firmly zipped. But the adults were boisterous in their own way, with all the live, interactive activities: Screeno (Bingo); Bank Night (lottery drawing); Amateur Night (!); Sing-Along Night; and Free-Whatever-With-Ticket.
I wonder how the crowd at Burbank AMC would react when told to “Follow the bouncing ball and sing along!”.
I was a bit irritated when I went to AOTC again last night. Behind and to the left of me there were a couple of young women who were quite rude.
During commercials: Loud talking and laughing (“Well, maybe it’s just for this.”)
During previews: Loud talking (“Uh, this better stop when the movie starts.”)
During 20th Century Fox logo and theme: One of the girl SINGS ALONG with the theme. Dun dun! Dun dun! Dunnnnnn dun dun! (“Uh, is this girl on crack?”)
During the usual Star Wars written intro: Same girl reads the thing aloud. (I glance over my shoulder at her, hoping she’ll get the idea that I can HEAR HER.)
During the first 5 minutes of the film: Loud conversation about everything that occurs, much more so than I would even consider during a home viewing. Every two seconds, for every tiny thing, they must comment and discuss – and loudly.
Finally, I look over my shoulder and glare. They finally drop back to whispering, which is still irritating as it goes on during the quiet parts of the movie, but they seem to get mostly tired of it and shush after a while.
Now, I can see for AOTC that people are going to respond. That’s fine, and I enjoy that. However, a loud conversation and sound effects provided by you are not part of ‘audience fun’. Usually people out here in Iowa are a tad less rude, but every once in awhile…