The following is sort of, a rant, but I really dont feel it to be pitworthy, more of me sharing and you all reciprocating, and hopefully telling me stories of your own. This is what I like.
I watch movies at home. Lots of them. Sometimes I watch them with people, sometimes alone. In either case, I like to do one thing when watching a movie; I like to watch the movie.
Sometimes people watching with me miss something integral to the plot, and want to ask me about it. This I dont mind. You missed it, not your fault, no problem. What really, REALLY bugs me is people who dont feel like watching the movie, and yet come by every so often and ask me what’s going on while I’m trying to watch it. Look, if you want to ask me what it’s about, no problem, but for land’s sake, do it when I’m not in the middle of watching the movie! And if you want that badly to know what’s going on, and you need to know what’s going on as it happens, watch it with me! Dont stand there and ASK me who that guy is or what that guy’s doing as it’s happening. I cant explain it all in the second long pauses in the intense conversation that’s going on, and if I try I’ll miss something else, and hey, look at me, I’m actually watching the movie!
Dont even get me started on people who try to hold conversations with me while I’m watching. If it’s that important, I’ll stop the movie and watch later. It’s not that important? Okay, fine, leave it till the movie’s done! Dont try and talk to me about it while I’m watching. I’ll be happy to stop it, really I will. There are only the two options open to you. PICK ONE.
Looking back on it, it seems rather pitworthy, I suppose. But it’s not enraging, merely a large annoyance of mine.
I know exactly what your talking about. I’m very serious about my movie watching. Some people just don’t get it.
More of my movie pet peeves:
People who can’t sit still for an entire movie. If you are going to come and go every few minutes, why the hell are you watching it in the first place?
People who talk during a movie at the theater. Not only that but people who make noises. For instance, when I saw Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon this guy behind me would grunt or groan after each plot point. And HE WAS ALONE!!! SHUT UP!
People who are late at the theater. Not like a few minutes late but like 15 or 20 minutes late. Why did you even come?
Another one, somebody drops by your place, stays a couple hours, then you decide to put a movie on. AT that point, they suddenly remember a semi-important topic that they wanted to talk to you about. Why didn’t they bring it up before ? Didn’t they see you put a movie in ? And IF you decide to stop the movie to discuss the point, it loses all its previous urgency. They are also the same people who try to have a conversation with you when you watch a movie and get indignant when you are not giving them the level of attention that THEY think THEY deserve.
Alright… I have one. I feel very guilty about it. Most of the people who watch movies with me are my family - my wife now, who has taken over from my sister. These people, bless their hearts, are well aware of how seriously I take movies (or comedy, which is my big love) and watch them out of kindness to me. Okay? So what bugs me is that whenever something funny happens, they turn to observe my expression. They want to enjoy me enjoying the movie. And the only polite response is for me to turn and smile at them, but I don’t, of course, I stare fixedly at the screen. Because somehow to look at them would mean admitting it’s just a movie, and THEN where would we be?
It is wrong and bad and I apologise.
Really, we should all just hang out with our Trekkie buddies. Truly male friendships are those where as few words as possible are exchanged.
I was really intrigued when CastAway came out and I heard about the nearly one-hour stretch with almost no dialogue. I wanted to see if Hanks and Zemekis had the chops to pull that off, plus it was obviously important to capturing the experience of being stranded alone. I didn’t think about the theatre full of babbling idiots who think the world will come to a grinding halt if it goes two minutes without their inane input.
I second all of your objections so far, but what I really hate is when you’re watching a movie with someone, and you’ve seen it before and they haven’t. For some reason, many of these people feel compelled to ask questions about the movie, especially at the beginning. My answer is always the same, “You’ll see,” but that never seems to satisfy them. They apparently want me to ruin the movie for them.
There is also the reverse of that. When you’re seeing a movie for the first time with someone who has already seen it and they feel the need to explain everything to you as it goes along. “You see, that’s the same guy from the beginning…did you catch that?” or “Oh watch this…this part coming up is really good.” or “Okay, you really gotta pay attention to this part…” Just let me watch the stupid movie.
I hate when I’m watching a movie at home, and my mom gets on the phone in the kitchen, and talks really really loudly. Or Sara will go in her room and turn on her stereo. Or someone tries to have a conversation with me. I’M TRYING TO WATCH THE DAMN MOVIE!!!
I don’t take movies really seriously, but I like watching them without distractions or interruptions.
At people’s homes, watching with talkers is very, very annoying. And I don’t mean people that comment on funny things in movies (laughing while repeating a drop-dead funny line), but people who chat all the way through. And then they ask you to explain what’s going on after 20 minutes of their blabbing. Blah.
Theater talking is just as annoying, if not moreso. I went to see Shadow of the Vampire last week. There’s this great music at the beginning that really sets the mood for the film. These two girls directly in front of me made little jokes about every name in the opening credits. Again, a comment here and there at things in a film I don’t mind, but going on for any length of time isn’t cool at all. Luckily, for them as well as me, they stopped.