# Movie watching behavior **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 6, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783 "2007-03-06T05:04:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/41 "2007-03-06T16:34:50Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] Ha! It’s on CBS! This casts doubt on your entire post. 😃 [/QUOTE] I have shamed myself and now must report to the nearest disintegration chamber, an abscure reference to the episode A Taste of Armageddon on Star Trek, an obscure science fiction series from the 60s starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/42 "2007-03-06T16:36:21Z")
[QUOTE=Iggins] I’m sorry, you had me until here. Did you mean the United States of America, or some other United States? [/QUOTE] Sorry for the confusion. What I meant was the United States of ROCK AND ROLL! WOO! ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/43 "2007-03-06T16:47:24Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] My mom talks constantly, sometimes about the plot and characters, but often about medical conditions she perceives in the actors: “She looks like she has a goiter, I wonder if she knows”. [/QUOTE] We have the same mother! My mother gets distracted by a mole and spends half the movie wondering why the actor hasn’t had it removed. She’s also a G rated Mom and it’s hard to find a movie that’s not a cartoon that she’d like. My Dad was the worst when he was older. We got him all sorts of contraptions like little speakers so he could hear better in a movie but they’d never work. He’d spend half the movie asking me what they said. Once the character said she had her vagina tightened and my dad said “what did she say?” I wanted to crawl under the seat. I said I didn’t know then she said it again and he heard her. It shut him up for the rest of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/44 "2007-03-06T16:47:28Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Sorry for the confusion. What I meant was the United States of ROCK AND ROLL! WOO! [/QUOTE] All right, fine, but this “tdn” you call yourself? What the hell’s that supposed to mean? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/45 "2007-03-06T16:52:01Z")
[QUOTE=Rube E. Tewesday] All right, fine, but this “tdn” you call yourself? What the hell’s that supposed to mean? [/QUOTE] :rolleyes: Ever heard of Google? Sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/46 "2007-03-06T17:00:09Z")
I’m sorry for the hijack, but I just think it’s just a little too American centric for my comfort. One of the things I enjoy most about this board is that it grows more international all the time. It bespeaks a self importance that is very Western, in my opinion. Not everyone is as exposed to western culture, not everyone is in America. I find it somewhat exclusive to non western users, who’s presence I find one of the most enchanting things about this place. I understand that having to retype a long explanation is annoying, and I’m willing to look things up I don’t understand (and often do!). But at least it should be spelled out the first use, and abbreviated whenever repeated. I don’t need you to explain the plot of the show, but jeeze the name would be nice. It’s like speaking with someone who is showing off they know Chinese, they speckle the conversation with it and you have to keep asking, “What does ?? mean?”. But I can see I’m in the minority here, so I’ll just move along. I do, certainly appreciate what you are saying. And I will, no doubt, continue to be the one asking, “What’s ??? mean?”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Caridwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c89c15/32.png) [@Caridwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caridwen)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/47 "2007-03-06T17:06:22Z")
If it’s makes you feel better I’m from the US and most of the initials are lost on me too. I didn’t know what MST3K was either but I figured someone would ask. And you did! ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/48 "2007-03-06T17:20:07Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] I have shamed myself and now must report to the nearest disintegration chamber, an abscure reference to the episode A Taste of Armageddon on Star Trek, an obscure science fiction series from the 60s starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. ☹ [/QUOTE] Which 60’s would that be? ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/49 "2007-03-06T17:22:01Z")
[QUOTE=elbows] …It’s like speaking with someone who is showing off they know Chinese, they speckle the conversation with it and you have to keep asking, “What does ?? mean?”… [/QUOTE] What in the _goram_ 'verse are you talking about? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/50 "2007-03-06T17:25:21Z")
[QUOTE=BMalion] Which 60’s would that be? [/QUOTE] The one with all that one time for 20 minutes stuff. Not the one with the death rays. ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/51 "2007-03-06T17:33:56Z")
[QUOTE=BMalion] What in the _goram_ 'verse are you talking about? [/QUOTE] C’mon now, stop using references that not everyone will get. _Dong ma?_ Okay, shiny. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/52 "2007-03-06T17:46:43Z")
[QUOTE=elbows] But why should I have to google up a cryptic reference someone makes? [/QUOTE] Because it’s not cryptic. At all. It is very, very, very, very commonly known as MST3K. The abbreviation is perhaps even better known than the title. (And it’s not American centric, I’m in Canada too and I know what it means). What kind of computer do you have **elbows**? Are you gong to tell me you have an “International Business Machines” computer, or an “IBM”? If you didn’t know what MST3K stands for, you’d still have to Google it to understand the reference. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/53 "2007-03-06T17:50:21Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Because it’s not cryptic. At all. It is very, very, very, very commonly known as MST3K. The abbreviation is perhaps even better known than the title. (And it’s not American centric, I’m in Canada too and I know what it means). What kind of computer do you have **elbows**? Are you gong to tell me you have an “International Business Machines” computer, or an “IBM”? If you didn’t know what MST3K stands for, you’d still have to Google it to understand the reference. [/QUOTE] Ahem. See post #46. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/54 "2007-03-06T17:54:39Z")
But back to the OP… My girlfriend and I have an unspoken rule for watching movies. If it’s something goofy like James Bond, then it’s okay to _occasionally_ voice a quick opinion or speculation “Hey, I be the guy with the black fingernails _really_ works for the CIA and will turn out not to be a bad guy after all!” For more serious fare, if there’s something we didn’t quite get, we’ll politely wait until the end of the movie, so that a) we don’t miss anything and b) in case the movie elaborates or explains it later. Example/ There was a very quick cut in a recent movie. I _thought_ I saw something that put a significant spin on an otherwise mundane act, but I had to ask her later to confirm what I saw. If I’d asked at the time, I would have missed a lot of other important stuff in the rapid scene. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/55 "2007-03-06T18:22:49Z")
My lovely, darling wife has a desired listening range in regards to volume that is entirely impossible to cater to, especially with modern movies. OK, two complaints here. 1. Movies where the sound range constantly shifts. LOUD explosions followed immediately by whispered dialogue. Now, this leads into #2. 1. Wife first complains that it is too loud. Then, when the dialogue comes on, keeps asking, “what did they say?” If I then try to explain, I miss the next bit of discussion that she WILL ALSO ASK ME ABOUT!!! I argue to just keep the volume up, but she does not like that. Grr. I love her, but watching something with her can be REALLY annoying. If we are watching a movie, I can pause it at least. If we are watching network TV, we don’t have cable or tivo so it is a lost cause. Maybe I should just give up and upgrade our home system to cable & tivo. That or buy her a personalized pair of headphones, but she will still adjust the volume constantly and ask, “what did they say?” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/56 "2007-03-06T19:10:47Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] My friend is like this. “What’s going to happen next?” “He’s gonna kill her, right?” “That new character is going to end up being the killer, right?” OMYGOD it makes me crazy! Just watch the movie yourself. I refuse to bite off each piece and par-digest it for you. [/QUOTE] Sounds like my sister’s friend who watched _Star Wars_ with us when it was first released. Drove us crazy, too. ---
**Author:** ![Schuyler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@Schuyler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schuyler)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/57 "2007-03-06T20:47:56Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Dunno; when I don’t understand a term, I look it up. YMMV. [/QUOTE] [YMMV](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_mileage_may_vary) [TTFN](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ttfn) ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/58 "2007-03-06T20:59:02Z")
[QUOTE=Schuyler] [TTFN](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ttfn) [/QUOTE] Tead the Fucking Nanual? I remember one poster years ago talking about watching the entire LOTR series with a couple of dumb chicks, and them asking all sorts of inane questions. “What’s so special about that ring again?” and “Who’s that that blond guy with the ears?” And that was during RotK. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/59 "2007-03-06T21:02:40Z")
[QUOTE=Swallowed My Cellphone] Because it’s not cryptic. At all. It is very, very, very, very commonly known as MST3K. The abbreviation is perhaps even better known than the title. (And it’s not American centric, I’m in Canada too and I know what it means). [/QUOTE] No, it’s not. It is very commonly known among a very, very small subset of the population known as Science Fiction geeks. This subset just happens to be very overrepresented on these boards. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2007, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783/60 "2007-03-06T22:47:18Z")
TTFN ??? Anybody? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-watching-behavior/394783.md?page=4)