Better idea: install high-pressure water guns for every seat. Theater patrons may fire at will when a cell phone rings. Problem solved!
Movie theaters just need to offer two screenings. One for people who want to watch the movie uninterrupted and one for people who want to talk on their phones or bring in young children.
I like this, but if people are wankers enough to let their phones ring in a cinema, or wankers enough to conduct a telephone conversation in there, then there are bound to be some stupid wankers who would just fire the water guns at random people for no reason other than that they are stupid wankers.
I hate that - why do they bother coming at all when they spend the entire time text-messaging other people? They paid to be there, but don’t pay attention at all. What a waste.
And having an usher go and ask them to leave is just extending the disruption even more. I can see where it’d start arguements about whether or not the patron really has to leave or not.
“Sir, you have to leave the theater if you want to talk on your cell phone.”
"But I’ll just be a minute. It’s my sitter - little Precious-Uggums won’t go to sleep.
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to go to the lobby, please.”
“But I’ll just be a minute.”
And so on…
How about this as a solution: The theater blocks cell phone calls as described above. When you walk into the theater, if you still want to be reachable in an emergency, you leave your phone with a concierge (outside the jammed area) and get a claim ticket for it. If you get an emergency call, they pause the movie and send an usher in to call out your name so you can go answer your emergency. When you return, or if the emergency requires you to leave, they resume the movie.
Satisfies everybody! Well, except for the people who object to having their movies interrupted, but how many people are going to object when it’s an actual emergency?
I’d be one who’d object to having the movie interrupted. How about you get one of those buzzy light-up things you get in some restaurants so you know when your table is ready?
You drop your phone off with the concierge, get a buzzy light-up thingy (I don’t know what they’re called - about the size of a hockey puck), which is cross-numbered with your phone. If your phone rings, the concierge answers, says, “Hang on just a minute” and triggers your buzzer thing. It vibrates and lights up (could just vibrate, obviously) and you know you have a call. You quietly get up and leave. No hardship on anyone.
Forcing people to set their phone to vibrate ignores two common scenarios.
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That people overlook it, or don’t know how to do it.
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That people MAKE CALLS while watching the movie.
Some theaters are trying to get tough and get employees to enforce it. That’s pretty fucking funny. Some 16 year old kid who spends his spare time texting Fox to vote for Fantasia is going to enfore a cell phone ban?
Last time I saw a movie at one particular local theater, a theater employee was watching the movie in front of me and pulled out her cell phone to make a call. (“come on in.” “no, you haven’t missed anything.”)
That was it for me at that theater. If I hear they start jamming cells, I’ll go back.
I’m sure there are people who won’t go to the movies if they jam cells. Well, I’m a guy who won’t go to some theaters because they don’t.
[QUOTE=Lord Ashtar]
And I swear, if I hear the “you’re not important enough to need to be reached at all times” argument again, I’m going to puke. QUOTE]
Ah, but you’re right, you are not important enough to need to be reached at all times, to me. And that’s the point; to me. You are inconveniencing me with your assinine musical ringtones while I try to escape the world in a bit of movie-going.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but the default state of a person is “no cell phone”; just like “no smoking”. You are the (potential) disruptor here. You need to accomodate us, the well-behaved, who know to shut up/not use phones during a public performance/movie.
Thank you.
And since you’ll probably disagree with this; how do you know a movie theatre isn’t naturally shielded? I work in an ancient building, filled to the guts with metal and fluorescent lights and the reception is non-existant. Are you going to assume that the theatre management must be screwing with your service if it your phone doesn’t work in their establishment?
If I were to own/build a new theatre I would build in natural shielding from the get-go and just shrug my shoulders and say, sorry, there’s no reception in here, enjoy the show.
You’re confusing me with a rude person who doesn’t know how/refuses to turn their phone to vibrate and then won’t go outside the theater to take the call. I’m not going to lose connectivity because someone else can’t stop being an asshole. Why are you suggesting that we need to punish the majority for the sins of the minority?
And as for me “not being important enough”, what if I was a neurologist? Suppose one of my patients suddenly has an MS attack and needs to get a hold of me right away? If I’m in a theater where they’re blocking my signal, my patient could die. Would that be “important” enough for you?
I’ve gone to a lot of movies, and I have yet to be interupted by someone talking on a cellphone, much less texting someone (anyone bothered by that is being a tad touchy, IMHO). Maybe I’ve just gotten lucky. Or maybe this whole “problem” is being blown out of proportion.
I was at a movie theater last week, buying my ticket, when I heard a very loud, very angry voice.
I looked up to see a teenager, despite a great deal of angry posturing, being escorted out of the building by a security guard for using his cell phone during the movie.
I could have kissed that guard.
But we’re not confusing YOU with it! We’re pointing out that in our experience, there’s at least one in every theatre. I think whining babies and people talking is just as annnoying, but unless the theatre is more willing to do something it’s not going to get fixed. Here is something I see a clear and easy solution for.
But your experience is just as valid as mine, isn’t it? And yes, someone repeatedly opening their cellphone in the same row as you does disturb you. The glare shines right in your eyes and does distract you from the screen.
Plus the doubtless loud, profane protests of the lout being asked to leave. Staff removing cell phone jerks would be bouncers which can be a tough job.
Maybe I am lucky, but the cell phojne probelm that seemed so prevalent a few years ago just doesn’t seem to exist anymore. I can only remember one time where a phone went off during a movie in the last year.
Now if they can come up with jammers to block little kids from kicking my seat, that would be totally worth it.
An MS patient calling a neurologist with an emergency would get a canned message advising him/her to go to the ER in the event of an emergency.
A physician on call is one of the rare situations where a cellphone (on vibrate) could be permitted in a theater or concert hall. And the doc could damn well get up (quietly) and go out to the lobby to answer the page.
A parent who wants to be in touch with the babysitter can leave the theater once during the show to call in. If the situation is so critical that the parent must be constantly available for a call, then the parent should stay home with the child.
It’s too bad that the large numbers of inconsiderate idiots with cellphones could make it a bit more difficult for the considerate users. Not exactly a world crisis, though.
No, but it can cause some churning of the stomach. I was in a Tulare, CA restaurant when three people came in and sat down at the next table. One of them immediately pulled out a cell phone and dialed someone, spending the next several minutes talking aloud while his lunch companions twiddled their thumbs. How rude can you get?
IIRC, the FCC does have a problem with it, and using a jammer is technically illegal. Sorry, no cite.
I can’t believe you actually said 'connectivity." snerk. :rolleyes: 
Are you actually a neurologist? As pointed out, most patients in an emergent situation would call their doctor’s office and get a recording telling them to go to the ER or perhaps call another number and get the answering service, who would then call their own doctor or whichever doctor is on call, and then you’d wait for the doc to call you back - how many doctors actually have patient calls go to their cell?
I said in a thread a month or so ago, people actually got by years ago with no cell phones. When I was a teenager and baby-sat, parents made sure I knew their seat number and row (for the theater) or what movie they were seeing, or what restaurant they would be at, and left phone numbers for me in case of an emergency. People managed - no one had to be connected 24 hours a day. If I went to the mall with my friends and later needed to be picked up by my parents, I used a pay phone, or arranged ahead of time with my mother to be picked up at this time at this entrance. It worked fine.
The texting is annoying. The glaring screen is incredibly bright in a darkened theater. And what’s the point of going to a movie if you spend the whole time texting someone? You’ve missed the whole movie!
But it’s an emergency! Surely the audience would understand.
My assumption was that something that would block cell phones would block those.
Piffle. Next you’ll tell me that there’s no war on Christmas. Damn your common sense!
Ugh, that’s the DBA side of me talking.
No, but I play one in a movie.
My girlfriend has MS, and she has her neurologist’s cell number. She went to three different doctors before deciding on the one she’s currently with, partly because he was willing to be available to her for questions and concerns off hours. I’m sure that if he were in a movie, he’d turn his cell phone to vibrate and take the call outside, since he’s not an asshole.
I’m sure it did. However, technology has improved to a point that makes all that obsolete. Consider the case of the babysitter and the parents. Instead of leaving a list of phone numbers and a schedule (which could change), they leave one number and say, “Call if you have any questions.” Isn’t that just easier for everyone involved?
I wouldn’t let something like that bother me. If they choose to pay $10 and spend the whole time texting their friends, it’s their loss.