For what it’s worth, JohnT, I would have been one of those laughing with you at your joke. Talking between trailers is not a problem for me.
I actually had a similar thing happen when I saw Two Towers, for the Terminator 3 trailer. When it ends and Arnold says “She’ll be back!” I groaned and replied (fairly loudly), “They had to do it!” which got a few laughs. Then a guy across the aisle from me piped up with “Yeah, then they can have TERMA-BABIES!” This set the whole theatre off, and we were still laughing well into the next trailer.
A little audience participation never bothered me, especially between bad trailers.
And for what it’s worth, I was dead silent during the film.
I have to admit on Saturday I was talking not that loudly a tiny bit into the trailers, which isn’t a usual thing (and obviouly wouldn’t happen into the movie). It sort of depends. I don’t think you just talk over them loudly, but its not as collosal a sin as in the movie itself.
I think it depends on the trailers. If they suck, like the ones before TTT do, knock yourself out. If it’s a cool trailer, like for RotK or the latest Star Wars movie or Bond or SOMETHING (defined by myself as for what cool is, of course), don’t.
Talking during the trailers is a bit iffy, but acceptable.
Talking during the annoying cell phone ad with the cute little animals that everyone’s already seen fifty million freaking times on TV is not only acceptable; it is encouraged.
I look at trailers as a time for the people who chit chat to wind it up, settle down and BE QUIET. I’d rather they stop talking when the trailers start but since I am myself guilty of chattering during trailers I do not unleash my disapproving glare. Unless of course they dare speak even ONE SECOND into the movie itself.
I remember one between trailers that got me giggling along with the rest of the audience. It was right after the preview of the oh so horrible BATS. Among some groans someone piped in
“Jesus Christ, another animal movie? Whats next?”
To which someone way across the theater piped in
“Wes Craven’s Poodles!”
A great joke considering the status of some horror flicks this day
I think it’s ok to talk to your neighbor, especially between the trailers. There’s always that slight murmur of voices in between and it never really bothers me. I find loud comments annoying, and people definitely should never say anything loudly during the actual action of the trailer. But in general, I think it’s silly to get too uptight about it until the actual starts.
I usually don’t appreciate the comments either, but at the same time, there’s a few occasions where the comments someone made turned out to be the most memorable part of viewing the film. This will come off flatly in a post, since I can’t mimic the guy’s voice for you; but at a 3D showing of Jaws during the trailers some type of Mad Max movie was being advertised. At one point, this weapon was shooting lasers and the guy in front of us jumped back and grabbed his eyes, while yelling out “Oh, my eyes!” It wasn’t meant as a joke, and once we saw he was fine, we ended up quietly giggling over it through the movie.
Another memorable experience was watching the first Nightmare On Elm street in the theater. It was during the bathtub scene when my friend turned to me, and rather loudly but unintentionally asked me, “How can you stand to keep your feet on the floor?!” I looked over at her and she was balled up in her seat, then looked at the people in front of us who had turned around to get a look as well. All of us started cracking up. So, while I don’t encourage the comments, I think they can be pretty funny when unintentional.
For me, the only time it’s acceptable to talk in a movie theater is before the trailers start and in between them, and unless you have a major “zinger,” comments should be kept at a little less then normal speaking voice, so your friends can hear, but strangers sitting several seats away, can’t.
Trailer for Jack Frost: Comming this christmas, JACK FROST!
Me after trailer had finished: Looks more like Jack Sh*t
I don’t yell out anything, but I DO lean over to hubby and say “Rental” or “Gotta see that!” No problem for me if people use the trailers to decide what to see next.
I have no problem shussing people during the movie however - to the point that it bothers hubby. After watching TTT, I told the guy next to me that he was rude, and should refund my 8 bucks. Moron talked thru the whole damn thing. AND he saved almost a whole row of seats, and those people didn’t even get there til the previews started. No sense of movie etiquette anymore…
Yeah, I have no problem with talking during or between trailers. It’s not like trailers have plots to expose or anything like that–especially for action movies, trailers tend to cut from one scene to another, leaving an incoherent mess. Unless it’s for a much-anticipated movie (LOTR), or for some quiet and emotional film, I think talking during trailers is fine.
I wouldn’t talk during the trailer, but snide remarks after the trailer can be a hilarious pasttime. I’ve chucked out a few entertaining quips like yours in my moviegoing past, it’s good to have a little fun with it, especially if you’re in a large audience. I also find it fun to audibly play along with the stupid games they show before the trailers, like the actor guessing game and fun facts, etc.
I know me and Tars Tarkas were audibly disgusted with the Core trailer when we saw TTT, and laughed at its bad science. Really, the Core is the worst thing to happen to science in a movie since the infamous line from Amazing Colossal Man, “since the heart is comprised of just a single cell…”
Trailers are ads. So there is no problem talking during them.
And tho one should GENERALLY be silent during a movie, an occasional comment to your neighbor is not entirely inappropriate. The determinants are volume, length, and frequency.
When we saw TTT, shown before it was the largest lineup of trailers I can ever remember seeing. The audience was seriously lusting to see TTT, and by the time of the last trailer, things were getting restless and ugly. The last trailer was for some dumb-ass kung fu movie, and was filled with lame zen-like one-liners. The last one-liner was, “It’s not about anger . . .” Mr. Pug said loudly, “It’s GETTING to be about anger!” Everyone within listening range (all LOTR geeks by the look of them) laughed loudly and the tension evaporated.
BTW, TTT caused me to talk once during a movie for the first time ever. When I first got a look at Gollum, I inadvertently said, “Jesus Christ.”
waiting to see Nemesis, there were 10 commercials before the trailers. Yes, TEN!!! by number 3 there was constant booing and mocking, and by ten people were unsheathing their Bat’leths. fortunately for the usher, the trailers started, but they were mocked as well by the frustrated crowd, especially the Core, which showed the Golden Gate Bridge getting destroyed (this is in San Francisco), and was greeted with the loudest boos yet and the bat’leths re-emerged.
