They really suck nowadays. I know, the stadium seating is nice, especially those that have chairs that rock, but being someone that sees 2-3 movies a week, I'm sick and tired of them. For one thing, why in the hell do you have two people working the ticket booth on a Friday freakin' night??? When lines snake around the corner just to buy the tickets, something is wrong. What's the point of having the credit card kiosks if they never work??? That saves a lot of time when they're working, unfortunately, they hardly ever do. Also, the last 20 movies I've been to all have started at least 5 minutes late...today I went to see <I>Novacaine</I>, and it started at 2:35 when it was supposed to start at 2:20. Then, when the film finally starts rolling, you get 4-5 commercials. When in the hell did that start? What, having to take out a loan for a small popcorn and coke isn't enough for you guys??? Jeez, today was especially awful because I had 6, count 'em, 6 commercials, and only 2 previews. I love the previews, I look forward to the normal 5, but you make me wait 15 minutes and through 6 commercials, and I only get two?? Then the super cheesy welcome to Regal Cinemas (or whatever freakin' chain you're at) intro. Agggggh. I'm pissed, I get sick and tired of showing up for a 2:20 movie and it not starting until 2:50. Don't get me started on the customer service at Regal Cinema lately here in Austin. Are there Starplex theatres in Houston? I know there's one in Waco and San Marcos. They consistently start late as well, but at least there are no commercials at the beginning. I love that.
The theaters themselves have yet to really annoy me; moreso, I'm finding the people around me do the job much more thoroughly. It seems like the number of morons in theaters is rising steadily.
I have to agree with you RM95. It takes like 20-25 minutes of commercials and previews before the movies start. Now I don't mind previews, but I don't need a boatload, esp when I've already seen a bunch of them. Commercials I need not at all. The songs they play while waiting for the previews to start are gross. The clip show ads they have before the film starts rolling is annoying. The price increase for stadium seating is not worth it, imo. If I want food, I'll sneak it in, cuz the prices have always been a joke. And a lot of people are much more freaking annoying now. Bringing in screaming babies, talking and laughing on cell phones, and crap ... clapping? Cmon... That's one of the reasons I enjoy going to the dollar movies - I rarely have to put up with that stuff and I don't have to spend much to watch an iffy movie. But if there is a really good movie out that I have to see ... I'm prepared to deal with my "new and improved" movie theater.
I have never been to a movie where the credit card ticket booths were not functional. Maybe the ones at the theater you go to are just not very good. What does bother me is people talking during movies. Especially if they are doing it just to be annoying. Theaters used to kick movie-talkers out of movies if they wouldn't shut up. Now, the employees just look at you funny if you go complain about someone yapping during a flick.
Damn, that's true when I saw Monsters, this idiot kid kept kicking my chair...after several times I turned around and gave him my evil eye....he pretty much stopped, but I was almost ready to make a scene.
When I saw Heist last week, there was one guy's whose cell phone rang four times, and he answered it each time and talked for several minutes to whoever called. I couldn't believe that.
Did you kick his a$$? I think that everytime something like that happens, a group of folks should commit to standing up and telling the moron to shut it off, or get the hell out. Maybe it'll become a movement that spreads across the nation... Man. Well...at least he didn't have a cell phone. That *does* suck, though. I've had older kids (teens) do that before. I've had to turn around and tell someone to quit kicking the chair at least twice in the last four months.
I think those commercials probably backfire. I've been to movies where people actually jeered the commercials, out loud, and the rest of the audience laughed. That kind of treatment is normally reserved for trailers like the one for Mariah Carey's stupid ass movie. I know this, I'm not buying a ****ing Jeep Cherokee. Assholes.
Lots of advertising techniques backfire badly; I often wonder what ad agencies are thinking. Some stuff just begs to be bashed. I'll never understand how it got approved. As someone else here once said, I swear I'll never buy one of those x-10 camera things.
I have absolutely NO problem telling people to be quiet during a movie. I have patience. I don't snap after one or two infractions. I let people chat all they want through the previews. But, when it's game-time, it's on! Usually, I'm firm but polite the first time I have to ask someone to stop making noise. But, from then on the gloves are off. I've asked guys if they wanted to go outside and discuss theater manners before. One thing that gets me is when one person sits there and translates the movie for their non-English speaking companion. I cannot understand how they think they can interrupt someone else's movie for their benefit. RENT THE DAMN THING FOR GOD'S SAKE! One of the worst was quite a few years ago. I was at the now defunct Commerce 8 theater. There were three or four teenage guys sitting about three rows behind me and my wife (girl friend at the time). They kept talking and laughing. They were talking about stuff that didn't even relate to the movie, just stuff about girls or a party they went to. I shushed them a few times. I even turned around and told them to be quiet. Nothing worked. Finally, after one of the worst movie going experiences of my life, the movie was over. As my wife and I were walking out, I saw them chatting in the foyer just outside the doors of the theater. They had gotten ahead of us, because I had stopped to complain to the manager. As we approached them, my anger grew. So, I just walked right up to all of them and said, "Y'all need to learn how to shut up during a movie." They just looked at me in shock. My wife started to ask me to leave it alone and just leave. They started talking trash, and so did I. I think they saw a cop inside the theater, because nothing really came of it, but damn was I pissed.
Damn DREAMer, I'd consider it a perfect movie experience if theaters were filled with viewers like you. lol. Maybe someday you and I will be in the same theater when a moron starts chatting on a cell phone..... Long as you know someone who can post our bail.
i hate when peoplel bring babies or little kids to R-rated movies. Not only will the babies eventually start crying, they have no business being there. The most annoying is the cellphones and i heard in some Euro countries, they have devices which block the cellphone signals. The theaters need to catch up to the times and get some of them.
Sucky things about movie theaters: -babies -cell phones -people who constantly kick your chair -kids with laser lights! -people who cant shut up -rude ass people who wont move over one seat so two people can sit together -dumb ass people making fun of a serious movie (Saving Private Ryan, etc.)
Now wait a minute. I do have a problem moving, sometimes. I get to the movie theater 30 minutes early so I can get the seat I want. I want to be in the middle. I want to be not too close and not too far away. Now, when some dumbass walks in during the previews and thinks they're gonna get a seat as good as the one I got, and want me to move, they're in for a suprise. If you come in late, you deserve to be separated from the rest of your party.
I've heard of some Americans talking of employing this technology in restaurants, etc. Problem is, it's probably against the law, according to the article I read about it. Plus, I would then be worried that my doctor would decide to go see a movie and the hospital be unable to page him when I had a major medical emergency even if my doctor was considerate enough to keep his pager on vibrate. But then again, I tend to worry about unlikely things.
I really hate when the movie starts and it's off focus or not all on the screen or the sound is screwed up, and then everyone looks around to see who's going to be the sucker who gets up to complain and no one gets up so we all just sit there and watch a screwed up movie for 20 minutes. That sucks!
I saw Harry Potter last night. Pretty good. Snuck a flask in and no one around me gave me any ****. That was cool. We got to see the movie in 5.2 channel surround-- the extra channel being provided by the inquisitive three-year old who sat behind us. "Mommy is that Harry Potter?" "Yes dear" Ten minutes later... "Mommy is that Harry Potter?" "Yes dear" Twenty minutes later... "Mommy is that Harry Potter?" "No, dear, that's a bad kid (Draco Malfoy)" Five minutes later... "Mommy is that Harry Potter?" "Yes dear" 30 minutes later... "Mommy is that Harry Potter?" "No, honey, that's Professor Dumbledore" And on, and on, and on. I may not have been the world's smartest three year old, but I guarandamntee you I knew who Luke Skywalker was when I saw Star Wars.
That shouldn't be a big deal. Docters already see plays, broadway shows, etc. All they have to do is give the beeper/cell phone to an usher and tell the usher where they are. If they get paged the usher then comes in and lets them know. I think that's the best system for movies. Resteraunts I don't think need to go for that extreme, maybe have a cell free area but that's it.
