[Stuart Wright]

What do you like least about going to the cinema?

[Seth Gecko]

Noisy Teenagers Without hesitation - if they want to talk - go to McDonalds, a pub - heck Australia would be nice.

I'm sure they should make cattle prods legal for this reason alone........

last time i went there were only four of us there watching Troy, the guy from the other couple had just let it slip he'd been there previously with another lady and subsequently having an affair so his wife was crying and arguing throughout.

a couple of times before that kids were spitting at each other in the row behind , didn't last long as the ushers came along

[Battlestar]

People that seem to be there just to cause trouble and make a noise. What the hell is the point in going to the movies if you are not going to watch the blooming film!!!

[Daneel]

All of the above. I almost never go now.

[Greg]

I can live with the last four, but the first one is far and away the thing I like least about going to the cinema.

Which is why they should have adults only viewings, last film I saw was Hostage which was a great viewing experience, only about 10 people in the whole room and nobody made a noise. None of them kids as they were all watching some kids films on in the other screens.

I do think for the high price you pay these days the cinemas should have a strict policy on troublemakers. Start making some noise and they are out!

[MacReady]

Has to be the first one !


Far too many young 'uns go to the cinema just to sit and talk (shout!) all the way through whilst constantly texting on their phones and not taking any notice of the film that they have paid to see !!

Can someone PLEASE explain the point in that ?
I agree with GregHook....cinemas should have a stricter policy on stuff like using mobile phones and messing about.

[geeWcee]

Noisy people AND the poor quality of the picture means I rarely go to the cinema like I used to.

[Tejstar]

Noisy people has to be my major irritant. When I get into the cinema I always sit anxiously as to who will sit near me, hoping that all the teenagers just sit as far as possible.

I went to the pictures last night and this stupid kid was tearing a popcorn box to pieces. As he was sitting in front of me every tear was excrutiating. I just wanted to slap him around the head and tell him to watch the film. It's very hard to ignore these things once they get into your head.

For that reason i go to the cinema a lot less than I used to.

[Baron Von Doom]

Has to be noisy kids. Got a few kicked out before by complaining. Problem then is you miss more of the film looking for someone to complain to.

[Marc]

i went and saw halloween h20 in the cinema and had some guy behind me telling his girlfriend the entire michael myers life history during the movie. Now him and me would probably have loads to talk about cos i know myers' life story too, but there's a time and a place..

also i went and saw Freddy vs Jason, an 18 and there were about 4 or 5 early teen girls a couple of rows infront screaming at every little thing and giggling the rest of the time. Nothing could have ruined that movie for me but it was still annoying.

[Stuart Wright]

Enjoying a movie is all about being able to emerse yourself 100% into the story.
Ok, so you can maybe take a break for a pee. But if something distracts you once, you start thinking, oh crap is that going to happen again.
And if it does, you start getting wound up. And then the movies is ruined.
Because even if you get the people kicked out, you've missed 5 minutes and the adrenaline has been pumping.
During Jurassic Park, a bloke was having a 2 hour asthma attack 2 seats over.
Juring Escape from New York a bloke in front relaxed with his hands behind his head.
And during maybe 25% of all films I've seen at the flicks, some absolute MORON has been chatting repeatedly.
No such hassle in the home cinema.

[Garrett]

I hate people making noise of someone at the back of me pressing on the back of the seat.

Once want to see a film, could have been The Lord of the Ring and the guy across the isle kept rocking his feet and his shoes squeaked.

Now I tend to go the week after it has opened and in the afternoon when the kids are at school, unfortunately most of the blockbuster are shown over the school holidays like Spider-Man.

Best treat I ever had was seeing X-Men being the only person at the screening got see it totaly interupted from start to final end credits.

[Howard0000]

Can't say I have all these problems when I go to the cinema... Sure you hear the ever-so-subdued noise of a couple of people talking and rustling food wrappers but I rarely see any troublemakers

I voted for poor quality picture and sound. I wouldn't say it's crap, but (with the exception of a whopping great screen) I get more enjoyment out of watching it at home on a system I've set up and paid for myself (and am very satisfied with!)

[Gugbe]

Originally Posted by Howard0000

Can't say I have all these problems when I go to the cinema... Sure you hear the ever-so-subdued noise of a couple of people talking and rustling food wrappers but I rarely see any troublemakers

I agree. Infact, I couldn't vote for any of the options. While I love having my own setup at home, I still make the trip to my local (THX-certified) cinema once a week. Fantasic sound and picture, and no need to worry about the volume annoying the neighbours!

[deep_thought]

Noisy people - and not just kids

Tend to go to the cinema at different times and places. Movies can be ruined by all kind of things including sound setup that is just WRONG and (recently) a failure to reset the projection after the ads.

A big problem is people who are just there to kill time - didn't want to watch the picture anyway. This includes teenagers but also - especially near city centers - Mum's with shopping bags, single guys taking phone calls etc.

Sat through The Aviator with a middle aged (around 50!) couple continually banging the seats behind us until we moved.

I can even cope with some teenage chatter if it's responding to the movie - like young guys making jokes to cover up the fact that they're crapping themselves - and it's great when they get's silenced because the experience just draws them in.

It's not just UK either - worst ever experience was in North Carolina, watching Signs.

[PoochJD]

Hi,

I'm with all of the above complainants. I pay my money to go see a film. I don't expect to be paying to hear 's using their phones, chatting, throwing food everywhere, and generally arsing around! If that's what people want to do, then do it at home, otherwise let me watch my film in peace!

I also wish cinemas would let staff members actually sit in the screens as well, throughout the entire film, and give said staff permission and authority to evict anyone who doesn't stay quiet! I'm sick to death of having to do the staff's job for them, and go and complain myself, which means I miss the bloody film, I've just paid cash for!

Maybe cinema should have an unwritten set of rules like the opera or theatre, whereby people know that if you go to either of these places, you must act with a certain set of decorum. If you used a mobile phone in a theatre or opera, you'd be evicted within seconds, and probably banned from the venue for a set period of time as well! Why can't cinemas be just as nice venues to go, as theatres?!

Oh, and what is it with some cinemas closing the screen curtains, the minute the credits come up?! If I pay for the film, I want to see it all, not just the bits the projectionist/cinema organisation decides they want to show me! I know credits aren't to everyone's cup of tea, but for crying out loud, it's not right to just omit the credits, just because some people don't want to see them, or because you might save an extra five minutes. Jeez!

Imagine if you were the author of a book, and you see your work published, but some git's gone and put a huge black mark over your name on every front cover of every edition, just because some people aren't bothered who wrote it. You'd be rightly ******! I know I would!


Pooch
(Who hasn't been to a cinema in over 15 months now!)

[AgentCool]

I absolutely hate it when you get a group of 15-16 year olds sat near the front messing around for the duration. You just wonder why the hell they pay to go in. In fact once when I went to see Intolerable Cruelty a group of giggling schoolgirls left about 5 minutes into the film for some reason.

Other problems are with the picture. When I went to see Kill Bill Vol.2 the bottom half of the picture was at the top and the top at the bottom with a massive black line in the middle for about 20 minutes during the crucial final chapter. Plus, when I went to see Constantine 2 weeks ago there was a big black line that looked like a hair in front of the projector for the entire second half of the film.

Still, I'll carry on going though Star Wars Episode III will have to be seen during the daytime to avoid kids and avid nerds.

[Seth Gecko]

Originally Posted by markwpage

Still, I'll carry on going though Star Wars Episode III will have to be seen during the daytime to avoid kids and avid nerds.

Oh trust me, the Nerds will be there then too

[dsw182]

Apart from noisy chavs in the theatre, low quality, uncomfortable seating is my biggest peeve.

Definitely noisy people, and stinking food (hotdogs etc). People banging into the back of your chair, poor seats.
Definitely prefer watching movies at home.
I will watch Star Wars in the cinema, but will go at a select time to avoid any of the above.
Cheers

[Les E]

Oh yeah, nuisance kids...annoy the hell out of me and I am sure I develop a nervous tick whenever the the lit' buggers are about. I agree with everything posted previously, there should be a stricter clamp down on the gobby little gits! By the way, is it universal there has to be a LOUD tittering bunch of girls at the back of the cinemas with an annoying moby tune...?



Oh, you've got me on a soap box now...

One other experience that comes to mind was that I went with my wife and a friend to see LOTR: ROTK at the Printworks in Manchester for a showing in the Gallery. Anyone not familiar with this is that you pay £15 for leather big double seats in a Gallery section where no one under 16 is allowed (I think, it may be 18...can't remember at the mo!).

You also get in the package umlimted popcorn, nachos and non-alcholic drinks and a quiet luxury environment to watch your film...perfect conditions...you would think!!!

Anyway, there was a couple behind me whose boyfriend decided to tell his girlfriend what happend in the previous 2 films, whos related to who and where they came from in the first 20 minutes of the film!! At this point I had to turn round give his girlfriend the filthiest look (the bloke was still nattering and unaware!!) and told them both to SHUT UP!!

Sheesh...what does it take to watch a film in piece and quiet...even when you pay for the prividge!!!

[TonyA]

One catagory that's been missed out is "Poor Seating".

Being of a "larger build", I like a bit of comfort when I'm going to watch a movie. Most cinema's seating doesn't provide much leg-room (almost like being in an Economy secition on a plane!), and a lot of the newer seating is not that big - probably to allow them to squeeze more seats into an isle.

One exception to the above I have found is the Vue Cinemas (ex Warner Village), which has better than average seating and leg-room.

I recently went to a cinema in Ealing and a mate of mine who isn't that tall, and is as thin as a rasher of bacon, was even complaining about the leg-room!

This, and the incesent rustling of sweet wrappers and popcorn, plus mobile phones going off, people chatting and coughing, and teenagers ass-ing around, does not make for a pleasent experience.

Give me home cinema any day - comfy seating, better quality pictures and sound, no annoying gimboids in the background - can "stop" the movie should I need to refill my beer (or go for a tinkle) and not miss a second.

Pure entertainment bliss.

Going to the cinema used to be fun - but not any more - its down to a total lack of respect by other people, and the corporates trying to squeeze more money out of us.

However - one thing that you do miss with home cinema is the "collective experience".

One such incident happened when I saw Friday 13th Part III in London. During the movie theres a scene where a couple of teens are having a post-coital moment in a hamock. The girl says to the lad "Oh baby, that was the best yet" - when everyone hear's someone shout out from the audience "Yeah - That's cos it's in 3-D!" - The whole cinema was in fits of laughter.

T.

[Howard0000]

I love it when people make funny comments too


Back to the original topic, it's so nice to just have your own enviroment in which to watch the film and have complete control over everything isn't it

[eviljohn2]

Originally Posted by Howard0000

Back to the original topic, it's so nice to just have your own enviroment in which to watch the film and have complete control over everything isn't it

It depends who you're watching with, my girlfriend never complains about the cinema but thinks my HC is just "too loud and boomy".

[Howard0000]

Well some people just don't appreciate quality

[banman]

I agree I just think the extortionate amount they charge for food and drink is reason for prosecution!! And they forbid you from bring your own. However whats most wierd is the number of people stocking up on hot dogs, nachos and buckets of popcorn and drink. So why should they reduce costs?

Actually one thing missing from the poll is the option: Dirty seats and rubbish all over the floor.

[BlueOrange25]

Definitely noisy people. It sort of adds insult to injury when you pay for a ticket, and then get distracted by idiots who don't watch the film and just keep talking. My second peeve is the sheer cost. I recently went to a Vue cinema and paid £5.90. Considering the cost, the least I would have expected would be comfortable seats. Instead, I spent just over two hours shuffling trying to get comfortable.

[Tejstar]

Originally Posted by eviljohn2

It depends who you're watching with, my girlfriend never complains about the cinema but thinks my HC is just "too loud and boomy".

It's that little room of yours!

[shodan]

I've not been to the flics for years now. I would do if I knew it wouldn't be grief, but it always is! I've threatened people, been threatened, had fights, had people trying comebacks after the film has finished (bad idea, I've had the whole film to think about how I'm going to rip your head off you chav scum!) not to mention I've moaned because the A/V is worse than crap and as for the prices! Well I know I don't have to buy sweets and drinks but it is part of the "experience" so I'd really rather not been horrendously overcharged for the privelige!!! Oh and the staff... It's so rare to find one that would be over qualified to work in McDonalds!!!