Cinema Gripes!

Andy Dee

Established Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2002
Messages
216
Reaction score
3
Points
62
Havent been to the Cinema for quite a while, and after last nights experience watching signs, wont be going again!!!:mad:

fudge'n Kids!!

Shouting and swearing right into the first 5 minutes of the film. Chair swapping...going to see there mates 10 rows away for a few minutes then coming back again.

Mobile phones...calling each other and then laughing about it.

Thank god for Home DVD and 5.1 set-ups!!!


Is it always like that on a Saturday Night??
 
Four effective, yet highly restrictive, rules I follow:

1) Never go in the evening. It's when the usual ignorant morons go.

2) Never go at the weekend. When the usual ignorant morons who prefer to go during daytime hours go.

3) Never go during school holidays. Loads of little Rastards!

4) Never go in the first two weeks of the movie's release. This gives time for the idiots to hurry up and see it and sod off.

When these rules are followed together, I often end up in the cinema on a Monday afternoon with a theatre all to myself. Much better. Still not as good as being at home.

Like safe sex, the best policy (but much, much less fun) is abstinence. :(
 
Afraid so.

I tend to go on a Monady afternoon after a film has been released. The print is still in good nick, not to much dust or too many scratchs on it. Plus no kids unless they're bunking off, virtualy get the place to yourself.:)

Edit: See great mind think alike pointon does the same as me.:D
 
I love going, and go once a week minimum. I find that our local Warner Village isn't to bad on saturday on the late night showig, roughly between 9 and 11 start, depending on film. The only people going to them want to see the film, they're not just using it as a warm up to a night our or trying to get a woman in the sack.
 
Why do little kids insist on kicking the back of cinema chairs?

Have to say though, the cinema experience for me is now wearing thin... OK, the screen is bloody huge but I saw a two week early preview of 'Signs' (ie as new a print as you're likely to see) and nobody on this forum would have been happy with the PQ it had from their own HC. It was not sharp in the slightest, in fact it looked out of focus.

Sound wise it was OK but when I saw 'Blade II' at the cinema it sounded much, much worse than my HC set-up.

Add in the fact that for two people to see a film now, with a few inevitable snacks rolled in, and you're looking at the best part of £20 and I'd rather stay home for most films.

That said, the 'biggies' still have to be seen in a cinema...
 
when I went to see Sccoby-Doo (I thought it was a serious crime thriller OK !!!!:D ). There was a guy in there with his daughter who was about 6 or 7. This was the 9pm showing !!!

She was tired, fidgety, crying, demanding more sweets and generaly being a pain in the a**e. Her father wasn't much use either.

There was also the Mobile brigade who as soom as the sign came up asking you to switch off mobile thought it was funny to have them all ringing at once.

I usually enjoy the cinema but I dont think I'll go to see a 'kids' film again.
 
I have written to UGC complaining about the screen set up (ragged edges), room temperature, fire hazards from boxes piled in corridors. You get a free pair of tickiets and an apology on a good day. They usually say you should complain to the duty manager. Last time out we did this. He was not dressed in a suit or corporate polo shirt and did not apologise, nor had he shaved recently - just said he would sort it out. Another letter to UGC & still awaiting the outcome...
 
My pet hate is Cineworld basically leaving the lights on during the film. They claim it's for 'health and safety' reasons...
 
The only problem with waiting a couple of weeks before going is that by then the print will be knackered.
I'm in the fortunate position of being able to go during office hours, so we pick non-holiday monday or tuesday lunchtime shows when it's also cheaper. and tend to be with a few other adults and that's it.
There have been quite a few threads complaining about the 'real' cinema. I expect it will continue to annoy.
Problem with complaining to noisy people in a cinema is that it's already ruined the experience.
I've told kids to shut up or get out before now. It did the trick.
My most unbelievable experience was watching Escape from LA in Burbank when a big bloke infront of me relaxed by putting his hads behind his head (like Chewie did after taking R2D2's piece in Star Wars chess). He completely obscured my view and seems put out when I asked him to put his arms down.
 
Thats's well annoying. I like to sink into my seat, for comfort and so the person behind me can see ok but not many people make this concession and seem to think that sitting bolt up right with some silly huge hair-do doesn't affect how you see the picture. If you ask them to go down a bit they look at you like you've asked them to perform a specific sex act with a chicken or something.
 
At 6'4" I'm a bit of a nightmare in the cinema. I do slouch down into the seat though:blush:

The warner village near me does not do this but it would be nice to have adult only screenings (Say over 21's) for new releases to avoid the brats.

I had a kid about 5-6 yrs kicking my chair once. Told him to stop, he did it again! Then asked his mother to stop him. He did it again so I told him to leave. He got up and went!!! Should have seen the look on his mums face, as she grabbed her bags and went after him, but they never came back:p
 
Thankfully I'm a short-arse:D The late night thing is really good, it'sonly on saturdays but you should ask them about doing one. Mine is quite friendly and generally listen.
 
Same again as pointon last time I broke the rules was when a mate dragged me to The Lord Of The Rings on the second day after it was realest. Even though I enjoyed the film, it would have been better if some teenagers had not turned up. That were constantly getting up and leaving the theater and coming back. What they bothered to spend good money and not bother with the film is beyond me.
 
Kids have no attention span thats the problem. I'm with you Garrett I can't see the point in going if your not going to watch the film. Thats why I always take the day off during the week and go the the one or two o'clock showing of a film.
 
Originally posted by kevb
Kids have no attention span thats the problem

Agreed. And I'm sure some parents take their kids to films like LOTR and have no idea that it's going to be longer than 90mins.

I think some forget you can't press 'pause' in a cinema too.

When I saw 'Signs' I saw at least 4 adults get up and go to the toilet at what were clearly pivotal points of the film... you really can't hold on a few minutes and not ruin the films for yourself??

Have any of you guys EVER really had to go to the toilet THAT bad during a film that you can't wait til the end? Jesus...
 
I like to have a couple of beers at the cinema before going in to see the film, but even if I go to the toilet before sitting down I'm guaranteed to need to go again in an hour. That leads to the dilemma of 'shall I hold it in and see the rest of the film with my legs tightly crossed' or 'go to the toilet now and sods law says that a pivotal moment in the film will come up'.

And you also have to push past everyone sitting in the row unless you sit on the end. Much prefer watching at home and using the pause button.
 
Originally posted by dfield2000
And you also have to push past everyone sitting in the row unless you sit on the end. Much prefer watching at home and using the pause button.

Aaaarrrgggh, I hate pausing films. It seems to totally ruin the momentum. It makes me so mad when I watch DVDs round people's houses who do that - 'pause' for the toilet - 'pause' to grab some beers - 'pause' to open a new packet of tortilla chips and on and on. Christ, they turn a 90 minute film into an evening's worth of messing about!

I know what you mean though, 3 beers half an hour before a film does lead to serious crossed leg viewing :)

I tend to stick to a couple of bottles of white wine DURING the film at home these days. Means you're plastered by the end of the film but don't need to go to the toilet quite as much.
 
HI,

It does seem that cinemas are becoming one of the WORST places to actually pay to see a movie. However, if you can, try going to the smaller independent arthouse places, as they still occasionally show the major releases, but don't have the problem of annoying b***ard customers!

Pooch
 
Originally posted by pointon
Four effective, yet highly restrictive, rules I follow:

1) Never go in the evening. It's when the usual ignorant morons go.

2) Never go at the weekend. When the usual ignorant morons who prefer to go during daytime hours go.

3) Never go during school holidays. Loads of little Rastards!

4) Never go in the first two weeks of the movie's release. This gives time for the idiots to hurry up and see it and sod off.

When these rules are followed together, I often end up in the cinema on a Monday afternoon with a theatre all to myself. Much better. Still not as good as being at home.


Agreed. Having worked in a cinema (the old ABC chain of fleapits back in the mid '80s) myself this IMO is a good set of rules to follow. The bigger the film, the bigger the idiot.
conversations with these idots in Friday/Saturday nights usually went like this:
"Sorry we're full"
"Aw, can't we stand in the gangways?"
"Er, NO!!"
"Why?"
"FIRE REGULATIONS!" :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
then they try to sneak in through the fire exits, usually an early leaver wedges a fire exit door open. The look on their faces when they see you & the duty manager there is a picture! :D :D :D :D :D
Also, quiet times were the best for couples- if you know what I mean! Caught a couple doing it (sex) during a afternoon showing of a Goldie hawn film, I let 'em get on with it, & NO, I didn't stay & watch!
I find Sunday nights about 4 weeks into a films run is a good time,
If I have to see a film straight away, monday "matinee" performances.
 
I will only go to the cinema as a social exercise, so I make a point of only going to see films I dont really want to see. If you know what I mean:rolleyes:
 
Hi Guys,

Agree with everything you've said. Me and the missus used to regularly enjoy going to the cinema, but the last few times have been spoilt by rustling sweet wrappers, teenagers, and 7foot tall giants.

Unless I'm desparate to see the film at the earliest opportunity, I think I'll stick to DVDs now ........... and they're cheaper.

Am I becoming one of Harry Enfield's old gits ? ............ Oh dear !
 
I went to the pictures on saturday night - I had to sort these blokes out who were talking all the way through the the frickin movie. I said to em Oi if you wanna chat go outside, else shut it! Then they started getting all lippy with me like, so I stood up and went over to em - once they saw how big I was they didnt bother arguing no more!! :devil: As for kids, well I hate em - they shouldnt be allowed into the pictures in the first place - let em in for cartoons yea, but not for the big boys films!
 
As a tall person with a big head it's a bit of a gripe of mine that the trend in cinemas seems to be far more flat seating, on much less of a slope- this means out of sympathy for the poor short person lumbered behind me I always sit right down in my seat... inevitably meaning that within an hour of being seated my arse has totally gone to sleep. I spend the rest of the film shifting round trying to get comfortable, ultimately saying sod it and sitting back up.
Other gripes the usual bad sound quality and picture; I remember going to see Goldeneye soon after the Warner Village had opened and the sound kept dropping out. More recently Minority Report both looked and sounded terrible. I think the only time in recent memory that i saw a film at the cinema and really enjoyed it as I would at home was the fellowship of the ring, which was a midnight showing. The place was empty but for about three other guys, and my friends who I went with. Looked and sounded awesome. It might have helped that we'd just been to an evening showing of the 51st state...
:D
 
i work shifts.....so can go for days before i have to go to work.....and that gives me the oppurtunity to see films in the daytime on any weekday, where the prices are cheaper, 99% of kids are in school and you can have any seat in the cinema!
 
Originally posted by juboy

.....
Have any of you guys EVER really had to go to the toilet THAT bad during a film that you can't wait til the end? Jesus...

I'm afraid i'm guilty of doing that for Tomb Raider (didn't exactly miss much though).

It was either that or wee onto the floor :D

Nowadays I try to avoid drinking much before going to the cinema.
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom