How to deal with cinema PITAs? (Rant alert)

Paid $9 this afternoon to see Sadra Bullock in "Gravity" in 3D. I was by myself and there were maybe 10 others in the theater. The only teens that were in the seats actually chose seats 3 seats away in my row ( I was first to arrive and sat dead center halfway up). Fortunately they barely made a peep once the previews ended.

Great movie by the way. It's one that I would much rather see in the theater than on a DVD at home.

Sandra Bullock is surprisingly hot for her age.
 
I remember now that I used to enjoy James Bond movies up until my late 30s, and never missed one. So, I did enjoy action movies in the past.

Either my taste changed, or the overdone CGI and laws-of-physics-repealing actions became a turn-off to this curmudgeon, plus the loud sound, I don't know.

However, I also remember that when I spent time watching a drama in a dark theater, not getting distracted like I tended to at home watching a DVD, I would pay more attention and enjoyed the movie more. Will I rediscover that enjoyment? It's unlikely now.
 
We used to go to movies only about once a year for the kids... now that our oldest can drive, I'll probably never go back... for all of the reasons mentioned, plus I can't stand sticky floors or the guy behind me constantly nudging my chair. At home, my floors are clean, no one is kicking me and if I need to go get a snack, I can pause the movie and find lots of things in the pantry (I almost typed panty) for less than $8.
 
Well, I do not care how much people talk about Gravity, but I am going to see it on DVD.

And about Sandra Bullock being hot, not being one who reads People though I have seen her in a few movies, I had to look up her age. 49. A youngster.

And while I am at it, I looked up Daryl Hannah, as she was mentioned recently in another thread (Blade Runner). Hannah is 52, but she looked old in a recent movie.

Ah, and then in Alien, another science fiction, Sigourney Weaver was hot then. She's 64 now. Gulp!
 
I go to see 1 or 2 movies a year with my GF. My growing pet peeve about movies is the longer and longer set of previews of ads and other announcements they show before the movie itself begins. They now add 15 even 20 minutes to the total time you are in the theater. Add to that the 10 or 15 minutes you spend at the theater before its postedd start time so you can get your choice of decent seats and a movie like "Lincoln" with its 2 1/2 hour running time has you in the theater for 3 hours! Why do they have to show ADS for products and 7 or 8 previews for other movies? Back in the 1980s and 1990s you had 2 or 3 previews, no ads, and very quick PSAs so the total pre-movie fluff lasted maybe 5 minutes.

As for distractions we tend to go during down times to minimize the chance of encountering distracting patrons and can distance ourselves from them. Back in the 1980s and early 1990s the problem was with smokers lighting up when theaters went smoke-free so sadly there will always be morons in the theaters with new ways to annoy others.

We haven't decided if we will see Gravity although Sandra Bullock in panties may get ME in there LOL!
 
scrabbler1 said:
We haven't decided if we will see Gravity although Sandra Bullock in panties may get ME in there LOL!
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I do enjoy the si-fi movies, and even most of the outlandish special effects - "suspend disbelief" - and SB in panties might get me in there for a matinee. Although of course I would never tell DW that was the draw.:LOL:
 
They make very few movies for adults anymore. I guess they think there is no money in it. I don't know if that's true. It might be. Last movie I went to see was Lincoln. Before that, it was Seabiscut I think. I enjoy realism and historical events. Not big on the popular mystical movies.
 
A bunch of retiree's complaining about kids these days? Say it isn't so.

j/k. I have a PJ at home, but I like going to the theater when I can. My kids are 5 & 8, so that limits how much we go. I make a point of going to the drive in every summer. We may need to get a sitter to give Gravity a look.
 
modhatter said:
They make very few movies for adults anymore. I guess they think there is no money in it. I don't know if that's true. It might be. Last movie I went to see was Lincoln. Before that, it was Seabiscut I think. I enjoy realism and historical events. Not big on the popular mystical movies.
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I thought Lee Daniels' The Butler and 42 were both very good - old style movie stories with a minimum of special effects. There are some good movies for our generation out they, it is just that you need to chose carefully.

I like the heavy CGI/special effect movies like Ironman, Superman, recent Bond movies, etc. but I like the story-type movies better. I read in the WSJ that part of the driving force behind the higher doses of special effects and CGI and less dialogue is to attract foreign audiences whose first language is not english like the Chinese - and they like the special effects/CGI better as well.
 
NW-Bound said:
Well, I do not care how much people talk about Gravity, but I am going to see it on DVD.

And about Sandra Bullock being hot, not being one who reads People though I have seen her in a few movies, I had to look up her age. 49. A youngster.
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Sandra Bullock might be 49, except when she took that NASA spacesuit off and she had spandex shortie shorts on her butt looked like it was 29....... Unless it was a "stand-in" butt!

Gravity is a must see in 3D on a big screen. DVD on TV doesn't do it justice.

FTR - I'd guess watch 15-25 movies a year in the theater and three times that on DVD ( or streaming) at home.
 
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We went and saw Gravity tonight.
The theater had a mix of people in it.

It was the best experience I've had at the movies in years. Not a person was talking or texting or what not. I think everyone was hypnotized by the movie.
 
I haven't experienced the unruly crowds but my avoidance of Hollywood blockbuster films is probably why.

We typically go to a neighborhood cinema, not a chain, so very few ads, only a couple of previews, and reasonable volume.

Then I went to a chain cinema last year to see, of all things, a kids movie with my son. We had to leave during the previews it was so loud. I can't believe people put up with that. I simply couldn't do it, even if they were paying me.

As far as ads go - what really irks me is ads on a DVD I paid for...


Now get off my lawn!
 
Properly handled - ooops, exercised - a 50-year-old butt can look quite a bit better than a 29-year-old one.

The face is the weak spot, since it gets all that sun exposure. There are exercises for the face, but they are not as effective (alas) and I can spot facial "work" a mile away...

Amethyst

Al in Ohio said:
Sandra Bullock might be 49, except when she took that NASA spacesuit off and she had spandex shortie shorts on her butt looked like it was 29....... Unless it was a "stand-in" butt!

Gravity is a must see in 3D on a big screen. DVD on TV doesn't do it justice.

FTR - I'd guess watch 15-25 movies a year in the theater and three times that on DVD ( or streaming) at home.
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Al in Ohio said:
Sandra Bullock might be 49, except when she took that NASA spacesuit off and she had spandex shortie shorts on her butt looked like it was 29....... Unless it was a "stand-in" butt!
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One must remember that she was in zero gravity so the normal sagging doesn't show.:LOL:
 
I go to the movies regularly and prefer to go alone. I choose a weekday to avoid crowds and buy my ticket within 1 hour of the show. I choose a seat that is not near to any seats taken. I just went to watch Gravity today. Fabulous movie - a class of its own. I hope Sandra Bullock wins an award for her great performance.
 
Ha! A bunch of geezers dreaming about SB's butt!

Sorry to disappoint y'all, but I have read that body doubles are used very often in movies. And it does not matter whether the stars are "qualified" themselves or not. You see, actors/actresses already work long hours, and even a few seconds of a "butt shot" may require many takes. A body double is used to relieve the stress of the highly-paid stars.

Here's an example. Remember the exotic dance in True Lies where Jamie Lee Curtis performed for Schwarzenegger? Body double, as I happened to read about recently.
 
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We went to a midweek matinee showing of The Butler a few weeks ago, I think the third time this entire year, assuming the theater would be almost empty and quiet.

Wrong. There were a total of four other people in the theater, all mature adults, but one couple, who we were seating near, were apparently new to each other, and proceeded to do all but neck through the entire movie. I finally leaned over to the man and said "Buddy, come on, get a room would ya?" They then stopped, perhaps a bit embarrassed by their behavior as mature 50+ year old adults.

I'm a women, and I'm pretty good at striking the right tone without offending, so I got away with it, but their behavior definitely ruined the experience and I likewise think we've given up on going to the movies.
 
scrabbler1 said:
My growing pet peeve about movies is the longer and longer set of previews of ads and other announcements they show before the movie itself begins.
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Ads! I was dumbfounded the first time they made me watch freaking TV commercials as a captive audience. I mute every single commercial at home, and I just can't stand having them forced on me at an unreasonable volume. I used to live in a city that opened a new theater that had a policy of never showing commercials before their shows, so on the rare occasion DW and I went to a theater we drove an extra 10 miles to patronize them.
 
we went to see Gravity in an Imax 3D theater last week. Probably the first time we've been in a movie theater in a year or more. We were the first ones in the theater, so I chose some excellent seats right in the center. A few minutes later a group of 5 younger people (20s maybe) came in, and sat directly behind us. They were talking, texting, laughing, etc. Then more people came in and sat right next to us, same behavior. I was getting pretty cranky about it, but we were still in the commercials and previews, so I didn't say anything.

However, as soon as the movie started everybody got totally quiet. The only outburst in the entire movie came from DW, who got overly excited at a certain point in the movie. She was suitably embarrassed. I was quite pleasantly surprised, as I had already steeled myself for the confrontation. I still wish the others had left at least one row or a couple seats between us and themselves. You know, elevator etiquette, where everyone goes to a separate corner until the elevator becomes so crowded it doesn't matter. But I guess it was all due to my skill in picking the best seats in the house.

Overall, a peasant experience. But not one I'm going to repeat often. 2 tickets and a medium soft drink came to nearly $40. Back to library DVDs for me.
 
With aristocrat prices. :cool:

Amethyst

harley said:
Overall, a peasant experience....2 tickets and a medium soft drink came to nearly $40. Back to library DVDs for me.
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NW-Bound said:
Ha! A bunch of geezers dreaming about SB's butt!

Sorry to disappoint y'all, but I have read that body doubles are used very often in movies. And it does not matter whether the stars are "qualified" themselves or not. You see, actors/actresses already work long hours, and even a few seconds of a "butt shot" may require many takes. A body double is used to relieve the stress of the highly-paid stars.

Here's an example. Remember the exotic dance in True Lies where Jamie Lee Curtis performed for Schwarzenegger? Body double, as I happened to read about recently.
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As long as it's a good looking female butt, who cares?
 
HFWR said:
As long as it's a good looking female butt, who cares?
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Apparently DH is an expert on Sandra's buttocks (get it?) and he swears that is really her, okay maybe based on the filming without edits more than his knowledge of her assets.

There is a pretty good mystery movie, Body Double, that is rather steamy in its storyline; some of you guys might enjoy researching the topic.
 
HFWR said:
As long as it's a good looking female butt, who cares?
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But that was my point! Stop fantasizing that's SB you are seeing.

There's a lot of nice body parts that one will miss, if he's too prejudiced and does not keep his eyes peeled. :cool:

Well, at my age, and reduced hormone level despite being repeatedly accused of being the reverse due to my active investment style, I am no longer that interested in this stuff.
 
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