to think someone has thrown cinema etiquette away into a galaxy farfarfar away?

[ChaosTrulyReigns]

Just abysmal behaviour.

Walking.

Talking.

Crying.

Crinkling.

Straw jiggling.

Notsofarking Smartphone fiddling.

Kicknig.

Piggy backs.

And the worse evah which was new on me today:

dun
dun
dun

a toddler with lightup trainers kicking their own feet the whole way through to see the pwetty fleashing.

Gah.

Gah.

Gah.

and fource gah.

The theater audiences are getting as bad. Talking, slurping and noisy eating. It ruins the experience for me. There should be a code of conduct with on the spot fines for any infringement.

I only ever go to little independent cinemas now - can't bear the big Odeon chains.

Last time I was in one I asked a young girl to not talk loudly on her mobile during the film and she said 'FUCK OFF YOU POSH BITCH!' Wanted to watch a film makes me posh apparently.

The coughing chorus in theatres really pisses me off too......I'm getting old

I saw 'The Cherry Orchard' at the Crucible in Sheffield - Joanna Lumley was Madame Ranevskaya.

Someone's mobile started ringing during the performance and Lumley paused mid-speech and turned to glare at them for what seemed a very long ten seconds. Glad it wasn't me. That was the best bit of the evening, though - Lumley gave another performance of 'Joanna Lumley'.

I agree about the theatre sue. I was trying to concentrate on Lee Mead in his loincloth while the lady next to me hoovered up After Eights.

What really puts me off going to the cinema is that you pay an absolute bloody fortune and then they very often don't even show the film in the correct aspect ratio or it's out of bloody focus. Even if you complain they don't do anything to change it and eventually a manager might agree to give you free passes so you can come and see it again/something else where it's all fuzzy or people's heads get cut off the top of the screen.

And it is always too bloody loud.

When the cinema clearly don't care about showing a film properly, it seems almost reasonable that the audience will behave dreadfully throughout.

Beyond a galaxy far far away and on into the irretrievable abyss of a Black Hole.

In certain cinemas in S London people make and take calls on their phones throughout - especially Dads taking kids to kids films - they don't give a monkeys about anyone else's quality of experience or respect their kids enjoyment of the film

Last time I toook DS to the cinema we moved because the adults in the row behind rummaged really noisily in their vast vats of popcorn just at the level of our ears.

Ah, as we're moaning about cinemas in/near Newcastle, I'll name and shame.

The gate - every single time it's in the wrong aspect ratio. Every time. The staff are friendly though.

The odeon at the metrocentre: really out of focus. Went out half way through to complain and no one did anything to improve things.

DH claims that the Tyneside is better (I think he went with the kind of posh blokes who'd complain about not being able to see the credits), but I've never been. I only go to the cinema with the kids. If I want to see something, I'll wait for the bluray.

Last time I went, we saw the last LOTR film. This woman had taken her 8yo, and explained EVERYTHING! I got so fucked off, I turned round and told her to shut the fuck up! she did have the good grace to apologise, and did actually shut up though. [scary bitch emoticon]

When I went to see the last LOTR film with my 8 year old dd I ended up telling a group of teens to shut up or leave. They shut up.

I am revisiting the Gate later (as it is cheap Tuesday) . I have never noticed the aspect ratio being wrong before but will look out for it this time.

I guess it would really need the cinemas themselves to be clear about what standards of behaviour are required. For example, with a notice on the door saying that use of mobile phones and Ipads are not permitted and anyone doing this, or indulging in other anti-social behaviour, will be asked to leave.

Perhaps that's unlikely though, unless it became clear to them that tolerance of bad behaviour was having an adverse effect on their receipts.

I find it quite irritating when people just get up and go as soon as the credits start rolling. Not everyone is interested in the details of who was the chief grip or catering manager, but some are, and it is part of the experience. (I presonally take a somewhat infantile delight in looking for funny names.) Also I think the credits provide a useful period of readjustment between the end of the film and emerging onto the street.

There's a public info film shown sometimes about not using mobile devices in the cinema.

I've been to the cinema once since feb 2002
I just watch it at home later

I think it could be the small fancy cinemas at the gate that are the problem. They 'upgrade' you to them for free if you book online, but then everything is in the wrong aspect ratio.

Although, I heard a programme on radio 4 about projectionists recently which suggested that out of focus films/films shown in the wrong aspect ratio is a very widespread phenomenon now in digital cinemas.

There never seems to be a problem with the aspect ratio or focus on the adverts though...

The people making the adverts they show about cinemas closing down etc, should probably look at this thread and think about the multitude of reasons that are not piracy why people might not want to pay £10+ each to go to the cinema.

It's only £3.50 each on Tuesdays.

I never bother with upgrades and always go for the standard seats, which is what I prefer.

The cinema experience that put the tin lid on it was going to see The King's Speech. The place was full of people who should have known better, eating, talking,l ooking at their phones, commenting on the action, going back and fore to the loo etc. For a film that depends so much on silence and tension, it was infuriating. I am also not afraid of telling people to shush, but why should I feel I have to?
For this reason we have installed a proper home cinema: HD projector, screen, blu-ray, the lot.The films we watch tend not to be 3D jobs anyway.
We might be behind the curve on releases but it is the future. Would recommend. (And the refreshments, so-called, are cheaper).

I am a support worker and take a young man to the cinema every week. We went to see Snow White and the Huntsman last week, and a crowd of 12/13 year olds laughed and giggled through the movie. Two older teenage girls sat near us told them to stfu. They ignored them till I gave my best evil glare and told them if they didn't shut it, and I would go and get a Manager. Eventually they settled down.

Cos I go every week, I am not slow in complaining. Saying that, I have only had to complain twice this year. :o

Last time we went, it was v v cheap but every drunk/tramp for miles had come in for a warm and started chatting to each other, coughing their lungs up etc whilst leaning over the back row of the seats, stinking of booze and piss. The staff did nothing about it.

Fluffiphlox: the seats are probably more comfortable too.

and you can pause/rewind the film too! Try asking them to do that in the Odeon. I heard the radio programme mentioned upthread about projectionists. There really isn't such a thing anymore just people to press a button. I must admit my in-house projectionist is very obliging! :)

Yes, but they do have to ensure that the settings are correct before pressing the button. Alas, they quite often fail to do so. And, because there is no projectionist there to spot problems or fix things, the entire film then gets shown in the wrong aspect ratio or out of focus. Indeed, every screening of that film in that cinema might get shown badly if no one actually sorts the settings before pressing the button.

The last time we went to the cinema it was to see Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows.

A row of older teenagers came and sat behind us, then moved four more times before the film started. They ended up right on the front row and in prime position to annoy every other person there.

There was kissing, fighting, swearing, drinking, texting, photo taking with their phones, calls being made, calls being received, pushing, swapping seats within the row, more swearing, things being thrown. Someone asked them to be quiet when the film started but they told him to fuck off and carried on as they were.

So I complained. It was my first cinema trip for three years and they were not one of them watching the film.

They were made to leave, which made me feel only slightly guilty but even that stopped when one of them shouted "I paid five quid for this and some bastard's got me thrown out." We'd paid double that, each, just to get in so my heart wasn't bleeding for them.

And it's the first time I've ever heard an audience at the cinema applaud, which this one did as the whole row of eight teenagers trooped out to annoy somebody else.

Yes, Damsel I was agreeing with you, you're quite right. (Sorry sounds sarky but not intending to be)

I have no hesitation in complaining about behaviour in the cinema. Fine during the ads but if it continues into the film, then I get people thrown out and do not feel the slightest tinge of guilt about it.

They are good at getting rid on nuisances at the Gate.

Well said manic