To Find this Woman in the Cinema Rude

[LessMissAbs]

Me and my friend were watching a film in the cinema tonight. She doesn't wear a watch and must have been checking her phone for the time - its a habit of hers to do this, or to ask people the time. I was sitting next to her and I didn't notice it.

There was an empty seat to her other side between her and a woman. The woman suddenly boomed out in the middle of the film, "If you want to play your phone, you can go outside and do it instead of in here".

It was mortifying, and she interrupted the film for me. I was really embarrassed for my friend, but we didn't say anything.

At the end of the film, as we were standing up to leave, I said to the woman "I don't really care if you were disturbed by a light during the film or not, I don't want to have to the film interrupted by your booming voice". She then started arguing back (she said something like "Oh you'd like to be a cheeky one, wouldn't you, and some other stuff) but we turned our backs towards her and her husband so that she was talking to ourselves, put on our coats and left.

Kind of ruined the film for both of us. Normally I find going to the cinema relaxing!

Actually Harold that light is representative of how bright a phone screen is. I have a Galaxy s4 and in a dark room my screen is extremely bright and its not even set at the highest screen brightness

That phone must have had some beam then Maryz because the bawling woman wasn't even sitting next to her. Where can you buy these phones, because I've tried using my IPhone as a torch and its beyond useless.

LittleMissSunshine as a pcso you should be aware this is a civil matter and up to interpretation. However loud shouting may be a breach of the peace in the right circumstances. I have yet to here of a brief beam of light from a mobile phone being a breach of the peace.

And yes, I find shouting in a cinema more annoying (and more prolonged) than a quite checking of a phone.

I'm mindful of the ads telling us to switch our phones off and am grateful for the one with the cartoon snake telling us thieves are silent in a public space, though I always keep my handbag on my lap and picked up my purse the instant I dropped it, even though it got me ticked off by a member of the phone posse

But I've never seen an ad telling people to get to their seats promptly rather than fucking around buying Coke and popcorn and nachos and disturbing the rest of us who can cope with a two-hour break without food and drink.

I think that might be something to do with the fact that cinema popcorn is more profitable than oil. Therefore I'd take the cinema companies' view on it with a pinch of salt.

DVD night and a bottle of wine anyone?

Ah Galaxy S4. Is that Samsung?

Did you ask the guy what phone he had Maryz?

OP still refusing to answer my question so I give up because it says alot more than her not answering it.

But I've never seen an ad telling people to get to their seats promptly rather than fucking around buying Coke and popcorn and nachos and disturbing the rest of us who can cope with a two-hour break without food and drink.

In fact, Cineworld runs one between the ads and the trailers, saying "There's still time for a coke"

And yes, the profit margin on popcorn is insane

...but there's no profit at the box office so they have to make it somewhere

If this was on the basis of someone surreptitiously checking the time on a phone a few times, it comes off a bit like peddling your virtuous old-world manners. I do not agree with taking strangers to task over an isolated breach. Is this not attention-seeking behavior?

I can last 2 hours without popcorn and a coke. But I still get them because going to the cinema is supposed to be a bit of fun.

People coming to their seats after you really isn't a big deal, is it?

OP it is not up for interpretation because the cinema's rules are clear cut TURN YOUR PHONE OFF - OFF means OFF not get it out and check the time. Cinema's have every right to throw you out for that behaviour.

Again if everything is now up for intrepretation than why bother stopped at red lights when driving?

I agree Crowler. It's not like she was playing candy crush.

I think the OP is having a ball at everyone's expense. I think she likes a bit of a ruckus.

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/advertising-app-that-sends-sonic-messages-from-the-big-screen-has-cinemas-asking-please-switch-on-your-phone-9039196.html

That phone is utterly amazing. Look how it lights up the rows of seats 2 rows behind, missing out the guy to the right behind the woman! It must be able to select who it lights up in a cinema.

Checking the time on your phone and going through a red light are a little different.

No one can die from you checking the time.

haha Maryz I know

That would be criminal law LittleMissSunshine. Not civil law. There is a difference between committing a crime and briefly and quietly using a phone in a cinema.

Haha. Not just a reverse AIBU, but a beautiful drip-feed as well!

OP: Was this woman who told my friend off for playing about with her phone in the cinema unreasonable? And was it ok for me to tell her I didn't care that she was disturbed by the flashing phone light afterwards?

90% of MN: Yes, you were BU.

OP: [disregards feedback as everyone's too uptight] 'but, but my friend works for the EU! And she's in her 30s! And the woman had no finesse, and was pre-irritated.... and racist!'

It's so simple.

1. Mobile phones have to be off in cinemas because they're distracting.

1. Your friend used her phone - you don't KNOW what she was doing, and you don't KNOW how long it took, as you say you didn't notice it happening. Someone sitting at a different angle clearly did.

1. A woman then asked your friend to stop using the phone as it was disturbing. She may have 'boomed', but she wouldn't have had to say anything if your friend had followed the rules, would she?

1. You then brought it up again with the woman much later and told her you didn't care whether your friend's disregard for cinema rules disturbed her viewing.

Tbh I think the only reason this thread's kept going so long is the bizarre spectacle of the OP's relentless protestations that her friend disturbing other people in a cinema is just fine and dandy. Maryz is quite right; if this had been posted in Chat it would have made more sense.

Why post in AIBU, OP, if you're so certain you're right?

No LessMissAbs your interpreting that pic to suit your purpose.

The light behind the guy is coming from the film projector anyone who goes to the cinema knows that

Late response here- your friend was extremely rude and you were ruder. You should have been apologising not having a pop. You sound like teenagers having a school night out- get a grip and some manners. I feel sorry for the poor woman.

No, LittleMissSunshine the light from that supposed phone really does light up the person 2 rows behind the woman but not the man 1 row behind. The light somehow manages to jump over the top of him

As a pcso, I assume you are familiar with interpreting evidence? Wheres your evidence the film projector is providing the light and not another source, purposely provided to make the phone appear much brighter than it is. ie special effects.

OP

Surely it's for the friend to get upset if the other woman was talking to her? She wasn't even talking to you, so you sound even more odd by getting agitated by something that wasn't even anything to do with you.

LessMissAbs I was addressing your point that your intepret simple instructions to be something other than a simple instruction

You say turning your phone off means different things to you so I then pointed out that since you interpret a simple instruction to mean something else then you would do the same about a red light telling you to stop.

God your so bloody annoying to be honest I never met someone so stupid, arrogant, self centered and add any manner of other adjectives here.

You wont answer my question its a yes or no question but no you have to interpret that into something else entirely. you start a post and refuse to listen to other people, you story changes so much its laughable now really