Monday, December 6, 2010

Monday Movie Meme - Don't You Just Hate That?


The movie industry has been crying in its beer over the last few years, claiming that people just aren't leaving their homes to see movies these days. The powers seem to believe that if they make better movies, the paying public will come. We know the real reason though, don't we? It is expensive. It cost the Nawrots over 80 bucks to see Toy Story 3 3D Imax, with snacks. Insane! It is a 3 hour commitment. It is a hassle, especially when Netflix comes right to your door. Then there are the undesirables that sit behind you and talk the entire time. The Bumbles want to know what our biggest pet peeves are. My husband decided to weigh in on the subject as well. Now you would think we would be complaining about the talkers, but not so. Here are the things that spoil our good time:

Husband's Pet Peeve - Food Residuals. Old food smells. Sticky floors. Greasy armrests. It makes his skin crawl. In the new, fancy schmancy theaters, this isn't always an issue. But in a dollar theater? Eeeewwww. My movie-addicted daughter won't even go.

Sandy's Pet Peeve - Technical difficulties. It doesn't happen often, but when it happens, I want to fly into a rage. For all of you that have seen Memento, imagine having the film STOP right in the middle. The theater gave us passes to come back another night. This did not make me happy. Or how about not having audio for 10 minutes in the middle of The Blind Side? We only got free drinks from that one. Maddening. And there are many irritations that are endured without compensation...crackly audio, jumpy video, too loud, too soft.

So now is the time for you to vent. What drives you crazy at the movies?



23 comments:

Kathy said...

Speaking of technical difficulties--I remember one movie where it suddenly looked like a dust bunny gone wild had attached itself to the projector. There was some sort of long, feathery, twitchy shadow draped across the face of the handsome male lead during his heartfelt declarations of love. I almost wondered if a spider had decided to build a web across the window of the projection room. It seemed like it took the theater at least ten minutes to notice and brush it away.

Kaye said...

TOO DAMN LOUD! I swear my ears hurt in the theater. You're right about the sticky floors, etc. Ugh!!

rhapsodyinbooks said...

Three things drive me crazy, and get me to dragging my husband from seat to seat (which drives HIM crazy): people talking, people with giant heads/hair sitting RIGHT in front of me in spite of empty seats all around, and people with overwhelming perfume sitting too close to me. We mostly stick to Netflix!!!

bermudaonion said...

People texting other people! Oh, and someone's cell phone ringing - I've actually heard someone answer their phone in the theater and proceed to tell the caller that she was at the movies.

Zibilee said...

Others talking during the movie and snack prices are the things that keep me away from the theater. A few lousy popcorns and drinks can cost 30 dollars, which I think is ridiculous. Also, I can't count how many movies have been ruined for me by talkative people who feel the need to reveal the plot points just minutes before they are revealed. I would rather stay at home and watch movies in the comfort of my bed!

Natalie~Coffee and a Book Chick said...

Your reasons are some of the ones that I prefer Netflix! Here was one of my last movie visits (other than Harry Potter, of course). My husband and I went to see The Omen remake with Liev Schrieber that came out on 6/6/2006 -- and we went to the last show of the night, around 10ish. I adore babies, but...someone actually brought their baby to this movie...I'm talking about a baby that couldn't have been more than a few months old. To The Omen!! Very, very distracting crying...

Jessica said...

My husband refuses to go to the cinema anymore because of the audience itself. Why on earth do people have long conversations during films?

For me its because the films are always about 3 hours long now, what happened to the old days when films for 1 1/2 - 2 hours?

Anonymous said...

Ewww, like Kathy I can't stand people texting. Drives me crazy. Why are you at the movies if you you're not going to pay attention. Arg!!

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Tech difficulties is high on my list, but I'd say #1 is people repeatedly kicking my seat. Seriously, I'm right here, I can feel that! Talking and babies are a few other annoying elements.

Alyce said...

The annoying talking person sitting right behind me analyzing the film throughout. This happened for the entirety of Titanic - the old man behind me commenting on every aspect (and always coming back to how he though that Kate's chest was augmented "those can't be real!"). Many glares, shushes and even his wife saying "honey they're telling you to be quiet" didn't make a bit of difference to him.

Oh, and at the last theater we went to almost all of the seats were broken in the back two rows.

Heidenkind said...

It is really inconvenient to go to the movies. I think the thing that bothers me the most is when I have to go to the bathroom but I can't because I'm hemmed in by all those people! Plus you don't want to miss the movie you just paid too much to see.

And I agree with Kaye, it's too loud.

Jenners said...

It has to be the talkers ... especially the ones who don't stop despite my turning around sevearal times, giving them pointed stares and saying "Sssssehhhh."

Lee said...

Technical difficulties indeed! When we went to see Shine, the film caught fire. Not once but twice. I still feel like I need to see that film.

Darlene said...

Ugggh, technical problems really irk me but so do dirty theatres. I don't like either. I stopped going to many movies when they sky rocketed in price. It's a pretty expensive outing for a family for sure.

Ti said...

The worst technical issue we've experienced was when the sound did not match what was happening on screen. It was off by about 8 seconds. We found this really funny when Fred yelled, "Wilma!" in the Flintstones and we heard it 8 seconds later.

Trisha said...

The light from cell phones. Those brilliantly bright screens are little beacons of distraction, and I would really like to cram them down the owners throat.

Snoring would have to be my biggest pet peeve though. It has only happened once, but no lie, this man fell asleep and proceeded to snore through a giant chunk of the movie. I wish I had been brave enough to go wake him up. I refused to leave to go find an usher.

Teacher/Learner said...

Two words: sticky floors. Enough said :D

Iliana said...

The price is what drives me crazy! haha... For $10 a movie per person that better be a good movie. And, I really hate noisy people. I don't want to see lights (from cell phones, etc. and I don't want to hear any other noises. Just the movie please.

Oh and one time I had a chick next to me filing her nails. I about lost it!

Melody said...

Definitely the talkers! Another thing that drives me crazy is having a couple to sit beside you whispering and giggling all the time while they make out.

The Bumbles said...

We went to see Dead Man Walking and in the middle of it there was a fire alarm and we all had to go stand outside in the alley in the freezing cold. Then we came back in and they had a hard time remembering exactly where things had left off. It was annoying and certainly disrupted the mood of the movie.

Care said...

Unfortunately, my current pet peeve is that I have TOO FAR to go to the movies. WHen I lived in KCMO, I had choices of many theatres but now in hicksville south of Boston, too few cinemas and even fewer NICE ones (stadium seats).

caite said...

sticky floors are bad. you start to wonder...

but still, Netflix might be great, I still love going to a movie theater.

Kathleen said...

People talking during the movie is my number #1 pet peeve!