comment #1

rgmax99 says ...

Was at the 11:35 am showing of The Wrestler at the AMC Empire 25 today off Times Square, and two idiot fuckwads sitting next to me wouldn't stop talking and laughing through the ENTIRE FUCKING MOVIE.

Having a gun on me would have been tempting...

comment #2

jbf81 says ...

LOL, thats bizarre. I hate people talking in cinemas, but I am getting used to lack of good maners

comment #3

Josh Massey says ...

I threw a full Sprite at a guy who wouldn't stop talking and laughing during a serious drama. Three rows behind me, and it hit him square in the chest. He immediately left the theater, and nobody ever appeared to kick me out.

Later, I realized I should have at least checked the guy's size before I acted. I got lucky.

comment #4

crsryan says ...

Here in NYC, the talkers aren't even subtle anymore. I've even seen what I'd describe as a party environment in the theater, with people standing as they talk, moving around freely and having movie-length cell conversations.

Whatever happened to those no-tolerance-for-bullshit luxury theaters we were supposed to get?

comment #5

BurmaShave says ...

Should have thrown a shoe.

comment #6

Chase Kahn says ...

I see BUTTON's profound and moving subject matter is wearing off on people...

Great movie, though.

comment #7

Pelham123 says ...

Josh wrote: "Later, I realized I should have at least checked the guy's size before I acted."

Yep, that's the danger in acting on these kind of annoyances as in a pitch black theater you have no idea what's awaiting you in the dark. I'll bet that felt good throwing a Sprite in high & tight.

comment #8

Hallick says ...

Christ. Shooting him in the arm won't shut a guy up. You gotta graze the skull or nick the vocal chords.

In real life, the gunman's a whack job that could've killed an innocent bystander easier than winging the talker. But in my own imagination, I'm laughing at the idea that he didn't even look away from the movie, but instead pulled out the gun, pointed it behind him in the direction of the sound, and fired. But only between the dialogue!

comment #9

Emmanuel_Goldstein says ...

Sweet Jesus I've felt like shooting a few moviegoers in my time...

comment #10

nemo says ...

I went to a theater once that played a "don't talk during the movie" short in which the cowboys in the movie got so fed up with an audience member who wouldn't shut up that they stopped shooting at each other and started shooting through the fourth wall at the blabbermouth.

Since it was played for comedy. the cowboys only shot his popcorn and soft drink out of his hands. It got a small round of applause from the audience. But if they'd had the guts to actually explode a few squibs of movie blood on the talker, it would have gotten a standing ovation.

comment #11

Sabina E says ...

I applaud that man for taking action.

There is nothing more than I hate those kinds of rude, inconsiderate fuckwit assholes who ruin a good movie (or a play) for the rest of us becuase they decided that theyre bored, and want to talk through-out the whole film without bothering to get up and leave.

I really hate people so much.

I just saw Benjamin Button... what a beautiful movie. I was so moved to tears.

comment #12

corey3rd says ...

it was Eric Roth looking for the man who stole his millions!

comment #13

actionman says ...

Saw Button today. Wow. What a film. Fincher is on another level.

comment #14

Chase Kahn says ...

People don't even have to be talking to bother me -- I'm really vulnerable to this kind of thing.

I hate the way-too-loud-popcorn-eater who riffles through the bag like they're being timed.

I also hate the really-loud-breather, or the I-have-the-sniffles person.

The overlaugher is a killer, too. The first time I saw NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, there was an elderly gentleman (like 60 or so) that thought every line was the funniest thing he had ever heard and it got to the point where the line between drama and comedy became so blurred in his mind that he didn't know what to do but just laugh at everything.

"You can't stop what's coming"
-- "AH!!!! hahahah!!"

comment #15

Chase Kahn says ...

Well, actionman -- I suppose we can agree on something for once. I loved the story of the clockmaker at the beginning, and the way it sets up the final shot -- brilliant.

Slightly flawed movie, probably not the year's best, but terrific none the less.

comment #16

Phatang! says ...

My worst experience of a talker in a movie theater was when the talker was my date! She whispered in my ear the whole movie, and I had to respond! I've never been so tense in my life.

comment #17

LexG says ...

Christmas weekend must bring out ALL the idiots to the movies, especially those who don't usually go to movies. All grumpy and chatty and stuffed with turkey and trying to entertain the entire extended family.

For a devoted film geek, going to the multiplex this weekend is like a seasoned alcholic going to an Irish pub on St. Paddy's Day: Rank Fucking Amateur Night.

It's really amazing how infuriating audience misbehavior can be for those of us who take movies seriously. But I don't think most people care or notice. Think of yourself at, say, a Dodger game. Do you get worked up about dumb-ass behavior and stupid conversations and texters? I tend to think the dumb, annoying moviegoers see it as an experience not unlike a sporting event, and don't realize (or remotely care) it's like church for some of us.

Most people are just there to get the general jist of the plot and watch some shit blow up or have a laugh; I'm fairly certain 99% of people pay only superficial attention to the film's dialogue and even less to thinks like visuals and characterization. Hell, in a town like LA or NYC, a fair share of the audience might not even understand the language very well, but they just want to look at something for a few hours.

All I know is I wish I'd have chucked a sprite at the ASSHOLE who theater-hopped into my screening of MILK last week at the 80-MINUTE MARK, sat three seats away, and started making calls and texting, essentially using an auditorium of a movie he hadn't paid for and wasn't watching to serve as a kind of chilling spot-slash-personal office for an hour.

comment #18

LexG says ...

Chase Kahn, don't forget:

The candy-sucker who makes disgusting popping sounds.

The teeth-cleaner who sucks his tongue.

The snoring fat guy.

The guy by himself who still talks, saying shit like, "Huh!" and "Oh, shit!"

The restless leg fucker.

The fucks who sneak in an hour into the movie.

The overaffectionate girlfriend of the Guy Who Just Wants to Watch the Movie and keeps nuzzling him.

The people who CHEW THEIR ICE.

People who suddenly start eating candy or popcorn at the 30-minutes-to-go mark, just when the movie's all serious and hitting its stride.

The middle-aged man who parrots the dialogue he's hearing.

People who tap their feet, or who jiggle their flip-flop on and off their foot tapping the theater floor.

Teenage thug types with the deep, mocking laugh.

Guys who PLAY WITH THEIR FUCKING KEYS during the movie.

Nose breathers.

People who carry a fucking buffet of soda cans and meats and cheeses in a rattling Ralphs bag.

And many, many more...

comment #19

Matthew Lucas says ...

The guy by himself who still talks, saying shit like, "Huh!" and "Oh, shit!"

I know several critics who do that at press screenings and it drives me crazy. You would think that they of all people would know better, but I've had press screenings where I was more bothered at the people around me than commercial ones.

comment #20

BurmaShave says ...

We need MilkMan's perspective on this. I mean this is probably how his father died.

comment #21

Sabina E says ...

LexG, don't forget those annoying teenage morons who keep their cell phones glowing in the dark, which is so fucking distracting and keeps my eyes away from the movie screen.

it makes me want to call Jason Voorhees and have him come in to handle those kids.

comment #22

westegg says ...

Makes me so glad I have a comfy loveseat and a 50" plasma to watch movies in peace.

comment #23

Chase Kahn says ...

Then I guess you have no idea what anyone is talking about on this entire website, WESTEGG.

comment #24

Movie Watcher says ...

Could the theatres put a block on the cell phone reception? It is distracting to see a cell phone light while I'm trying to watch the movie. Maybe cameras with night-vision could be installed, then ushers can throw out these irresponsible idiots.

comment #25

MickTravisMcGee says ...

As much as I can't stand talkers in movies, shooting the guy effectively ended the movie for everyone -- the victim, the shooter, the audience who suddenly found themselves sitting in a crime scene. If the guy was going to shoot him he could've at least pistol whipped him first and dragged him out by the concession stand.

comment #26

Howlingman says ...

My wife and I made our way after some post Christmas shopping to the AMC on 42nd to check out a screening of VALKYRIE. The sidewalk outside was crammed with holiday mouthbreathers, the lobby was similarly crowded with MENSA graduates trying to figure out how to use the ticket machines. We exchanged glances and said "not this time."

For me, Mondays are the best days for movie watching. I'm lucky that I work from home so I have that luxury of choice -- seeing a movie on a weekend or evening has just become too fucking annoying. If I really want to see it, I'll hit the theater on a Friday, around 11am.

comment #27

MilkMan says ...

This is why I have been to the movies only twice this year. I hate sitting in a dark room with people who can't be quiet. This is why I rent every single movie I want to see and watch it in my fortress of solitude. When I do go to the movies I go the Arclight and sit as far away from everyone as possible. My dad was not killed in a movie theatre, but when I was a little boy he got into a fistfight with a guy who wouldn't stop talking during Diner, which we saw at the Mann Theatres, where the Whole Foods is now.

comment #28

westegg says ...

Chase Kahn....shhh! You're disturbing my watching of a movie!

comment #29

p.Vice says ...

Actually, I've always thought that tasers would be a good way to shut people up in the movie theater.

My worst audience experience was seeing Amistad in a packed room at NYC's Lincoln Square. Two militant, kill-the-white-people black guys sat right next to me -- the same kind of dudes who used to preach along 14th street around Union Square. They were openly cheering the first 15 minutes or so of the film when the slaves revolted like it was Independence Day. As tempted as I was to leave then, I'm glad I stuck it out, only because they were boiling mad by the time Hounsou became friends with the Hopkins, McConaughey, etc. There was no doubt that they had a worse time than I did!

comment #30

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