So last night I was watching Mission: Impossible — Fallout at Wilton’s Bowtie miniplex — all stretched out, no popcorn, my second viewing, happy. 15 or 20 minutes in the big HALO (high altitude low open) sequence begins — Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill diving through the lightning-bolt clouds and down into Paris. But just as Cruise jumped into the wild gray yonder, a 70something woman to my left got up and slowly shuffled out, presumably for the usual reason.
I’m sorry but this irritated me. The HALO sequence is one of the two big must-sees and this lady misses it after watching the film for 15 minutes? Who needs to hit the head this quickly? Answer: People for whom bladder control isn’t what it used to be, apparently. What a miserable way to live.
A couple of weeks ago I was complaining about 20somethings going for midpoint bathroom breaks because they’ve been chugging soft drinks from 32-ounce containers. But at least they’re staying with the film for the first 30 or 45 minutes. Said it before, can’t hurt to repeat: (1) Always attend to business before a film begins, and (2) if you have to drink something while watching a film, make it water and confine yourself to a few modest sips.