By TYLER PATRICK
Going to the movies is common among people of all ages, whether it is for the classic “Dinner and a Movie” date or for a “Night on the Town” with friends.
For a frequent movie-goer, it is clear how highly untrained the human population is about how to act during a movie. There are simple rules that must be followed while sitting through a flick on the big screen.
One of the most irritating things one can witness while attempting to watch a movie is the flash of light from somebody’s cell phone screen. When one’s cell phone light turns on, it distracts audience members nearby from the movie as this one small light has just appeared in the middle of a pitch black theater. It is understood that this generation of kids can’t live without their cell phones for more than a few minutes. However, if one’s cell phone must be used during the flick, the smartest thing to do would be to get up and walk outside the theater to use it. Before the film begins, one should also remember to silence his cell phone because even the slight sound of a vibration is irritating to people who paid to see a movie.
During a recent outing to see Justin Bieber: Never Say Never in 3D, this movie-goer became more annoyed with the teenage girl sitting behind him than the lot of young girls who screamed every time Bieber appeared on screen. A teenage girl talked throughout the entire film about how Bieber was her “baby” and nobody else’s. This would have been a little more tolerable if she didn’t sing along to all of Bieber’s songs too. It’s understood that you know the words but please have respect for the other people viewing the movie.
Talking during a movie is one of the most aggravating things a person can do as it prevents the rest of the audience from paying attention and being able to understand what’s going on during the film. Movie goers should realize that silence is key at the movies.
Talking to the movie though is even more aggravating, take Scary Movie 2 for example where Brenda interrupts the entire movie by yelling at the girl on the screen and treating the characters like they are friends, as well as telling everybody the ending because “her girlfriend had already seen it” which irritates the rest of the audience and eventually causes them to cheer when the “killer” stabs Brenda to death. This instance takes the consequences to a comical extreme, but it shows that her commentary was not needed for the movie and neither is anybody else’s.
One thing that really distracts the audience is the “late arrival” crew. When people arrive late to a movie, it causes the audience to immediately look over and see who failed to come into the theater on time. One should realize that the movie starts at a set time for a reason, if he can’t make it before the movie begins then he shouldn’t arrive at all.
When watching a movie, one tries to settle back in the reclining theater chair. However, that becomes difficult when people behind him decide to kick and prop up their feet, either on the actual chair or next to it, putting feet in somebody else’s face is not cool. There are ways to make oneself, and the people around them, comfortable. If putting up one’s feet is a must, then try sitting by the bar at the bottom to prop your feet on it or sit behind an empty seat at the top. Making decisions like these saves other people the irritation and makes them as comfortable as possible.
Another discomfort that appears during a movie is that of people walking directly in front of the screen. There are easy and simple ways to avoid blocking the screen for a bathroom break. Try ducking and moving across the floor quickly or staying along the aisle, which usually has a quick escape to the lobby.
People attending a movie need to realize that it’s not all about them. As a public place there needs to be courteous to others; it makes the atmosphere about a billion times better. If one realizes that he is not an appropriate addition to the theater, then he needs to wait until the movie releases on DVD to see it because other people’s experiences shouldn’t be ruined by one person’s bad judgment.