"Save your money and don’t buy concessions"
April 11, 2018 9:18 PM Subscribe
When 20-year-old Jade Vendivel went [to see The Quiet Place] with her roommate on Monday, she told The Washington Post she thought they were just going to be watching “another scary movie.” Vendivel admitted she was wrong, describing a theater that went “dead silent” after the previews ended.
“It got to the point where I could only put a piece of popcorn in my mouth every 10 minutes whenever the sound would get high enough,” said Vendivel, who lives in Los Angeles.
“Even then, I would have to hold the popcorn in my mouth until it was soft enough to chew without making any noise.” (alternate link)
I don't know about chewing of normal popcorn stuffs and I'm pretty tolerant of other movie goers but, I must admit, after a foursome of tweens moved up, after the movie started, into seats that were obviously not theirs (reserved seats but kinda empty theater so ok, no biggie), next to me, then cracked open mountain dew cans (obviously not from refreshment stand, but I get it, cheaper), then slurped said cans like my 1.5 year old does, then proceeded to over exaggeratedly react to everything up to and including calling one character or another 'retarded' at a volume more suitable for a football bleacher or mall parking lot gathering, and then the final straw was when one of them started playing with the electric recliners built into their seats.
I failed over into Dad mode and gave what I hope was a withering look as I got their attention with a loud "Hey man. Yes, you. You need to chill out." Where upon they muttered apologies, threw their friend under the bus with blaming hushes of their own, and melted under the sudden applause for my action from the rest of the theater.
What they were doing might have been tolerable in the opening weekend showing of Iron Person Atlantic Rim Impossible Mission of the Galaxy: FINAL DESTINATIONS but, I mean, the name of the movie is right there. It really is a movie that demands more than a modicum of quiet in the proper places.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:45 PM on April 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
I failed over into Dad mode and gave what I hope was a withering look as I got their attention with a loud "Hey man. Yes, you. You need to chill out." Where upon they muttered apologies, threw their friend under the bus with blaming hushes of their own, and melted under the sudden applause for my action from the rest of the theater.
What they were doing might have been tolerable in the opening weekend showing of Iron Person Atlantic Rim Impossible Mission of the Galaxy: FINAL DESTINATIONS but, I mean, the name of the movie is right there. It really is a movie that demands more than a modicum of quiet in the proper places.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:45 PM on April 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
The joy of living in LA is seeing movies with very, very quiet audiences, like at the DGA or the Arclight in Hollywood. People are really quiet, and usually wait for the entire credit crawl.
posted by Ideefixe at 10:20 PM on April 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Ideefixe at 10:20 PM on April 11, 2018 [17 favorites]
This is...dispelling my worries about actually watching this movie in theaters.
posted by figurant at 10:25 PM on April 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by figurant at 10:25 PM on April 11, 2018 [1 favorite]
Seconding the idea that LA is almost universally horrible to see smaller/medium music shows in because the audience is too cool for school, but christ is it usually blessedly silent for movie goings.
posted by drewbage1847 at 10:28 PM on April 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by drewbage1847 at 10:28 PM on April 11, 2018 [4 favorites]
This is...dispelling my worries about actually watching this movie in theaters.
Yeah, I used to love few things better than a spooky movie on the big screen. But it's gotten to where if I can't get to a lunchtime matinee with maybe only a couple of other patrons, it's not worth it. Feels like nobody knows how to let themselves get properly scared anymore. (If it's a sad movie, the onion on my belt makes me cry.)
A couple of years back, I was so excited to go to a screening of The Shining at our local restored movie palace. It's one of my favorites of any genre, partly because there's so much in it that helps me work through my own childhood traumas. It puts you into a dream state where you're doing more than just hearing and seeing what's on the screen; you're experiencing it yourself. Unfortunately, the rest of the packed house seemed to think they were watching Tom & Jerry Meet The Three Stooges.
That's why, earlier this year, I was leery when the local art house announced they were showing a restored HD print of Dario Argento's Suspiria, another lifelong favorite. I ended up going because somehow I ended up with discounted tickets. This audience was incredible, and really got it. I think the difference was that there was a short speech beforehand by someone who had been on the programming committee, a young Italian man who was very passionate about giallo books and movies, and an expert on Argento in particular. His enthusiasm couldn't help but rub off, and his expletive-peppered pep talk put the (multigenerational) audience in just the right mood.
I always buy concessions, even if it's something really small. The deals distribution companies have with the theaters are so one-sided that concessions are the only way the theater really make any significant money.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:24 AM on April 12, 2018 [13 favorites]
Yeah, I used to love few things better than a spooky movie on the big screen. But it's gotten to where if I can't get to a lunchtime matinee with maybe only a couple of other patrons, it's not worth it. Feels like nobody knows how to let themselves get properly scared anymore. (If it's a sad movie, the onion on my belt makes me cry.)
A couple of years back, I was so excited to go to a screening of The Shining at our local restored movie palace. It's one of my favorites of any genre, partly because there's so much in it that helps me work through my own childhood traumas. It puts you into a dream state where you're doing more than just hearing and seeing what's on the screen; you're experiencing it yourself. Unfortunately, the rest of the packed house seemed to think they were watching Tom & Jerry Meet The Three Stooges.
That's why, earlier this year, I was leery when the local art house announced they were showing a restored HD print of Dario Argento's Suspiria, another lifelong favorite. I ended up going because somehow I ended up with discounted tickets. This audience was incredible, and really got it. I think the difference was that there was a short speech beforehand by someone who had been on the programming committee, a young Italian man who was very passionate about giallo books and movies, and an expert on Argento in particular. His enthusiasm couldn't help but rub off, and his expletive-peppered pep talk put the (multigenerational) audience in just the right mood.
I always buy concessions, even if it's something really small. The deals distribution companies have with the theaters are so one-sided that concessions are the only way the theater really make any significant money.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:24 AM on April 12, 2018 [13 favorites]
Oooh, this is good to know. I'll wait to watch it at home even with the budgie bonus soundtrack. Audiences are so badly behaved. I had a hard time enjoying A Wrinkle in Time a couple of weeks ago. The audience was restless throughout. Near the end a couple walked in without realizing they were in the wrong movie, loudly complained that people were in their seats, eventually realized their mistake and walked out :P
posted by Calzephyr at 4:14 AM on April 12, 2018
posted by Calzephyr at 4:14 AM on April 12, 2018
Oh god I hate people so much I drive 10 miles out of the way to go to the outdated theatre that's totally empty on a Friday night opening. It's the best!
posted by LizBoBiz at 4:21 AM on April 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by LizBoBiz at 4:21 AM on April 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
> Calzephyr:
"Near the end a couple walked in without realizing they were in the wrong movie, loudly complained that people were in their seats, eventually realized their mistake and walked out :P"
Maybe they were tessering?!
posted by chavenet at 4:47 AM on April 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
"Near the end a couple walked in without realizing they were in the wrong movie, loudly complained that people were in their seats, eventually realized their mistake and walked out :P"
Maybe they were tessering?!
posted by chavenet at 4:47 AM on April 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
i do the link text all the time in theaters! - very conscious of the noises i make
(don't go to theaters often anymore)
posted by filtergik at 4:59 AM on April 12, 2018
(don't go to theaters often anymore)
posted by filtergik at 4:59 AM on April 12, 2018
There is a whole sub-set of the field of Sound Studies that focuses on silence and I bet they are having kittens right now.
posted by LMGM at 5:49 AM on April 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by LMGM at 5:49 AM on April 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
I live close to a big, shabby old London cinema famous for its 5 pound tickets and raucous crowd and, honestly? It's made me love movies again. 'It' was a real highlight - there's nothing like watching a schlocky, scary movie in a noisy crowd. If I want absolute silence while watching a film I'll watch it at home. It's a movie theatre, not church.
posted by nerdfish at 5:55 AM on April 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by nerdfish at 5:55 AM on April 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
I live close to a big, shabby old London cinema famous for its 5 pound tickets and raucous crowd and, honestly? It's made me love movies again. 'It' was a real highlight - there's nothing like watching a schlocky, scary movie in a noisy crowd. If I want absolute silence while watching a film I'll watch it at home. It's a movie theatre, not church.
I caught a midnight showing of An American Werewolf in London a couple of years ago and it was a blast for exactly this reason.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:02 AM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I caught a midnight showing of An American Werewolf in London a couple of years ago and it was a blast for exactly this reason.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:02 AM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
As stated in the article, the survivability of characters in this movie is all about sound (or lack there of).
So if your normal theater going experience is exceptionally quiet, it will likely even be more so, and if your typical theater going experience is raucous, well...it probably won't be for this one.
Also (and I know I'm really going out on the proverbial limb here) this movie rocks. And the sound that is in it is particularly great. When you remove most of the sound it really allows you to do some wonderful things with the sound you do choose to use. Krasinski has said he's not a horror fan but he seems to have absorbed some James Wan along the way. Masterful job for a first time director.
My only complaint without getting too deep into spoilers is there is an ever so faint but entirely rank whiff of Cloverfield about it (apparently it was originally going to be yet another member of the franchise).
posted by NervousVarun at 6:02 AM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
So if your normal theater going experience is exceptionally quiet, it will likely even be more so, and if your typical theater going experience is raucous, well...it probably won't be for this one.
Also (and I know I'm really going out on the proverbial limb here) this movie rocks. And the sound that is in it is particularly great. When you remove most of the sound it really allows you to do some wonderful things with the sound you do choose to use. Krasinski has said he's not a horror fan but he seems to have absorbed some James Wan along the way. Masterful job for a first time director.
My only complaint without getting too deep into spoilers is there is an ever so faint but entirely rank whiff of Cloverfield about it (apparently it was originally going to be yet another member of the franchise).
posted by NervousVarun at 6:02 AM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I basically don't see or hear about movies anymore, but now I want to see this. So uh, thanks for this ad, I guess?
(It brings to mind Bird Box, which is my favorite recent scary novel. Evidently soon-to-be a Netflix original? Hm.)
posted by uncleozzy at 6:10 AM on April 12, 2018
(It brings to mind Bird Box, which is my favorite recent scary novel. Evidently soon-to-be a Netflix original? Hm.)
posted by uncleozzy at 6:10 AM on April 12, 2018
I saw this on Friday of its opening weekend, and the theater was painfully quiet except for my eldest nephew who was burrowing into his smuggled candy bag very loudly. I really liked the experience of seeing it in a crowded theater of people who were struggling to be quiet.
There was a good piece linked on Fanfare (full of spoilers and snark) that made a really good point about the silence:
There was a good piece linked on Fanfare (full of spoilers and snark) that made a really good point about the silence:
Feel free to shush them, however, for every other sound you’re inescapably bound to notice when a movie called A Quiet Place puts its back into the quiet part. Krasinski’s film dares to spend its opening five or so minutes basked in complete silence, when candy wrappers in the theater are still being shredded open and the dozens of busy hands grabbing popcorn by the fistful can practically be heard out in the parking lot. That seems like a miscalculation at first, but among Krasinski’s greater directorial coups is the sense that this initial silence implicates the audience in the story—to say nothing of immediately establishing what’s at stake. A film that demands silence of its characters implicitly demands the same of the people watching it, and it’s strange, even admirable, how effective A Quiet Place can be when you realize that you’re holding your breath not only as a natural reaction to suspense, but in abidance of the rules of the movie. You’re not in danger, but you might find yourself inadvertently behaving as if you were.posted by gladly at 6:38 AM on April 12, 2018 [7 favorites]
Thanks Item...misread "first time horror director" somewhere.
posted by NervousVarun at 7:00 AM on April 12, 2018
posted by NervousVarun at 7:00 AM on April 12, 2018
I wonder how the Alamo Drafthouse is handling this. They like, encourage eating lol.
posted by Annika Cicada at 7:02 AM on April 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Annika Cicada at 7:02 AM on April 12, 2018 [5 favorites]
Appropriate noise levels depend a lot of the film. Half the fun of the latest run of Marvel superhero movies was being in a room full of fellow nerds whooping when the stunt/effects crew did a perfect job of translating a signature move onto the screen, or squeals of recognition when a fourth tier character gets a cameo and so forth.
Conversations in quieter movies between theatergoers of either the "wait, who was that guy again?" or "oh, and then this morning I ran into Jon on the subway--- the subway, can you imagine?" variety need to knock that nonsense right off.
Seeing a film in the theater is a communal experience, and it needs at least a near majority of attendees to at least try to be on the same page. And yeah, that means being aware of whether your munching and light flashing will disrupt the experience for your neighbors or get lost in the bombast.
posted by Karmakaze at 7:18 AM on April 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
Conversations in quieter movies between theatergoers of either the "wait, who was that guy again?" or "oh, and then this morning I ran into Jon on the subway--- the subway, can you imagine?" variety need to knock that nonsense right off.
Seeing a film in the theater is a communal experience, and it needs at least a near majority of attendees to at least try to be on the same page. And yeah, that means being aware of whether your munching and light flashing will disrupt the experience for your neighbors or get lost in the bombast.
posted by Karmakaze at 7:18 AM on April 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
I'm so excited to see this because it's super great that they used an actress with a cochlear implant and it gets my audiology nerd gears going. Though from what I've heard they basically get everything wrong about CIs in the movie, including having the CI feedback which...hrmmm. Still - Krasinski could have easily done what most would have done and cast a hearing person in that role and faked their way through the ASL and he didn't and I respect the hell out of that.
posted by Lutoslawski at 7:37 AM on April 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Lutoslawski at 7:37 AM on April 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
For a while in the 90s I was the assistant manager of a chain movie theater. We showed lots of kids movies. There was this sound....
Right after the trailers ended and right before the movie began, the kids would all be quiet, and they'd all have popcorn and there was this...
...chewing.....
It sounded like the things under the ground that wait for us all. Just, endless chewing.....
I've never been quite right since.
posted by lumpenprole at 7:45 AM on April 12, 2018 [13 favorites]
Right after the trailers ended and right before the movie began, the kids would all be quiet, and they'd all have popcorn and there was this...
...chewing.....
It sounded like the things under the ground that wait for us all. Just, endless chewing.....
I've never been quite right since.
posted by lumpenprole at 7:45 AM on April 12, 2018 [13 favorites]
I saw Magnolia while a couple behind me broke up for the entire length of the movie. Dagger glares and shushing did nothing. Sometimes, when I think back on the experience, I wonder if they weren't, like, sociology students conducting the same sort of experiment I conducted in high school in the '80s, when I wandered down to the local Northern Indiana mall and impersonated a lost Russian to test the helpfulness of strangers to a presumed ideological foe. That couple was almost majestic in its imperviousness to shushing, hell-bent on processing their issues right up until the credits, when they stopped talking, got up, and walked out.
I believe I should have gotten the manager and lost five minutes of the movie instead of suffering for two hours while those two jackasses treated the movie theater like some sort of couples therapy booth. But I didn't. Primates. There must be eight or ten other people in the world who have the same story. I haven't been able to watch the movie since, and I don't know what I think of it to this day, because whatever its artistic merits or the benefits of revisiting it, I can't think of it without reliving that experience.
Anyhow, that hardened my "movies are for total, church-like silence" impulses. It's a miracle I survived the small aneurysm my 14-year-old son induced in A Quiet Place when he flexed the dome lid of his Icee cup trying to get at some clinging slush.
posted by mph at 7:48 AM on April 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
I believe I should have gotten the manager and lost five minutes of the movie instead of suffering for two hours while those two jackasses treated the movie theater like some sort of couples therapy booth. But I didn't. Primates. There must be eight or ten other people in the world who have the same story. I haven't been able to watch the movie since, and I don't know what I think of it to this day, because whatever its artistic merits or the benefits of revisiting it, I can't think of it without reliving that experience.
Anyhow, that hardened my "movies are for total, church-like silence" impulses. It's a miracle I survived the small aneurysm my 14-year-old son induced in A Quiet Place when he flexed the dome lid of his Icee cup trying to get at some clinging slush.
posted by mph at 7:48 AM on April 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
on the subject of audience noise in movie theatres, I'm pretty straightforward. eating is fine, and please just take the thing out of the wrapper and get it over with. talking, as long as it's related to the movie (including 'who was that guy again' stuff) is fine with me. when it's not related, it's pretty brutal. please feel free to react honestly to things happening, including laughing, gasping, yelping, sniffling, etc. from my perspective as long as we're engaged in the movie, we're good.
these rules are applicable when the movie is good enough. when it's bad, then it's harder to keep order. and therein lies a big conundrum. how to politely suggest that someone reeeally not into the movie you're watching to either leave or shush. I know I've ended up in some movies that were so pungent that I felt compelled to give something back in the form of under-my-breath mutterances. I'm not proud of it necessarily, but occasionally I've amused patrons near me.
posted by oog at 7:55 AM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
these rules are applicable when the movie is good enough. when it's bad, then it's harder to keep order. and therein lies a big conundrum. how to politely suggest that someone reeeally not into the movie you're watching to either leave or shush. I know I've ended up in some movies that were so pungent that I felt compelled to give something back in the form of under-my-breath mutterances. I'm not proud of it necessarily, but occasionally I've amused patrons near me.
posted by oog at 7:55 AM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is giving me flashbacks to when I was young and went out to listen to orchestras. There would ALWAYS be an idiot two rows ahead of me who would wait until the most quiet parts of a piece to unwrap their cough drops. It was "Oh what a brilliant interlude depicting a moment of reflection before the-" CRINKLECRINKLECRINKLE
posted by happyroach at 9:21 AM on April 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by happyroach at 9:21 AM on April 12, 2018 [6 favorites]
lumpenprole: ...It sounded like the things under the ground that wait for us all.
I wish the things under the ground that wait for us all HAD devoured Sappy Pappy and Glummy Mummy -& their entire foolish brood - in the first five minutes of this bloody film.
I've not felt so out of step with a movie so universally adored by metafilter in years. Absolutely tore to the local fleapit on the basis of the ecstatic reviews, and I've been annoyed now for 4 days straight.
(I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone so I'll carry on giving myself the silent treatment).
posted by Jody Tresidder at 10:21 AM on April 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
I wish the things under the ground that wait for us all HAD devoured Sappy Pappy and Glummy Mummy -& their entire foolish brood - in the first five minutes of this bloody film.
I've not felt so out of step with a movie so universally adored by metafilter in years. Absolutely tore to the local fleapit on the basis of the ecstatic reviews, and I've been annoyed now for 4 days straight.
(I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone so I'll carry on giving myself the silent treatment).
posted by Jody Tresidder at 10:21 AM on April 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
So, what you're saying is that this is definitely a soft roll sort of film.
posted by Fence at 11:15 AM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Fence at 11:15 AM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I said this in the FanFare thread, but will share here too. I went to see it for a matinee, with a full audience. I was prepped for the quiet, and it was really great to hear almost no extraneous sounds at all. (I also did the "chew popcorn quietly" thing.) Then, during an intense and apropos scene, the fire alarm in the theater went off. The split second between it happening and me realizing it was a real world alarm was super confusing and scary . Everyone else joined me in a relieved laugh once we realized it was RL and not something that would get the in-movie people killed...
posted by gemmy at 11:17 AM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by gemmy at 11:17 AM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I love a rowdy theatre when a movie calls for it! The first "Rush Hour" movie with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker? I saw that in Brooklyn and the crowd *made* that movie.
Or the theater that used to be in NYC Chinatown, on Grand, that showed Chinese and American action flicks; that room didn't need to be quiet so I didn't mind the talking so much.
But most movies don't benefit from me knowing there's a crowd around.
During the second Lord of the Rings movie somebody snuck in the sold-out theater and then sat on the steps next to my seat, which was right on the aisle, and then made a sandwich. Made. A. Sandwich. Loaf of bread in plastic. Cold cuts. Condiments. Toppings. And then began to eat it with gusto. I told him sharply to get the hell out of the theater because he was ruining the movie. We both got thrown out and then he followed me for 15 blocks. Fuck that guy and guys like him. I have always spoken up in a theater and will always do so.
posted by Mo Nickels at 11:32 AM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Or the theater that used to be in NYC Chinatown, on Grand, that showed Chinese and American action flicks; that room didn't need to be quiet so I didn't mind the talking so much.
But most movies don't benefit from me knowing there's a crowd around.
During the second Lord of the Rings movie somebody snuck in the sold-out theater and then sat on the steps next to my seat, which was right on the aisle, and then made a sandwich. Made. A. Sandwich. Loaf of bread in plastic. Cold cuts. Condiments. Toppings. And then began to eat it with gusto. I told him sharply to get the hell out of the theater because he was ruining the movie. We both got thrown out and then he followed me for 15 blocks. Fuck that guy and guys like him. I have always spoken up in a theater and will always do so.
posted by Mo Nickels at 11:32 AM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
I saw Magnolia while a couple behind me broke up for the entire length of the movie. Dagger glares and shushing did nothing. Sometimes, when I think back on the experience, I wonder if they weren't, like, sociology students conducting the same sort of experiment I conducted in high school
I become hot with rage anytime I think about the drunk kids who talked through an entire screening of Blood Simple. The theater was a really tiny indie blackbox place with virtually no staff, so we couldn't summon an usher or anything. When the film was done they all retreated into their phones and I was like, "Really? NOW you shut the fuck up?!" (Whereupon they called me any number of unsavory names.)
What I'm saying is for everyone's safety I should probably watch this one at home.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 11:33 AM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
I become hot with rage anytime I think about the drunk kids who talked through an entire screening of Blood Simple. The theater was a really tiny indie blackbox place with virtually no staff, so we couldn't summon an usher or anything. When the film was done they all retreated into their phones and I was like, "Really? NOW you shut the fuck up?!" (Whereupon they called me any number of unsavory names.)
What I'm saying is for everyone's safety I should probably watch this one at home.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 11:33 AM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
During the second Lord of the Rings movie somebody snuck in the sold-out theater and then sat on the steps next to my seat, which was right on the aisle, and then made a sandwich. Made. A. Sandwich.
I mean to be fair the movie is long enough that you'd probably miss two mealtimes watching it so
posted by uncleozzy at 12:36 PM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
I mean to be fair the movie is long enough that you'd probably miss two mealtimes watching it so
posted by uncleozzy at 12:36 PM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
Maybe it was second breakfast.
posted by FJT at 1:41 PM on April 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by FJT at 1:41 PM on April 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
I had a good “happy medium” experience when seeing “The Sixth Sense” in the theater. I went by myself on opening weekend, and the theater was packed to the gills. The audience was mostly quiet, until the scene where Haley Joel Osment has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, and you see the thermometer drop and the cloud of mist as he breathes out. Then the woman suddenly crosses the doorway, and the lady next to me (a complete stranger) clutched my arm as the entire audience GASPED in unison! And then broke out laughing because we’d all gasped. That was fun.
posted by Autumnheart at 2:46 PM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 2:46 PM on April 12, 2018 [2 favorites]
there's nothing like watching a schlocky, scary movie in a noisy crowd. If I want absolute silence while watching a film I'll watch it at home. It's a movie theatre, not church.
It was many years ago, but I was surprised to find how common this attitude is, and how this is a big calculation theater owners make; How private vs how public to make the seating etc. You might remember a few years ago when the festival seating thing was big with very high back chairs that shielded you from other moviegoers. Turns out this was a negative for some percentage of patrons.
posted by bongo_x at 2:50 PM on April 12, 2018
It was many years ago, but I was surprised to find how common this attitude is, and how this is a big calculation theater owners make; How private vs how public to make the seating etc. You might remember a few years ago when the festival seating thing was big with very high back chairs that shielded you from other moviegoers. Turns out this was a negative for some percentage of patrons.
posted by bongo_x at 2:50 PM on April 12, 2018
How A Quiet Place became a cause célèbre for anti-popcorn crusaders (Joe Queenan, Guardian)
Many people, on both sides of the Atlantic, have become enraged at those who noisily consume food during A Quiet Place, saying it wrecks the atmosphere the film is trying to create. Their position is that people attending a movie with virtually no sound are morally obligated to keep their mouths shut. That means no talking, no giggling, no coughing and, most important of all, no eating. Otherwise, boisterous moviegoers are being deeply, unforgivably disrespectful both to the film itself and to those members of the audience who fall into the non-peckish category.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:37 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Alas, if cinemas followed such draconian rules, they would be out of business. The fact is, a lot of people go to the movies because it’s raining or they are between sales calls or retired. They don’t care what movie they see. To say they can’t eat because the characters on screen are keeping a lid on it isn’t fair. Once you have paid for your ticket, you can chomp as much as you damn well please.
As the old saying goes: be careful what you wish for. What happens when popcorn-chomping bumpkins, tired of being told to remain absolutely still during serious, arty films such as Phantom Thread, start turning up at arty movie houses for the specific purpose of annoying hard-core aficionados? Already, all over Britain and the US, battalions of loud, unsophisticated moviegoers are showing up at screenings of A Quiet Place and munching on snacks as if they were famished sows. And they are doing it for no other reason than to annoy the gentry.
I just got back from this movie. I went to see it in an old, fairly crummy theater because I am a lazy cheapskate. Downside was, during all the "silent" parts you could hear the EXTREMELY LOUD soundtrack of "Ready Player One" from the theater next door.
Sigh.
Anyway, Chicago, don't see "A Quiet Place" at the New 400 unless you are committed to not actually having it be quiet.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 7:02 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Sigh.
Anyway, Chicago, don't see "A Quiet Place" at the New 400 unless you are committed to not actually having it be quiet.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 7:02 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I wonder how the Alamo Drafthouse is handling this. They like, encourage eating lol.
Our local Alamo curated a list of "quiet" crunch-free food suggestions, but I haven't seen the film there so I've no idea how many people actually follow it.
posted by paisley sheep at 7:11 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Our local Alamo curated a list of "quiet" crunch-free food suggestions, but I haven't seen the film there so I've no idea how many people actually follow it.
posted by paisley sheep at 7:11 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
I must be an aashole because I ate popcorn throughout the entire thing and needed a metafilter post to tell me that was probably uncool.
That or I'm losing my hearing.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:37 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
That or I'm losing my hearing.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 11:37 PM on April 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
Theaters here in Japan are always dead, absolutely-dead quiet, regardless of how packed or empty they are, or genre (though I suppose Disney/kid movies tend to have more excitable moviegoers). Audiences remain quiet and in their seats until the final credits and the lights come on, so for once it sounds like this still strange-to-me phenomenon will work in favor for the film itself. Personally, I'm excited.
Release date, though... well. I suppose I can hope to read the Fanfare thread sometime this year or early next.
posted by lesser weasel at 12:34 AM on April 13, 2018
Release date, though... well. I suppose I can hope to read the Fanfare thread sometime this year or early next.
posted by lesser weasel at 12:34 AM on April 13, 2018
An old guy munched popcorn for a solid hour right behind me but whatever. His phone also went off twice with a ringer TWICE! so that's what we're dealing with here. Fun times.
How do you eat popcorn for a whole hour though...
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 8:51 AM on April 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
How do you eat popcorn for a whole hour though...
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 8:51 AM on April 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
My teenager was in a serious accident about a month ago, and only this week has recovered to a point where he can comfortably sit upright long enough to enjoy a movie. Of course, he wanted to see this movie last night. His injuries required a bronchial repair, and he's been having trouble the last few days with wheezing, needs an inhaler, etc. As soon as I understood how quiet the movie was, I felt pretty guilty :(
posted by webwench at 3:05 PM on April 14, 2018
posted by webwench at 3:05 PM on April 14, 2018
This movie is quiet - but being quiet during it didn't add or detract from the experience in my experience. It's still the equivalent of a big budget movie - where the 'soundy' parts are telegraphed. And it kind of cheats because tons of ambient noise is cut. Still good though, and a cool concept.
posted by The_Vegetables at 6:44 AM on April 22, 2018
posted by The_Vegetables at 6:44 AM on April 22, 2018
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posted by srboisvert at 9:43 PM on April 11, 2018 [9 favorites]