The theater experience.

[Junkyard]

I only go to Matinees, usually. Fewer "I paid 9 bucks to talk for 2 hours" pricks, and it costs 3 dollars less.

[wurwolf]

Then don't ever go to see a movie in NYC. You'd totally hate it.

Adds "see movie" to itinerary of Things to do in NYC if ever I go back there.

Heh. You'd love it. I'm all excited because I'm going to go see the Hulk at the Loews in Herald Square either today or next week. I hope hope hope I get a noisy crowd.

[Fortis]

I only go to Matinees, usually. Fewer "I paid 9 bucks to talk for 2 hours" pricks, and it costs 3 dollars less.

Your Matinees are 3 dollars less? Mine is only 50 cents less! A dollar if you are a student or in the military, dang it.

And on fridays the movies go up a whole dollar. I hate multiplexes...but thats all we have here.

[TeamRAD]

Then don't ever go to see a movie in NYC. You'd totally hate it.

Adds "see movie" to itinerary of Things to do in NYC if ever I go back there.

Heh. You'd love it. I'm all excited because I'm going to go see the Hulk at the Loews in Herald Square either today or next week. I hope hope hope I get a noisy crowd.

wurwolf, does that hold true for all of the burroughs? I caught a screening of Transformers, on opening day, at the Times Square Regal last year. The crowd was very coy. I would've loved if the crowd was as animated as I was. Oh well, the next time I'm in NYC, I'll be trying this again with hopes of a crazy crowd. 

[wurwolf]

Then don't ever go to see a movie in NYC. You'd totally hate it.

Adds "see movie" to itinerary of Things to do in NYC if ever I go back there.

Heh. You'd love it. I'm all excited because I'm going to go see the Hulk at the Loews in Herald Square either today or next week. I hope hope hope I get a noisy crowd.

wurwolf, does that hold true for all of the burroughs? I caught a screening of Transformers, on opening day, at the Times Square Regal last year. The crowd was very coy. I would've loved if the crowd was as animated as I was. Oh well, the next time I'm in NYC, I'll be trying this again with hopes of a crazy crowd. 

I can't really speak for all five boroughs -- I have only seen movies in Manhattan. I'm surprised to hear your Times Square crowd was subdued. Normally they're rocking. Maybe it depends on what movie you're seeing, but you'd think Transformers would be more fun.

Different neighborhoods in Manhattan have different reactions. Times Square is the rowdiest and most fun. Herald Square is a little more subdued but still enjoyable. Lincoln Square is a little more highbrow -- you get the old folks and the arthouse crowd. I haven't been to the theater on 23rd Street in Chelsea, but Onil has and he says they're boring. And, of course, the Ziegfeld is the Ziegfeld.

[GLaDOS]

Can someone explain something to me? Why is it that when someone talks out loud during a movie and you ask them politely to be quiet they don't or they just say "Fuck you?".

[RobtheBarbarian]

Because he's an asshole to begin with.

[Cosmic Muse]

In MILD defense of the 'titty bad, violence A-OK' mentality: Violence in life is just a guarantee. It's going to happen. People are going to fight, even small children, without learning violence from outside sources, will fight eachother.

I actually have to disagree with you here. Both nudity and violence are things a child should never be exposed to at an age where they can't understand it. Cases in point: My 9 year old nephew demanded to watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Guess what he was doing during the ritual sacrifice scene as the guy is getting his heart pulled from his chest and incinerated? When I was 13 my mom allowed me to watch John Carpenter's the Thing. I spent most of the movie with my hands hiding my face. I still liked it but I couldn't bear the violence. Again I chose not to see Raiders of the Lost Ark when I was a kid because my older sister told me about the melting Nazis. I opted for a little ride with my dad instead. And don't even get me started about my first viewing of Poltergeist with the maggot filled steak, the guy peeling his face off and the decaying bodies popping out of the pool. And when I was 14 I couldn't watch the Terminator because of the blasted T-800 denuded of flesh chasing Linda Hamilton at the end. The moment it popped out of the fire I went running upstairs to my room in fear.

Oh, and I have to admit to a few transgressions myself. When I saw Star Trek Nemesis, and Picard and friends are tooling around in that D une buggy I turned to my friend and asked him if  the tires were filled with water. He didn't get it though because I guess he forgot watching Eegah. Also when they find Data's clone, (B4 was it?) and they were looking down at the dirt I yelled out, "It's dirt!!!" I suppose I ruined the experience for some people but I honestly don't regret it because Nemesis is such a horrid Wrath of Khan rip off with maybe a few good ideas in it.

[daltysmilth]

For reasons I'm still unsure of to this day I saw "Black Hawk Down" in the theatres four times.  And one of the times I saw it, there was a group of guys who were probably about college age laughing their heads off every time there was an explosion or someone died or if there was any kind of violence onscreen.  So naturally they were laughing quite a bit.  I wasn't aware that Black Hawk Down was supposed to be a comedy.  I guess it does have sort of a Doctor Strangelove quality to it, though. 

But I confess my friends and I will intentionally seek out bad movies to riff in the theatre.  And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.  People have been riffing movies, sporting events, and live performances for years, long before MST3k was a twinkling in Joel Hodgson's eye.  There were hecklers at the debut performances of Shakespeare plays.  And I doubt the Greeks sat in stoic silence during plays.  My philosophy in regards to riffing is, to quote Trey Parker and Matt Stone, either everything's okay or nothing's okay.  Either it's acceptable to riff any movie you wish, or it's not acceptable to riff any movie under any circumstances.

[Minnesota]

Its okay to talk during the previews but thats about it. Talking during the movie is bad for the theater experience. Then again, I usually go to matinees where its not much of a problem.

However, at home, I never shut up during most movies or TV shows

[Shamalama]

This post reminds me of one of the reasons I love living in Japan.

The Japanese theater experience is mind boggling!  Nobody has ever made a sound!  Nobody talks, nobody claps, and of course comments are always whispered (in Japanese).  And one of the strangest things is that usually nobody will even stand up to leave until the VERY END of the credits!  This has been my experience for every single movie I have watched in Japan for the last 3 years!

While this allows me to enjoy my movies it's also kind of a double edged sword.  If it is a really intense and intractable movie where some cheering or clapping would really fit in I just can't bring myself to make even the slightest peep.

When I was living in the States though I think my greatest theater experience was watching 300 with a packed theater.  I would say at least 90% of the audience was male and you could swim through the testosterone building in the air!  Specifically when the rhino was taken down by a single spear the theater erupted in grunts, claps, and BOO-YAHs!!

[Doktor Sleepless]

I see movies drunk. That way the people around me are to blame for my mood and what I do.