At the movies (long)
Etaoin Shrdlu
throroughly loved the film, mostly for the beautiful
watercolor backgrounds and for all the Hawaii in-jokes
(which were especially funny to me because I grew up in
Hawaii). I also loved the emphasis on 'ohana and the way
a very non-traditional family was championed in the film,
even if one member of the family was a sprog.
BUT
My enjoyment of the movie was ruined by two moronic
breeders and what seemed like seven children under the age
of seven (there were really only four or five, but their rotten
behavior made it seem as though there were many many
more), and by what happened as a result of their behavior.
Yes, this is marketed as a movie for kids, but we
specifically went at 9:30 on a Monday night to try to avoid
breederz'n'bratz. I was ready to move when the brood
headed for the back row in which we were sitting.
Fortunately they decided to sit in another row. Not that it
helped much.
There was loud talking during the film, from the sproggen
and from the breeders. There was running around the
theater, ditto. At one point BOTH breeders left the theater;
I was laying bets with myself as to whether they would
return for their spawn or not. My spine extended to hissing
"shhhhhh" at the brats. My friend who accompanied me
was not as inhibited though, shouting at the breeders twice
to control their children. All of the commotion interrupted
the film and really ruined the experience for me.
Apparently the shouting galvanized some of the other
people in the theater, and one went for the manager (whether
to shut the kids up or to shut my friend up is open to debate).
The manager spoke to the breeders (quietly, thank goodness),
and after that they and the brats mostly stayed quietly in their
seats. They did leave hurriedly almost before the credits rolled
at the end of the film.
Afterward I was thinking about how things had gone, and
much as I appreciated the spirit behind my friend's shouting,
it disrupted the theater even more than did the sproggen and
their totally clueless breeders. I know that part of the goal of
being spinal is to increase social pressure on breeders to
conform to the various parts of the social contract,
such as keeping themselves and their spawn quiet in theaters.
While pleasing the breeders is the furthest thing from my
mind, how much responsibility do we have to keep our
spinal acts from ruining things for others who are not
causing any trouble? My friend's contention is that his
shouting not only directly confronted the breeders, but
that it freed others in the theater so that they could
also openly express their dismay with the situation.
I could see four options here, and wondered which would
have been the most effective: a) Keeping quiet and saying
nothing (unsatisfying and would have taught the breeders
nothing, or would even have encouraged them to keep on
with their inconsiderate behavior); b) Going to the breeders
themselves and quietly asking them to keep their brats under
control (always risky, but it might have been less disruptive
overall); c) Shouting at the breeders, as did my friend (very
satisfying for him, and possibly embarrassing to the breeders,
one hopes, but really even more disruptive than what had
occasioned the shouting in the first place); d) Going out to
get the manager to deal with it (sometimes they don't
care or don't help, but this is what one "should" do and
possibly it would have been less disruptive overall).
So what do the rest of you think? At what point does the
need to confront outweigh our own responsibility to uphold
the social contract?
Leslie
ra...@panix.com
PS. Clue for lurking breeders: If your brats can't sit quietly in
their seats for a 2-hour movie, they are not old enough to
be taken to the movies. Do the rest of us a favor and rent
videos for them, or get a babysitter and leave them at home
if you want to see a film in a theater. When they can sit quietly
at home for a 2-hour movie, then take them to a theater, but
be prepared to take them out immediately if they start talking
or moving around. And you're right, I shouldn't have to be
telling you this, but then again I shouldn't have had my movie
ruined either by two alleged adults to whom these thoughts had
obviously never occurred.
Lots42
>Afterward I was thinking about how things had gone, and
>much as I appreciated the spirit behind my friend's shouting,
>it disrupted the theater even more than did the sproggen and
>their totally clueless breeders.
I disagree. I would rather have ten or so seconds of shouting then an hour or
so of blither blather from a bunch of ritalin-addled crotchfruit.
Your friend deserves a complimentary beer.
--
livejournal.com/users/lots42 - horsehockey.net/3/
[ Please give blood. It's literally needed more then ever ]
Piles of books do not constitute mess - Sulpicia
You're all nuts - Homer
Paul C.
> So what do the rest of you think? At what point does the
> need to confront outweigh our own responsibility to uphold
> the social contract?
>
> Leslie
> ra...@panix.com
Only one thing I can tell you. I was born in 1971, and the ONLY movies my
parents actually took me to EVER if I remember right were the original "The
Fox and the Hound" Disney flick, "E.T.", and maybe "Star Wars".
And my 'rents sure didn't drop me off at a screening of "The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre" either. Hell, I was forbidden to see "Poltergiest" and the
original "Police Academy" when they were in the theatre.
I didn't go to another movie until I was goddamn old enough to shut my trap
and pay my own way. I think I had enough money for "Cannonball Run".
Didn't see many in-theatre movies till I was 16, and old enough to work.
And yes, I pissed blood and raised holy hell with management last year when
I was interrupted by 5-and-younger year olds screeching back when
"Hannibal" was in the theatre. Got my money back and several breeder
kicked out too. Nothing on my conscience.
Get 'em the hell out. They don't belong. Too many people think they're in
their goddamn living rooms anyway.
kuranes
"Paul C." wrote:
What is it with kids, parents and movies. :/ My parents actually realized
that "when you have kids there are some things you just don't get to do."
DH and I went to see Resident Evil in the theatre shortly after it came out. A
father and probably 10 year old daughter sat down next to us. The movie
started and HE LEFT to go get snacks. Meanwhile, she was there cowering in her
seat. How appalling!!
Grr.
Cari (who, 20/20 hindsight and a spine later, should have gone out and told one
of the manager types.)
Arcane Rose
> And yes, I pissed blood and raised holy hell with management last year when
> I was interrupted by 5-and-younger year olds screeching back when
> "Hannibal" was in the theatre. Got my money back and several breeder
> kicked out too. Nothing on my conscience.
>
> Get 'em the hell out. They don't belong. Too many people think they're in
> their goddamn living rooms anyway.
My, doesn't THIS sound familiar! Same thing happened to me and the
Mr. just last night!
After a lovely Fourth spent biking down the SoCal coast with Mr. Rose
and my soon to be SIL, stopping for beachside cafe lunch and book
shopping, the three of us decided to go see "The Bourne Identity" at
Santa Monica AMC. The flick was pretty durned good, even though I
don't usually go for Matt Damon as a leading man. Lots of
well-choreographed action sequences, plot twists, whizz-bang-pow going
on.
And, of course, during EVERY quiet bit of character development, every
time the camera lingers on some beautiful European scenery -- some
little kid is going whhhhaaaaaaaaaaa, whaaaaaaaaaaaa, what's THAT
daddy? at the top of its lungs. WTF??? thought Rose, but luckily the
film's musical score (a nice blend of hard technobeat for the action
sequences, and classical strings for the character
development/panoramic landscape shots) mercifully drowned out the
irritating sprog.
BUT -- what the hell was some doltish breeder doing taking a small
child (less than 4 yo by the sound of its voice) to a violent, bloody
spy thriller? There were LOTS of fight sequences, LOTS of people
getting stabbed and shot, a scene in a morgue with a charred body, a
scene where surgery takes place, etc. -- this is NOT "Lilo and Stitch"
or the Powerpuff Girls we're talking about.
I'll NEVER understand what goes on in the Minds of BNPs. They are
simply beyond me -- existing in a universe of incomprehensible
non-logic. <sigh>
Cheers,
Rose