An Open Letter
To the mother of the 12a’s seated 5 rows behind me at the Cineworld Chelsea yesterday:
Since, after chastising your darlings in public, you have asked me to deal directly with their parents, I address you.
No, it is not OK for your children to whisper incessantly in the cinema throughout the entirety of Terrence Malick’s masterpiece “New World.” Whispering is just as annoying as talking.
No, it is not an excuse that they are young. They are over 12 and should know that it is impolite to disturb other patrons who have spent £17 (not including the price of snacks) to see the film.
Yes, I will mind my own business. But only if your children are not whispering their business in my business.
Yes, I am an obnoxious American who thinks I can come over here and tell people what to do…especially since I pay taxes that support benefits afforded you because you have children…especially since I’ve been living and contributing here for some years…especially with regards to your rights infringing upon mine. I think that in this country I have the right to go to the cinema and watch the film without molestation. I also think that I have the right to voice my opinion regardless of whether or not you feel that I am an obnoxious American. I think this is a country that allows free speech (unlike my own), and I like to exercise it.
To the ratings board: Think! Just because a film doesn’t have sex in it and only violence palatable to 12A’s (as if any violence is) does not mean that you should rate something 12A. “New World” is a very sophisticated and poetic film that is totally over the head of most minors. Some parents such as the aforementioned lady do not do their homework to find out whether this particular 12A might be interesting enough to their little whipper snappers to keep them quiet for plus two hours.
Yours Truly,
Daneeta Loretta Saft
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I’ve had countless movies spoiled by noisy kids and adults alike. Moviegoing is an altogether more pleasent experience on quiet days, but you can never tell if your 15 quid is going to be a waste.
I recently went to a cinema called the Apollo on Lower Regent Street which is billed as a bit more of a luxury-type. It’s still yards from Leicester Square and Piccadilly but seems quieter, plusher, more expensive (£12.50 for me to see Geisha the other week, not TOO bad) but they have a bar, china cups of coffee or glasses of beer and nobody seems to mind you taking those china things into the medium-sized auditorium where there are giant comfy seats with a good view of a large screen. In summary: ditch the mainline nightmare cinemas at peak hours :)
i agree with u over here. its really annoying when you cant enjoy the movie with kids disturbing you. its even more annoying when the guy behind you share a few spoilers with his mates or girlfriend. i guess people over here have forgotten how to behave themselves while watching movies.
Amen!
I had a viewing of King Kong spoiled by screaming kids. Now, granted, hey, it’s an ok movie to bring your screaming kids to - nothing too horrendous (except for the occasional leech-devouring), but MAKE THEM PAY ATTENTION. Good lord - watching bands of 10 year olds rove around, throw things, fight, swear, and generally cause chaos - save yourself the fiver+/head, because none of them were there for the movie.
Enough said. I think the anecdotes already shared were better ones, but I wanted my 2 cents in…
and they wonder why every one is buying from the DVD man down the pub - people here is you answer.
why pay over 10 pounds for a poor quality of veiwing when you can get poor quality in your own home at the budget price of three for a tenner??
£17 for cinema entrance - sorry let me get my breath. £17. God, I grew up in London but moved years ago and new reside in Cambridge. £17…As a friend of my parents once said (he was from Derby). “Down here, They spend tenners like, pound notes”. (”Pound notes” - You see it was years ago).
Mark Kermode said something similar on the radio the other week (I’m paraphrasing): “Would you talk in church? No. Then why are you talking in the cinema?” When I saw Match Point the other week, it was a pretty full cinema which was totally quiet, except for these two women on the back row who laughed and chatted quite loudly all of the way through …
… or until I got up from my seat on the front row, walked all the way to the back of the auditorium, leaned over to them and said, “Would you mind being quiet please, I’m trying to watch the film.” Oh yes, they were quiet after that — I think it was the effort I went to — they looked stunned. Which isn’t to say I didn’t hurry out of the cinema at the end so as not to have a confrontation. Really, I had a train to catch.