If you're in a movie theater, put away your cell phone!

[Reverend Conehead]

I can't believe it's impossible to go see a movie these days without some goober, and often more than one, thinking he/she has to use his cell phone during the show. Every time! It's very distracting, and the theaters have rules against it for good reason. Yesterday I went to see a show with my girl and the security guard had to tell two different people to put away their phones.

At a different show about a month ago, some lady had her phone out for several minutes listening to it while it glowed brightly. You could see people around her annoyed, but afraid to say anything. Finally, after she had had it out for several minutes, I had had enough and I asked her to put it away. And she gave me attitude. I told her she was breaking the rules. She claimed she wasn't "talking." However, you could hear her voice mails as she listened; plus the thing was glowing brightly. She finally put it away when I threatened to get the security guard. People thanked me for getting her to knock it off.

What's the point of going to a show if you're not going to watch it and you're just going to bug others around you? If a call or text actually is urgent, the person can leave the theater to deal with it. I've had my phone on vibrate in my pocket and have taken a call in the lobby before when something was important.

Has anyone else been through this annoyance?

 

[WV Cowboy]

Has anyone else been through this annoyance?

Be very grateful you don't have to interact with this person on a daily basis, .. be very very grateful you don't wake up beside her every day.

There, .. now isn't that better?

 

[Rack]

Another annoyance is when there's only like 2 groups of people in the whole theater, then a 3rd group comes in and sits right freaking behind you, even though they have lots of different places to sit.

 

[Rockport]

Yea, and most of them are women. For some reason they need to constantly be on the phone. Not all of them, but many of them.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I put my phone on silent, but my text message alert is on vibrate. So I'll read texts in the movie theater, but I don't talk on the phone. However, I do like to sit in the butt crack of the movie theater so I usually don't disturb anyone.

 

[Rockport]

I put my phone on silent, but my text message alert is on vibrate. So I'll read texts in the movie theater, but I don't talk on the phone. However, I do like to sit in the butt crack of the movie theater so I usually don't disturb anyone.

Even the light from the phone is disturbing to some. As the announcements say, you're suppose to turn off cell phones and pagers. Your life will go on if you miss a few text messages.

 

[arglebargle]

Link to a story about local theater's (Alamo Draft House) sparring with a phone abuser. Not linking directly to the video because of language, etc. They will boot your butt out!

http://boingboing.net/2011/06/07/movie-theater-turns.html

 

[WoodysGirl]

Even the light from the phone is disturbing to some. As the announcements say, you're suppose to turn off cell phones and pagers. Your life will go on if you miss a few text messages.

Life will go on, unless there's an emergency, and then it can't wait. If I have to make a call, I'll step out.

But since I sit in the very back of the theater and no one is behind me, the few other attendees will survive. And it's not like I'm sitting on it, texting, FBing, etc. I check it and go back to watching the movie.

 

[Rockport]

Life will go on, unless there's an emergency, and then it can't wait. If I have to make a call, I'll step out.

But since I sit in the very back of the theater and no one is behind me, the few other attendees will survive. And it's not like I'm sitting on it, texting, FBing, etc. I check it and go back to watching the movie.

If the theater tells you to turn your cell phone off, they mean turn your cell phone off. If you're worried about some emergency, then you shouldn't be going to the movie theater. The rules are for everyone and it doesn't matter where you sit. The problem with people these days is that common courtesy is slowly disappearing. I don't mean to get on your case, but it is very inconsiderate for someone to think that the rules don't apply to them.

 

[WoodysGirl]

If the theater tells you to turn your cell phone off, they mean turn your cell phone off. If you're worried about some emergency, then you shouldn't be going to the movie theater. The rules are for everyone and it doesn't matter where you sit. The problem with people these days is that common courtesy is slowly disappearing. I don't mean to get on your case, but it is very inconsiderate for someone to think that the rules don't apply to them.

Thank you for that reminder, and I feel properly censured. I shall hang my head in shame for the remainder of the day now.

 

[Gemini Dolly]

AMEN. OP.

If you need to check messages, listen to voice mails, take a call, PLEASE STEP OUTSIDE and let the rest of us enjoy the movie.

 

[Wheeltax]

The light from a cell phone is hugely distracting, even from behind. As someone who wears glasses, I get a nice reflection in my eyeballs from light going on behind me.

 

[Sarge]

If an individual can't keep his/her phone off for three hours movie, it's sad. - - and pathetic.

 

[joseephuss]

If an individual can't keep his/her phone off for three hours movie, it's sad. - - and pathetic.

It isn't even 3 hours most of the time.

I enjoy turning my phone off and being cut off from the world for a few moments out of the day during a movie. If there is an emergency, then so be it. Life happens. It is not as if I did take a call in a theater that I would be able to do anything about an emergency. It will take me time to leave the movie, get to my car and get to wherever the emergency is happening.

 

[Sarge]

It isn't even 3 hours most of the time.

I enjoy turning my phone off and being cut off from the world for a few moments out of the day during a movie. If there is an emergency, then so be it. Life happens. It is not as if I did take a call in a theater that I would be able to do anything about an emergency. It will take me time to leave the movie, get to my car and get to wherever the emergency is happening.

Afreed - - The whole point of a movie is to go and relax - get away from it all - - at least so I thought.

 

[Lodeus]

Another annoyance is when there's only like 2 groups of people in the whole theater, then a 3rd group comes in and sits right freaking behind you, even though they have lots of different places to sit.

Haha! I agree. It's even worse that group is loud.

 

[Rack]

Life will go on, unless there's an emergency, and then it can't wait.

We got by ok for thousands of years without cellphones. A couple of hours out of a day won't be a problem. Unless someone is expecting a possible "Emergency" in which case they shouldn't be at the movies anyway.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Link to a story about local theater's (Alamo Draft House) sparring with a phone abuser. Not linking directly to the video because of language, etc. They will boot your butt out!

http://boingboing.net/2011/06/07/movie-theater-turns.html

Ah, man, I LOVE the Alamo Draft House Theater and wish there were one like it in my area. I laughed at that whiny complaint in the video. She sounded like a snotty spoiled little brat who thinks the rules don't apply to her. Ha ha ha ha. I would have loved to have been there to see her kicked out. LOL. Thanks for the link. It made my day.

 

[03EBZ06]

I was in a theater few months ago and right during the movie, this person who was seated few seats over my right in a same row phone goes off, real loud to begin with, then to my surprise, she actually answered it and started to talk very loud to talk over the loud sound of movie, lol, and on top of that she passes her phone to her friend and she to talked very loud, we couldn't believe it and we (people around her) said real loud "do you mind!" nearly at the same time, she looked around as if she couldn't believe people around her was being rude to her, lol...some people, sheesh.

 

[WoodysGirl]

We got by ok for thousands of years without cellphones. A couple of hours out of a day won't be a problem. Unless someone is expecting a possible "Emergency" in which case they shouldn't be at the movies anyway.

Yes, we did. We also lived in caves, too. Made fire from wood, and whatever else you'd like to bring up from a thousand years ago and it doesn't change what I personally choose to do. It's not like I'm posting up on the phone checking the Zone or twitter or some other nonsense. A quick check isn't going to hurt anything. Especially if I'm sitting in the back of the movies, with my phone at an angle where the light isn't going to be above waist-level.

I'm just being real about what I personally do. I have different alerts so I know which ones are worth checking and which aren't and not all get checked during a movie. That said if I happen to get an alert (via vibrate), then I'll probably check and then return to the movie.