Movie Critics

[Conchaga]

why are you red?

Because mm thinks it's funny.

 

[Conchaga]

I understand the novelty of going to the theater. But, considering the whole hi-def flatscreen movement and the addition of mega 5.0 stereos, there seems less of a reason to go to those money-draining events. Outside of social occasions, I really don't go.

 

[Archibald Nixon]

When I was going through menopause I had a few episodes with teenagers and parents with little kids annoying the crap out of me at the theater. Three times I very sternly spoke at the people being jerks and made them reimburse me the price of my ticket and concessions to pay for me to come back when they weren't there so I could actually see and hear the movie. Twice the rest of the people in the theater applauded me. The last time, everyone in the theater got deathly quiet and the movie stopped. I had made them all very afraid and I was glad.

The moral of that story - sit near an older woman who is probably menopausal and you will either hear the movie as well as see it or you will get your money back.

That's quite a yarn.

 

[SaintLucifer]

Heath Ledger sucked and that's that.

Aww, someone's emoting that his love has killed himself.

 

[Archibald Nixon]

 

[Tisiphone]

I just spent two minutes putting lines to the movies from that poster.

 

[bryce]

In case it's a mystery to anyone: The reason those concession-stand prices are so high is because the cinema itself makes next to nothing off the ticket sales. It's one of the reasons theater chains will fight tooth & nail to book children's movies --they're guaranteed food-sellers. It's also why they sometimes have a problem with you bringing in your own food.

Paying $5.75 for a 16oz Sprite may seem brutal, but you're paying those folks salaries when you do. I try to remember specific movie-house's qualities and act accordingly, i.e. if an usher refuses to speak to or get rid of a loudmouth during a show when I ask them to, or they don't keep the coffee bar stocked or the bathrooms in some kind of usable condition, I'll have no problem bringing in my Chinese takeout for a show or two, and letting them know it.

Yeah, I heard that too, about how the concession stand, and not the ticket prices, is how the theater's make most of the profit. And I believe it - but still, something seems kinda obscene about having to pay three or four bucks seventy-five, for what originally began as less than 20 cents worth of unpopped corn kernels. Even adding in tax and labor and energy too cook and fraction for salt & butter and the paper bucket, that's still one HELL of a markup that's pure profit for them!

Especially when, depending on what time of the day it is - the stuff more often than not is cold, sometimes even burnt if some new kid made it, 1/4 full of unedible half-popped kernels, and most likely was popped last night. For 3.75 tax, I would at least like to get hot and fresh please.

A few theaters that I know of around the country have actually gone and relaxed, or completely dropped their rules about outside food and drinks. The big one by my parents way down in FL lets you carry stuff right in now, unhidden - and no, I have no idea how they make up the loss then, but I guess they found a way. Maybe the chain just absorbes it for that location just to get people in?

But at most theaters I go to that are stricter about the rules, I just stuff the candy and bottled sodas I picked up at the Quick-E-Mart for my kids and I into my bookbag, or and old baby diaper bag.

I will at least buy the popcorn from them because I like the theater-made stuff, even despite it's severe drop in quality in the past decade and 1/2 (and I can never resist that *smell*) but after paying like 8-10 bucks a person to get tickets for all of us (from 4 to 7 people in my case) plus Lethe know's what for the popcorn, I just can't afford the insane drink and candy prices. It's likey I have already dropped around $50+ on gas, tickets, and drinks and snacks we snagged on the way there.

I'm not trying to rip-off the theater, I just could'nt even afford to go at all, unless I found a way to lower the price tag. Not with at least 3 to 5 kids with me. I would just be too much.

I totally understand now why some many people with families have stopped going out to movies - it's just not economical these days.