Movie Theater Experiences

[Zot!]

It's funny, because Music Box Films is almost impossibly genteel.

My experience with the Music Box throughout the 2010s was mostly with their (oft sparsely attended, at the time) weekend matinee repertory screenings and first-run releases, I was never the audience for these kinds of "audience participation" shenanigans. But nonetheless, it seems like The Room - which the Music Box leaned very hard into - was probably a big turning point in general. Rocky Horror screenings have been their own thing for decades, but it never seemed to spill over ... time and place, etc. But with The Room this kind of thing really broke containment, and ironic enthusiasm became a became a big cultural signifier.

Very possible that I'm wrong about this, but I seem to also have vague memories of Music Box being an early adopter of the "sing-along" screenings that Disney eventually started doing themselves. I don't remember specific movies (maybe Christmas musicals? or Willy Wonka or something?) But having been away from Chicago a few years, I'm not really surprised that Music Box in particular is having problems with this kind of stuff, it feels like they incubated it themselves over time.

Admittedly, I haven't been there in 10 years, but yes to all of that....though the gimmicks started well before The Room even. I put "punk rock" in quotes, just to acknowledge that it was never actually edgy, just never pretentious, and had an element of cabaret even when not screening Rocky Horror. Though I never actually had a problem with the audience there, there's nothing like a quiet moment in a screening, and the basement boiler starts clanging and wheezing underneath the seats. I always liked the joint, but it was always quirky but fun.

[hearthesilence]

One of the few repertory films I saw around Chicago was The Night of the Hunter at Block Cinema and some jackass who was probably an undergraduate student laughed through the whole thing, so I imagine it's not just a problem with Music Box. It was even worse with Tom Gunning presenting the film - I think he may have programmed it or at least requested it.

[wattsup32]

In my experience NYC audiences are generally immune from this because some older viewer will not hesitate to tell them to shut the fuck up so they’re usually on better behavior.

I moved from NYC to KC and then a while later to Houston and can confirm NYC audiences at art houses are much better than in KC and Houston. To HearTheSilence's point, just a couple of weeks ago I sat through a screening of Night of the Hunter at River Oaks in Houston and the audience laughed the whole way through. Before that I sat through screening at River Oaks of Eyes Wide Shut, Breathless, Suspiria, Nosferatu, Perfect Blue, Inland Empire, Hour of the Wolf, Persona, Ran and several more like these and the audiences laughed the whole way through.

A few days ago at a screening there of 2001, I had enough and turned around to the couple who talked/giggled all the way through the first half then picked right back up after the intermission and said, "Stop talking. You talked through the first half. Do not talk through the second half." Turns out the couple were teens. The girl burst into tears, ran out, called her mother who came to the theater and complained to the manager. Then I was was kicked out of the theater.

So, I'm not sure what to do at this point. If I went to get the theater staff to deal with all the bad behavior in the theaters, I'd not get to see much of the films.

[Zot!]

So, I'm not sure what to do at this point

Apparently you just need to call your mother to sort things out.

[domino harvey]

So, I'm not sure what to do at this point

Apparently you just need to call your mother to sort things out.

Unless this is a reference I’m not getting, this isn’t an acceptable response to another user here. It is perfectly valid to not want to watch a movie with people practicing performative laughter, and if you love that then just consider stories of this nature a list of recommendations for places to watch movies with likeminded viewers

[Mr Sausage]

So, I'm not sure what to do at this point

Apparently you just need to call your mother to sort things out.

Unless this is a reference I’m not getting, this isn’t an acceptable response to another user here. It is perfectly valid to not want to watch a movie with people practicing performative laughter, and if you love that then just consider stories of this nature a list of recommendations for places to watch movies with likeminded viewers

He was making a joke about the teenagers calling their mom to sort out their problems.

[domino harvey]

[hearthesilence]

Maybe it's just my family, but when I was young, I don't think I'd ever think to call a parent just because some stranger yelled at me (especially if I was clearly at fault in some way).

[Mr Sausage]

It's the era of helicopter parenting. Probably a lot of teens have never even been allowed to deal with a conflict on their own.

[Brian C]

Probably even more pertinent is that it’s the era of social media and online customer ratings. Businesses are scared of getting blasted online, whether the complaints are valid or not.

Twenty years ago as a theater manager, I’d have laughed at a parent who was angry that we told their kid to quiet down, and I’m sure I actually did on occasion. Harder now though, because everyone is terrified of the internet mobs coming for them.

[wattsup32]

I'll continue to endure because that theater has the best screenings in town by quite a wide margin. I'm going to try to befriend the manager in the hopes that an ongoing dialogue yields some better understanding the perspective of many of us who attend.

[Drucker]

We need to nationalize the New Bev rules. Any phones out during a screening and you're banned for life.

[beamish14]

We need to nationalize the New Bev rules. Any phones out during a screening and you're banned for life.

100%. Even taking it out during the pre-show should get your ass booted.

[Matt]

There was a young woman in my row on her phone and talking to the friends with her intermittently during Marty Supreme. She also clomped loudly out of the theater and back in in her oversized Uggs. I would normally have been pretty irritated, but it actually enhanced the stress of watching the movie.

[therewillbeblus]

There was a young woman in my row on her phone and talking to the friends with her intermittently during Marty Supreme. She also clomped loudly out of the theater and back in in her oversized Uggs. I would normally have been pretty irritated, but it actually enhanced the stress of watching the movie.

Reminds me of when my gf at the time stormed out of the theatre at the climactic violent moment in Uncut Gems, leaving me stunned not knowing what was waiting for me when I left the theatre. It only added to the chills and heart racing experienced as the credits rolled

[beamish14]

There was a young woman in my row on her phone and talking to the friends with her intermittently during Marty Supreme. She also clomped loudly out of the theater and back in in her oversized Uggs. I would normally have been pretty irritated, but it actually enhanced the stress of watching the movie.

Reminds me of when my gf at the time stormed out of the theatre at the climactic violent moment in Uncut Gems, leaving me stunned not knowing what was waiting for me when I left the theatre. It only added to the chills and heart racing experienced as the credits rolled

My girlfriend actually punched me in the arm because she was so disgusted by the ending of Pasolini’s Canterbury Tales and walked out before literally the last 2 minutes or so

[hearthesilence]

My favorite was taking someone to the opening film of Lincoln Center's Dardennes retrospective in 2009 which was La Promesse - they had no idea who the Dardennes were, much less their work, and when the lights went up, I was like "oh man, that movie gets better every time!" and I turn to them and they could barely say a word. They were clearly traumatized and I'm like "oh yeah, I guess it's probably a hard watch for someone new...."

[MichaelB]

I still have very fond memories of taking my then 19-year-old son to a packed cinema screening of the restoration of Pink Flamingos.

I’m not sure what he found more traumatising, the film itself or his dad merrily laughing through stuff that he really hadn’t been prepared for; his only other John Waters film was the infinitely tamer Serial Mom.

To quote him immediately after the screening “I knew it would be disgusting, but I didn’t think it would be that disgusting!”

[okcmaxk]

A Crack-Up at the New Bev . Guy on his phone during a Wild Strawberries/Straight Story double gets kicked out, calls everyone Nazis, insisting that David Lynch would’ve defended him. Try and spot Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie dying inside.

[beamish14]

A Crack-Up at the New Bev . Guy on his phone during a Wild Strawberries/Straight Story double gets kicked out, calls everyone Nazis, insisting that David Lynch would’ve defended him. Try and spot Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie dying inside.

Oh, god. I was there for night one of this. Perfectly respectful crowd

[domino harvey]

Bad Lynch audiences are becoming an epidemic, given recent problems at the BFI and Music Box as well

[beamish14]

Bad Lynch audiences are becoming an epidemic, given recent problems at the BFI and Music Box as well

I went to a book signing of his and dealt with complete nut jobs there as well. Fortunately, Lynch didn’t take shit and was a strong type-A personality who could immediately shut down nonsense (in case you’re curious, some idiot wanted to discuss 9/11 with him).

[hearthesilence]

I still have very fond memories of taking my then 19-year-old son to a packed cinema screening of the restoration of Pink Flamingos.

I’m not sure what he found more traumatising, the film itself or his dad merrily laughing through stuff that he really hadn’t been prepared for; his only other John Waters film was the infinitely tamer Serial Mom.

To quote him immediately after the screening “I knew it would be disgusting, but I didn’t think it would be that disgusting!”

First time I saw it was about his age (maybe even the same age) and I couldn't finish it. I think I stopped about 20 minutes in? I gave it another try last year at MoMA and...it was totally fine (relatively speaking) and I thought it was great! Time and experience changed things.

[hearthesilence]

Bad Lynch audiences are becoming an epidemic, given recent problems at the BFI and Music Box as well

I went to a book signing of his and dealt with complete nut jobs there as well. Fortunately, Lynch didn’t take shit and was a strong type-A personality who could immediately shut down nonsense (in case you’re curious, some idiot wanted to discuss 9/11 with him).

I've become wary of "Lynch fans." I love Lynch myself, but with a handful of exceptions, everyone else I meet doesn't seem genuinely interested in cinema, they're just into strange camp for the novelty value.

[beamish14]

Bad Lynch audiences are becoming an epidemic, given recent problems at the BFI and Music Box as well

I went to a book signing of his and dealt with complete nut jobs there as well. Fortunately, Lynch didn’t take shit and was a strong type-A personality who could immediately shut down nonsense (in case you’re curious, some idiot wanted to discuss 9/11 with him).

I've become wary of "Lynch fans." I love Lynch myself, but with a handful of exceptions, everyone else I meet doesn't seem genuinely interested in cinema, they're just into strange camp for the novelty value.

I think people like Lynch and Tim Burton have also developed thick skins from being magnets for very…odd fans