Rudeness

[sleigh]

Denise and I went to see HARRY POTTER & THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX last night -- one of the better HP films, I think, though there are niggling details of the worldbuilding that bother me (for instance, since it's canon that there is a 'truth serum' (a "veritas potion," I believe) in this world, why bother dragging Harry before a court of wizards for using magic in front of muggles and bringing witnesses forward to substantiate Harry's version of the event? Just use the damned truth serum and get the truth -- no need for court, no need for witnesses. For that matter, why keep accusing him of lying about Voldemort's return? Use the serum... I haven't read the books except for the first one so maybe there's an explanation I'm missing, but this makes no internal sense within the movie....)

Anyway... niggles aside, it's a decent movie. But...

About half an hour or so into the film (in a sparsely-filled theater) some guy a few rows back decided to answer his cell phone. It's rude enough that he left his cell on in the theater, but hey, occasionally we all might need to do that to catch a vital call. It was really rude to answer it without leaving the theater first, but we might have forgiven that if it were a ten-second "Look, I'm in the theater and I'll call you back later."

But no. This clown proceeds to have a conversation with the person on the other end. After about a minute or so, I turned around and gave him a loud "Shhh!" He ignored that and kept talking. After another 30 seconds or so, I said (loudly) "Be quiet!" -- and another person further up did the same about ten seconds later when the guy still kept talking. Ironically, the guy kept telling the person on the other end that "You need to stop calling me..."

He continued to talk for another half-minute or so, enough that I was ready to go find a theater attendant, but finally stopped.

I found myself amazed that someone would have such a total disregard for common politeness as to carry on a phone conversation while sitting in a theater. How does someone become that clueless?

The fool was back on his cell phone as soon as the end credits started to roll...

Comments

[shsilver.livejournal.com]

When Elaine and I saw "The Two Tower" in a theatre, it was clear that the people two rows in front of us were talking to people in the row behind us on cell phones throughout the film.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

I wonder, sometimes, whether the 'acceptance' of talking during a movie (whether on the cell phone or just aloud to the person next to you, stems from the way people watch movies in their living rooms now. We've lost the 'movie theater etiquette' now that we can watch a movie any time at home.

[thebadlady.livejournal.com]

I think this movie was the least confusing because it followed the book plotline the closest, however the truth serum is where it failed. In the books, the truth serum was used on Harry only and once at that because its a difficult potion to make and expensive to boot. Why they didn't use it at court? Some law or something? I am ashamed to even know this much and blame my children. :p

I am lucky in having a small restaurant/bar/movie theater a block from my apt that usually has few people who are generally polite. You would think with the jokes/complaints about rude people in movie theaters people would 'get it'. I keep underestimating the power of stupid people to keep not getting it. :p

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

As a movie, I think it may have been the best of the series -- but then I like a fair amount of darkness in my fantasy. :-)

[sethb.livejournal.com]

The only solution I've found to inappropriate use of cellphones is to say into the phone "You are talking to somebody too stupid to turn off his cellphone in a movie theater."

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

That would have been tempting... :-)

[sethb.livejournal.com]

And the applause from everybody else in the room keeps him from doing more than giving you a nasty look.

[greenmtnboy18.livejournal.com]

IMO there are lots of those little niggling worldbuilding things... I love the books anyway, but yeah.

Re: rudeness in theatres... folks with small children who start getting *scared* and start crying. And the parent sits there and tries to convince them not to be scared, while they are crying LOUDLY and obviously too distraught to listen to "shhh... look, he's fine now!"

Have had this happen the THREE of the last few times I've been to animated films.

I recognize they've paid money for the family to see the film and they'd rather not leave, but... ??? Everyone else in the theatre has ALSO paid money to see the film and CAN'T WATCH IT WITH A CHILD CRYING LOUDLY.

This makes me CRAZY. Around here, the cell phone thing doesn't happen very often, but we get the parent with scared child staying in the film a LOT.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

We had a couple with an infant a few rows in front of us, and Denise mentioned that she was worried about the baby getting frightened by the noise of the movie. We've been in a few movies where a child will start crying and howling, and neither Mom or Dad will take the kid out the theater. So we know exactly what you mean!

However, this one was perfect through the whole movie.

[andpuff.livejournal.com]

When we saw HPOP, the teenager next to me was sending text messages all through the movie but was careful to keep the phone sheilded so the light didn't bother people. I only noticed because of how close we were.

At a showing of Gladiator, the elderly couple behind us started loudly discussing their trip to Rome.

Her: That's the collesium. We were there, remember?
Him: Didn't look like that.
Her: They added extra bits for the movie.
Him: Where's our hotel then?
Her: Around the corner but it won't be in the movie, it's too new.

And on and on and on...

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

And did you turn around and ask them to please be quiet?

Maybe I getting curmudgeonly in my dotage, but I do think that if someone doesn't tell another person that they're being impolite or inappropriate, then they never correct their behavior. They still might not correct it, but at least they're now aware that others are bothered by it...

Great icon, BTW!

[sethb.livejournal.com]

This trick works only against those directly behind you: stand up.

HPOP and Rudeness

[ontology101.livejournal.com]

Don and I encountered a really rude theater patron in Toronto this year. He carried on a conversation with his companion at full volume. Granted, he started before the commercials...but continued through the commercials and through the trailers. His companion suggested he stop talking but he insisted the movie hadn't started so he was free to converse. Which he did...about nothing at all...with little response from his companion. Being a jerk, because he wanted to be.

My new pet peeve is blinking phone screen lights as people continue to text message throughout a movie.

About the use of truth serum: I get the impression it is considered a violation of a witch or wizard's rights to force them to tell you the truth. It certainly could fall under the umbrella of "self incrimination" in our world. Also, ministry flunkies wished to debunk Potter, and if they had allowed Potter to use veritas serum as a defense, they would not succeed in proving him a law-breaking liar. I don't think the wizarding courts/government is any less corrupt than ours. JKR wrote a morality play, did she not?

Let me add that this was my favorite HP movie. In HPOP Harry is churlish, angry, nearly impossible to like. In the movie, they chose to curb this a bit. I am happy the director is returning for HPHBP.