Comments on: Other than that, Mr. Smith…

By: chris tate

chris tate — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:03:47 +0000

Liked the article. One of my worst movie experiences: the original Friday the 13th-one of the worst horror movies ever made. One of my best movie experience: the original Friday the 13th-I was watched the movie with a predominantly black audience that had no trouble talking back to the screen, commenting on action etc. It really saved the movie.
As for going to movies, I don’t go very much any more: I’m fed up with the high prices and TV commercials that have been put. Plus, with stadium seating, it’s not really a movie experience anymore; you’re looking out at the screen as opposed to up at the screen.

By: larry

larry — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:08:24 +0000

Just support the applicable DVD’s, I don’t go out to movies as I’m by myself

By: Medusa

Medusa — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:47:58 +0000

Hilarious story, Al!

By: Richard Harland Smith

Richard Harland Smith — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:02:27 +0000

Thanks for that story, Al, and thanks for your service to your country.

By: Al Lowe

Al Lowe — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:22:38 +0000

Good article. I just remembered something that happened when I took a date to see Jurassic Park.
The movie frightened me. As it was meant to do, I might add.
But my date was unimpressed. “Al, how could you be scared by something like that?” she asked. “You were in Vietnam.”
“Yeah, but they didn’t have any dinosaurs over there,” I responded.

By: Howard

Howard — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:54:23 +0000

Ahhhhhhh the good ole days of real film audience experiences. Let me reach back into my memory banks… Well, there was the time I went to see Monty Python’s Life Of Brian and some dude entered the theater from the back exit door and proceeded to clean the rifle he had brought in with him. Then there was the time at Young Guns when some kids kept throwing handfuls of gumdrops (yes, they sold gumdrops in theaters once upon a time) at my girlfriend. They were surprised when I broke theater victim etiquette and moved to their row and sat next to them. I proceeded to take all the gumdrops they had thrown, collected in my soda cup so they were nice and moist, reach across their row and deposited the emulsified collection atop the head of the main culprit responsible. He later claimed in the lobby, in front of his parents who were there to pick the motley crew up, that he had been aiming at the screen. All his mother could offer was, “Next time, aim better…” and one can’t forget the simple joy of watching a 6 year-old boy inconsolably hyperventilating during the T-rex attack during Jurassic Park. Yes, the theater-going experience held many life lessons not to be found easily in the living room. The movie theater is dead. Long live downloadable Netflix!

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 06:34:17 +0000

I don’t get out to the movies much these days, either, but that has more to do with the movies themselves than the theatergoing experience.

My favorite theater memory has to be Madagascar. I was in Catholic high school at the time, and soon after the movie came out my school happened to have a half day while the public schools were all on regular schedule. My friends and I, dorks that we were, went right from school (in our uniforms and everything) to see the brand-new kiddie movie and had the theater all to ourselves. It was glorious.

The last movie I saw in theaters was The Strangers, and I made the mistake of letting my friend drag me to that one on the first Friday it was playing. I tend to be a big ol’ wuss where horror movies are concerned, and I have to admit that as annoying as they were, the theater full of 14- and 15-year-olds shrieking at every turn and aiming laser pointers every time one of the creepers appeared in the background really helped distract me every time I started getting freaked out.

By: Garry

Garry — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:14:27 +0000

It was a first-run showing of The Beatles’ “Let it Be” at the Bluebird in Petersburg, VA. I was sitting about six seats into the aisle, about the middle of the theatre. A middle-aged woman, with shopping bags, came down the aisle and into my row. If I hadn’t yelled “Hey!”, she would have sat on me. She went out of my row and sat a few rows back of me. All right, a show of hands: How many of you were almost sat on at the movies? We’ve got “2″ so far.

By: Richard Harland Smith

Richard Harland Smith — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:37:28 +0000

I was probably the only person seeing DC CAB in my cinema to stand up and chant “Bill Maher! Bill Maher!” You know, for a long time there it was really unfashionable to like that guy.

By: Suzi Doll

Suzi Doll — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:31:58 +0000

I loved this blog post. Not only did it make me laugh out loud, but it brought back memories of my own strange experiences. I have lived in Chicago for over 20 years, so I have had my share.
1. Watching D.C. CAB in a rundown old movie palace, while two people behind me stood on their chairs and chanted, “Mr. T, Mr. T, Mr. T.” It was infectious so my friend and I joined them.
2. Watching DIE HARD in another rundown old movie palace in July with no air conditioning. Then a multi-generational family came with multiple bags of McDonalds food. Ugh! But, it was so hot and smelly, I actually felt like Bruce Willis when he was crawling around the Nakatomi (sp?) building.
3. Opposite experience: Watching DUNE in rundown old movie palace when it was below zero outside. The temperature in the theater was probably below 50, though it felt colder. And, the movie was 3 hours.
4. Went to a press screening of the original LETHAL WEAPON. Oprah was there. During the climax when Mel G. was kicking butt, Oprah was on her feet cheering, as were most of us.

I’ll stop now, but someone should write a book about this. Maybe it would encourage more people to go to the movies.