People Who Talk...

"If you take sexual advantage of her, you're going to burn in a very special level of hell. A level they reserve for child molesters and people who talk at the theater."

That's a quote from Firefly, the under-appreciated-by-most TV series that's beloved by geeks like me, and it really sums up the sentiment of this entire blog. I like films, i'm not some arthouse loving movie buff, not by any stretch, but i do like watching films of all kinds so it stands to reason that i would frequent the cinema. This was true, for a time.

However, after several experiences that didn't represent value for money or (more importantly) civilised society i stopped going to anything other than the big 'must-see' releases. It seems, at least at my local Cineworld cinema in Stevenage that a large number of people are perfectly happy to pay £7-10 to sit in a darkened room and, for want of a better phrase, 'dick about'. This infuriates me, i simply cannot block them out and i find i'm just sat in the cinema not thinking about the film that's on any more, but instead about how fucking angry i am that these retards are ruining the film for me. And i begin wishing the film would hurry up and finish, regardless of how good it might be, simply so i can get away from these arseholes that are making me so angry. To top it all off, i'm paying for the privilege of being wound up to the point of combustion.

The experience is made all the more enraging given that cinema prices have steadily increased year on year, yet the service has never improved and steps have never been taken to eradicate this menace.

Nevertheless, in the past few months i've given the cinema a reprieve. I invested in a Cineworld Unlimited card so that i can see as many films as i like for a set fee of £13.50 a month - so if i go twice a month it's easily worthwhile. So far it's been a good investment and i've managed to see lots of films without the degenerates of Stevenage troubling me, but last night, like the tormentor of a second-rate slasher film, they returned with a vengeance.

Watching 127 Hours - a tense, thought-provoking tale of personal struggle and the will to live life to the fullest that was full of quiet contemplative moments - i was distracted time and again by a group of young guys chatting away, and not even quietly. What's wrong with these people? Maybe i should be more ballsy and tell them to shut the hell up, but to be honest, in Stevenage, you have a fair chance of being stabbed in the face for making eye contact, let alone openly berating someone.

I don't know what the answer is, because i wouldn't want to be a Cineworld employee charged with ejecting these morons for the very same stab-related reasons i mentioned. I just wish they'd fuck off and let those of us who want to watch a film, do just that.