Does anyone else find the movie theatre experience over stimulating?

[KCT]

Look at the difference between classic movies of previous generations and today and the difference is striking. Today’s movies don’t make classic movies any worse…

Classics in a theatre would be easier, since there is generally not the amount of action. (generalizing).

Someone asked about live shows in a large theatre…I saw Les Mis last spring and it was a great experience. There is not an enormous screen and blaring sound.

Does anyone know why the volume has to be so darn loud in a theatre?

 

[LegoGE1947]

I actually wanted to thank you for the quote from Francis Assisi. He is so right about this. As we may all know, one of the hall mark traits of serial killers is abuse toward animals.

Seems that in some theaters recently there is more violence in the theater than on the screen.

 

[lalindsay225]

I think movie theaters can be a bit rough for people who have certain conditions, like autism…or the autism spectrum, I think movies can be a little rough.

Yes, exactly. My son has autism, but loves movies. Luckily we found headphones he can wear that block out some of the sound. (He also wears these to Mass because of the powerful audio system.)

 

[pensmama87]

I found out recently that my astigmatism has had a big impact on my movie going experience. We don’t go often, but several times we’d go see a movie and I’d complain to my husband about how blurry some of the scenes were, and he’d have no idea what I was talking about. This only happens in the movie theater - never at home.

When we do go, we always sit in the last row. Partially so no one can kick my seat, but also so I don’t get motion sickness. I don’t do well in IMAX movies, and I haven’t ever seen a 3D movie.

(Oh yeah, I’m only 26. So I’m not pining for the good ole days - I don’t remember what those were like! Though I do remember paying $4 for a matinee, which isn’t too bad for 2-3 hours entertainment!)

 

[Book_Worm]

I guess I’m the oddball on this thread. When I “watch” a movie at home, I never just sit and watch it; that seems like a terrific waste of time. So I’m doing needlework, checking email, doing paper work, folding laundry, etc., while the movie is on. When I’m in the movie theatre, I actually give the movie my undivided attention and enjoy it much more.

I think my near-sightedness might also have something to do with it. My vision isn’t bad enough that I need to wear glasses all the time, but I often have difficulty seeing words written on a screen, so when there’s an important plot device contained in a note or portion of a printed page shown, I generally can’t read it. I find that very frustrating.

 

[pianistclare]

I’m right there with you. As I said before, I like the movies.
I don’t go to the violent films. There are plenty of good movies that don’t fit what others are complaining about. Like “The Help” from some months back. Great movie. No screaming, no crashes, no bombs going off. Just a great story.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

I often find the sound way too loud but eventually I acclimate to it. I have been tempted to ask for the sound to be adjusted but either I acclimate quickly or someone beats me to it.

I heard complaints from a few people about Hunger Games (the first film) because of the photography; there was a lot of jostling so some people found it annoying and some felt it made them motion sick. For me, the photography worked because it drew me into the action.

 

[Cat]

Have the people who find the volume uncomfortably loud in theaters tried wearing cotton in their ears to muffle the sound?

My dad taught me to do that at tractor pulls. It works!

 

[LegoGE1947]

I’m curious if those of you who feel uncomfortable in movie theaters feel the same way about live theater in one of those big city theaters.

I don’t mind the “movie theater experience” with the chatting people, the cell phones, the crunching food, the loud volume, etc., but I really don’t like movies very much, and I don’t watch them very often at home, either. I have trouble remembering who’s who, and the 90 scenes don’t always connect for me. It’s like watching 90 little shows, and I don’t always get the connection between all those shows and so at the end of the movie, I’m asking dumb questions like, “So did the monster go back to his planet, or was he was the one who morphed into the ice cream man?” And then everyone makes that loud sighing noise and I feel like an idiot because I didn’t get it.

The only movies in theaters that I go to are the ones with my favorite actor, but lately, all his movies have been violent (Gangster Squad, where someone supposedly got torn apart by two cars–yechh! I didn’t go see it.) The one movie of his that wasn’t violent (Jayne Mansfield’s Car) wasn’t shown in our city–too intellectual, I guess?!

Part of the fun of watching movies in a real theater is the “corporate experience.” It’s fun when everyone gasps or sighs or laughs at the same time, or when the hero finally wins and everyone claps, or when the hero dies and everyone in the theater is crying.

And finally, one more problem with movie theaters compared with watching the movie at home–bathroom! I don’t eat the popcorn because then I get thirsty, and then I have to go to the bathroom at the most exciting part of the movie!

I can still remember seeing Elvis Presley’s first movie “Love Me Tender” in 1955 when I was a little kid. Elvis played a Civil War soldier who was killed in battle and the last scene was his tombstone with Elvis super imposed over it singing “Love Me Tender” and every teen age girl in the theater blubbering and crying. Also “The Passion Of The Christ” the scene in the garden where “Jesus” is praying, the serpent comes crawling around him, Jesus stands up and stomps on the serpent’s head. The whole audience gives thunderous applause!

 

[yellowbird]

I like going to the movies but I prefer a nearly empty theater. I cannot stand to hear people talking - and it seems like so many forget they aren’t on their couch at home. We recently saw It’s a Wonderful Life on the big screen. The family behind us included a teenage boy around 15 years who apparently hadn’t seen it. The mother literally explained every scene to him… in a “whisper” I’m certain could be heard three rows in front of us. I kept turning around giving her a look but she was clueless. SO annoying. The theater was filled or I would’ve moved.

So that’s why I hate going … I can’t tune out the noise or the guy next to me who smells like a combination of cigarette smoke & salami.

 

[CAROLOFTHEBELLS]

I love seeing a movie in a theater. I don’t see many any more because the price of a ticket is so high and I really watch my spending. Also, I reached a point quite a few years ago when I came to expect more than just the going to the movies experience and did not like feeling disappointed with a movie. I find it really pays off to read reviews before deciding to go ahead and go. There have been several times I think I was spared feeling disappointed and ripped off.

What I really love is great cinematography, locations, and storytelling that pulls me in. A movie that demands to be seen on the big screen or, perhaps, just experienced in an emersive way with others. Sometimes it is fun just to see a light comedy.

The last movie I saw was The Book Thief, ignoring some of the critics and paying more attention to one of the themes of the story (I used to work in a library literacy program). The visuals were quite beautiful and I enjoyed the acting and the way the subject matter was presented. Before that, it had been several months since I had seen a movie. That one was Silver Linings Playbook, which I absolutely loved. I think before that I saw Lincoln, and before that The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I am planning to see Saving Mr. Banks this weekend because I am a big Walt Disney and Disneyland fan. I would kind of be interested in American Hustle, judging from a radio show I heard talking about it. But I need to read reviews first.

I never go to see these super popular movies that come out, such as the Dark Knight, The Hobbit, Hunger Games. They just don’t interest me. It did go to see the first two Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but then tired of them. I expect movie audiences for blockbusters to be a bit more excited, which is fine and kind of fun.

I think I must have the good fortune of having a local theater with mostly considerate audience members. My main complaint is when someone puts their feet up on the ledge that separates the balcony from the floor seating. Not so bad when they wear dark shoes, but white or flip flops are very distracting. No one uses their phone during movies here. Maybe I just don’t see enough movies! I will usually go to a movie on a Sunday after church. Maybe people are well behaved then.

I am 59. I actually prefer seeing movies in a theater as opposed to at home because it feels more like what I have been used to for most of my life. It is really nice to watch movies at home when you live in a household like one I live in, with a large screen TV (small by some standards, though, Fios, on demand, and Netflicks. But, unless no one is home, I have more chance of someone talking during the movie at home. More interruptions, too much light in the room, family members munching or making food. Temptations to pause to go to the bathroom, as convenient and nice it may be. No, really movie experiences cannot be accomplished at home.

 

[meltzerboy]

I have the same issue with the movies nowadays – too loud, too much sensory stimulation.

They sometimes make me dizzy or even bring on palpitations or a panic attack.

So I rarely go.

You’re not alone in feeling this way.

I agree with everything you say about the movie-theater experience and I think it may be a generational or age issue. I much prefer to watch films, preferably old ones, at home.

 

[CAROLOFTHEBELLS]

Regarding performance theaters: I am a volunteer usher for one. Recently, we allowed drinks and snacks that were purchased in our bar to be taken into the theater during the performance of A Christmas Carol. I think that was a mistake. There was a lot of rustling of wrappers and some people made a real mess. (Even though the announcements prior to the performance asked that they be careful not to do so.) We also had some complaints about it being allowed. I think an audience behaves more rudely when more casual behavior is allowed and will rise to more polite behavior as casual behavior is discouraged. At least in performance theaters.

There is usually not much talking going on during performances. The worst behavior is arriving late. We had a policy to seat latecomers in empty back rows until intermission, but that seems to have changed. I can sort of understand perhaps one party having trouble in traffic, even though this is not a high traffic area much of the time, but five or six parties arriving after curtain is out of hand. In some cases, other audience members have to get up to let them into their seats.

Of course, it goes without saying I am very comfortable with live theater, which is part of the reason I volunteer. Not only can I see shows and concerts for free, but I get a bit of the behind the scenes experience, so to speak.

 

[gardenswithkids]

…

Does anyone know why the volume has to be so darn loud in a theatre?

Some theatres turn up the volume more than others. While they all seound loud, not all seem “too loud”. My family and I are generally not overwhelmed by movie experiences. Maybe it relates to what movies I tend to pick. But I remember one time at a child friendly movie, the volume was excessively loud. We all noticed it and my kindergartener sat with his hands over his ears! I eventually requested that they turn it down, which they did. I think most of the audience was relieved.

 

[Cricket2]

Classics in a theatre would be easier, since there is generally not the amount of action. (generalizing).

Someone asked about live shows in a large theatre…I saw Les Mis last spring and it was a great experience. There is not an enormous screen and blaring sound.

Does anyone know why the volume has to be so darn loud in a theatre?

I think it is like everything else, someone has decided that if it isn’t loud and blaring no one can hear. It shocks me because there are constant warning about hearing loss, but no one seems to heed them. When they have to start forking out $2k - 10K for a pair of hearing aids I bet that thinking changes.

It is maddening. People even bring radios and loud music to the camping grounds and wilderness. That used to be a place one could go and get away from the racket and noise of the world. Not so much anymore.

 

[Cat]

I’m wondering if difficulty with loud things is a Catholic cultural thing. What do you think?

So many times, Catholics have told me that they find the organ music “too loud”.

I don’t get that at all! At the Lutheran churches, they revel in loud organ with all the stops out and a rumbling floor!

 

[pianistclare]

I’m wondering if difficulty with loud things is a Catholic cultural thing. What do you think?

So many times, Catholics have told me that they find the organ music “too loud”.

I don’t get that at all! At the Lutheran churches, they revel in loud organ with all the stops out and a rumbling floor!

You may be on to something…at a former parish we had a huge pipe organ that EVERYBODY complained about. When we removed it (it was built piecemeal)
then they “missed it terribly”.

 

[meltzerboy]

I’m wondering if difficulty with loud things is a Catholic cultural thing. What do you think?

So many times, Catholics have told me that they find the organ music “too loud”.

I don’t get that at all! At the Lutheran churches, they revel in loud organ with all the stops out and a rumbling floor!

The worshipers at Lutheran churches may revel in the sound of the loud organ because they are now nearly deaf. I once heard an organ in a church when I was much younger: it was a thrilling experience but I wouldn’t want to hear it on a weekly basis.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

I think movie theaters can be a bit rough for people who have certain conditions, like autism…or the autism spectrum, I think movies can be a little rough.

Many cinemas now offer sensory friendly screenings .

The lights will dim but remain on, the volume will be lowered, the movie will start promptly at 10 a.m. with no previews, families with special dietary needs will be allowed to bring snacks from home, and if the kids yell or even stroll around the theater, no one will complain.

Wonderful!

 

[lalindsay225]

Many cinemas now offer sensory friendly screenings .

Wonderful!

That is wonderful! I only wish more theaters would do it, and more often. The autism-friendly movie screenings are usually sold out by the time I hear about them.

Yay! My 50th post!