MOVIETIQUETTE: Making Movie-watching a Pleasant Experience

I love to watch movies with my family and a few select friends. Movies are made to engage our imagination and entertain us. That's why once inside the cinema and the movie starts, we step into a world where we become part of it, but not quite.  We take on the eye of the camera and watch every move.  We only want to follow every scene in one peaceful stretch.

Of course when you fall asleep at any point, something may be wrong somewhere.  And when you get doused off with a box of buttered popcorn, with a glass of soda to go with it, something is definitely wrong somewhere!

Nah, it has never happened to me...but once upon a time I really wanted to do that violent thing to someone in the audience.  A threesome nestled a few seats away from behind us caught our irked attention because one of them, a gaylord (pls don't put any gender-bias color here, am just singling out this one particular person who happens to be gay just so you imagine how he was doing it)...well, anyway, he keeps mouthing rude comments in between scenes of Les Miserables, the musical film.  In intimate scenes, he would interject lewd remarks.  It seemed  he definitely wanted full attention drawn to him and he was doing it all in bad taste.  His friends never cared to shush him.

People are getting increasingly annoyed because his crude voice rang in our ears like big flies would.  But my friend, who was watching the movie for the second time like me, couldn't afford to watch the rest of the scenes distracted and annoyed like that.  A lady seated in front of them one row from behind us stood up and went out, and my friend followed...and when they came back, a security officer was in tow.  Minutes later, the raunchy group left, and we enjoyed the movie in precious quiet.  Now all you could hear were...prudent sniffles.

If only all movie-goers were discreet, movie-watching would be a bliss. You go to the movie to enjoy. Same with everybody who is in there, too!  It's very basic, actually. Exercise courtesy and respect, and everybody's happy!

Come early so you get ahead in line. But if you find yourself at the tail end, don't push. The line  isn't gonna get any shorter if you did, only the temper of those people ahead of you.
 If someone in the back pushes, GLARE! 

That's why  snack shops are located outside, so you make a stop there to buy your munchies and drinks before going inside the movie house.  How inconvenient it would be to interrupt your viewing (and others', too!) just to go out and buy food. If you do decide, anyway, take note of your seat's location. Don't cause any further disturbance by making a fuss in finding your seat.
 In case of  responding to the call of nature, well, we can't help it...if you can't control your gall bladder, we'd rather you go out and relieve yourself in the restroom rather than in your seat!
 But make a trip to the john before going in, if you can do it.
Remember, there is no rewind in the cinema.

How irritating it is to be distracted by someone's phone ringing incessantly in the middle of the show.  Plus that loud "hello-hello".  Be considerate, do not answer that! Just send your caller a text explaining you are inside a movie house and you will return the call later. And if you can't help it, just please step outside and there you can holler as much as you like.

It's fun to watch as a group, but please save all discussions AFTER the show,  it's okay to talk about  interesting topics at the coffee shop, or wherever you decide to proceed after watching the movie.
Loud guffaws are acceptable IF you're watching a comedy flick.
A spontaneous long, loud scream is also acceptable IF you're watching a thriller/horror flick. You got scared, we understand. We got scared, too!
Refrain from making loud catcalls and nasty commentaries during tender moments.
(Remember: What you say and how you behave in public places reveal your "breeding". You don't wanna be called "manol", do you????  'Wag pahalata.)  

Would you be happy sitting in a messy area in the movie house?  Just exactly how'd  you feel chancing upon a seat where on the floor lay scattered nutshells or wrappers and paper cups  left by the previous viewers?  Good thing  there are ushers who check every row as soon as the movie ends to clean up after such inconsiderate viewers. But please, make their lives easy by putting all your litter in the plastic bag. You can leave the bag there for the ushers to pick up if you don't want to take a trip to the trash bin on your way out. But please, have shame, don't mess up the floor!

Don't go chasing kids inside the movie house.
This is the best time to teach them proper manners when watching a movie.  Tell them to stay still and be quiet in their seats. Tell them to mind their pop corns, too!
 Oh, please, don't bring babies in there.  If you can't find a babysitter, then don't watch.
It's hard to silence crying babies who get scared in the dark or by the moving figures in the large screen.  It's pretty  much like getting stuck in a small airplane with  babies wailing incessantly the whole time.  And it's annoying to listen to you shushing up your baby like that.  It's child abuse!

No, you're not really allowed to be that comfy, especially when there's someone sitting in the seat in front of you.  Especially, too, when your feet STINK!
Don't kick that seat, either. You don't want to provoke anybody, right? 

Please don't narrate the story.
Don't tell us what will happen next; don't even tell us the summary.
If you must predict the next scenes, keep your thoughts to yourself.
(Sayang naman bayad, lalo na kung ikaw nanlibre, tapos i-ku-kwento mo rin naman pala.)

Oh, please, go home, or you might just get it.
Somebody's cold soda might just accidentally  land on  top of that mop that is your hair.
Besides, you really don't want people to know that you snore in your sleep (and how!), do you???

To sum it all up, be sensitive, be considerate.
You want  movie-watching to be a pleasant experience, and so do we.

The Diary Of A Wimpy Kid

Watching while sewing, that's what I was doing when the show came on TV. The Diary of A Wimpy Kid. Well, it is a narrative by Greg Heffle, an eleven-year-old boy who is into middle school. We do know, being eleven, it's an awkward stage for kids...it's that stage when they are torn between being kids and being "I'm-not-a-baby-anymore". Naturally, there is that internal struggle. Didn't we all pass through that? And for those who have kids this age, well, don't you recognize the scene?

At home, he's bullied by his elder brother. And he resents the adoration by his baby brother. You see, he's in-between and he hates it. In middle school, he's one of the youngest, the shortest. And he's one of those bullied. It's a terrible feeling, that. To be bullied, I mean. You get to the point when you question your own existence, not the bullies'; when you wanna get back at them, but you can't. You wanna be in, you wanna be popular, but you don't know how, because you are still unaware of what you can do.

That is Greg. He wants to be popular in school, in that microcosmic world he's in. He has ideas in mind, and decides to implement them with the help of his bestfriend Rowley. But the things that he does manage to go wrong all the time, so it seems. So wrong that some other fellows get hurt, including his best friend who dumps him at one point. It was his fault, actually, because he tries to save himself at the expense of Rowley. In this movie, he is portrayed as a self-centered little boy. I think it's a general truth that kids at this stage, because they are going through the changes, could only think of themselves.

The movie is not entirely about Greg, the little boy who wrote the diary...well, the journal, as he insists: it's also about his bestfriend, Rowley, the chubby boy who used to be left out of the crowd because he's who he is, but gained popularity because he's simply being who he is. Greg tries so hard to become popular but ends up getting himself deep in trouble; Rowley gets in trouble because of Greg but manages to redeem himself. Just like when Rowley broke his arm in an accident that was caused by Greg, though the latter didn't mean for it to happen. The thing is, Greg didn't even apologize, but Rowley is a faithful friend: he didn't mind. Rowley gets the sympathy of the other kids in school, especially of the girls, and Greg tries and fails to veer their attention to himself. He ends up being scorned for what he did. But for Greg, he believes he created Rowley.

Rowley is a gracious kid. He's chubby, a fact that makes him a laughing stock in school. But he accepts himself for what he is, and tolerates the mocking. After all, he can't help being himself. What makes him adorable is that he is a loyal friend. He accommodates the whims of Greg, and stands by the latter. He takes it all in, until he could no more. So one day he drops the bomb and tells Greg off, finally ending their friendship. He no longer wants to be stepped on, especially by his bestfriend. Rowley moves on and finds other friends. Greg finds himself alone. Rowley doesn't have issues with himself, despite himself. Greg has everything in his teenage mind going in turmoil. Well, it all boils down to wanting to be accepted. Problem is, he cannot seem to accept his brothers, his mom and his dad, even himself.

But then, the story does have a happy ending. Greg and Rowley gets back together again. But not without some good realizations of things about life. Change in outlook is imminent.

The theme here is: Some people exert so much effort to be liked yet end up not being liked. Another is, some people do not realize who their real friends are until they come up in tight situations.

The lesson here is, Life can never be as perfect as you want it to be. So be true to your friends, be true to yourself and everything will be alright, never mind that life's not perfect. It will never be.