movie theatre etiquette

let me rant.

i like watching movies. usually, on sundays after we hear mass and have lunch, my family would decide to watch a movie if there's a good one showing. we especially enjoy watching the mmff movies, and we'd usually end up watching the top 3 films.

this time, we saw mano po 3, aishite masu & panaghoy. the movies were ok, each with their good and bad moments. but i don't want to write a movie critique.

i'd much rather write about the people in the theatres.

for heaven's sake, i wish everyone would get some breeding!

ok, im not perfect. far from it, actually. but i do try my best to respect other people. i only show disrespect to those who do not respect me or the people i care about.

my biggest pet peeve when im watching a movie in the theatres is when the person behind me kicks the back of my seat. i totally HATE that! i could go from a perfectly good human to an extremely pissed animal once i feel the back of my seat being kicked.

when we were watching mano po 3 in greenhills, the person seated behind my sister started kicking the back of her seat. since i was seated beside her, i could slightly feel it too. for heaven's sake, there is enough leg room in that theatre! i instantly got so irritated. and when im irritated, i could be so rude. i see red. i sometimes want to sit behind that person and start kicking the back of her seat REAL HARD until she feels her internals get all mixed up.

but since seats are assigned, i guess i have to be contented with just shooting them dirty looks. why not just ask them to stop? because i don't think i am capable to do it politely.

so anyway, she kept kicking my sister's seat and we kept shooting her dirty looks. and as if that wasn't enough, she was so noisy (and im sorry to say this) in a jologs kind of way. whenever the faces of the actors get close, she'd giggle loudly and go "kiss na!" and when they don't kiss, "haaay, ano ba yan?".

a week later, it was my turn to be victimized. new year's day, my family saw panaghoy in gateway. i was surprised to find out that there were no assigned seats. we went inside a little early to get good seats. i don't know if the couple behind us got there ahead of us, but i only noticed them when the guy started kicking my seat.

(one of my new year's resolution is that i'll try to be nicer to people. i 'd try not to be rude, even if they're extremely irritating.)

as we sat down, my sister and i commented that the leg room in there was pretty roomy, so we somehow expected that our seats won't get kicked. a few minutes after i sat down, just when i was getting a little comfy, i felt a kick on the back of my seat. i said to my brother and sister, (rather loudly.. the movie wasn't starting yet, anyway) "unbelievable! nasipa yung seat ko!" i seriously thought that they heard it and they'd stop kicking my seat. but a few minutes later, i felt it again.

so i turned around and asked (politely, if i may add), "can you not kick the back of my seat?" and the guy goes "yes?" and i repeat it. and guess what, they started talking about me! i don't remember if he said ok, although im positive he didn't say sorry. he addresses his girlfriend "ano raw?" the girlfriend goes "pa-english english pa ha!" then he says "e gusto niya mag english e" or something like that. basta, pinag-initan nila ang pag- eenglish ko! i wanted to turn around and tell them "im sorry, but when you said yes, i thought u had a grasp of the english language." or go "ang sabi ko, 'wag mong sipain yung likod ng inuupuan ko.. HAYOP!" grabe! magparinig ba? chicken shits!

but it was day 1 of the new year, and i wanted to start it right. be nice. stick to my resolution. so i counted to 10. i didn't notice it, but they transferred seats.
__________________

you know the reminders flashed on the screen before the movie starts? "as courtesy to the other viewers, please turn your cellphone off or to silent mode" and "please do not leave your trash in your seats. there are trash bins available..." they should add: "please do not kick the seat in front of you." it would be nice too, if they say "if you know the story, keep it to yourself." and for movies with subtitles: "do not read the subtitles out too loudly. other people can read, too." i mean, if they're with someone who can't read, you can whisper to him/her, right?
__________________

i swear, we really need the sign "do not kick the seat in front of you" flashed before the movie begins. then occasionally flash it in the middle of the movie, for good measure.

or they could be creative and provide us with fly swatters as hard as wooden paddles. or even a 2x2 will do. or to be more threatening, an ax or a chainsaw, perhaps? or come up with a seat that would react when it's back gets kicked. like, it can electrocute that person once there is sudden and hard contact. i don't know what else.. all i know is that those people need to be punished! yup! hanged. quartered. covered with melted sugar (coz hindi nilalanggam and honey!), tied to a tree and fed to the red ants. have all their body hairs plucked one at a time. fed to the great whites... (haha! exag! but that's how much i hate it!)