The Importance of Cinema Etiquette

“When Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ premiered on Broadway, a sign hung over the cinema entrance that read, “No one... BUT NO ONE… will be admitted to the theatre after the start of each performance of Psycho.” According to Hitchcock, this was for the audience’s own good. But it was also part of a beautifully orchestrated marketing campaign that created excitement for the movie by driving home the importance of seeing it from the very beginning.”

Before Psycho hit theatres, apparently it was common culture to just waltz into a movie screening at any old time. As maddening as that is, this type of behaviour became less and less popular after Psycho's release and it suddenly became important to see the beginning, middle and end of a movie. Isn't it strange that it was ever acceptable to miss the beginning of a movie?

Keeping that in mind, why the hell do we allow late-comers into movies in this day and age? If a movie has begun, those doors should be locked at far as I'm concerned. Or at the very least, get some pimple-faced kid who works there to man the door and refuse entrance to anyone who shows up past the publicly displayed showtime. 

I hate when I need to shuffle my coat and purse around on the grimy floor, just because some late loser needs to shimmy on by me to sit down. That's bullshit. 

Why is lateness not more penalized in our society? It's weird that it's not. We shouldn't be as casual about it as we are because it's a sickness. And if we continue to just look the other way, it's only going to get worse. 

There's really so little you need to do in order to be a basic, decent human in a movie theatre.

1. Show up early.
2. Shut the fuck up.
3. Shove your phone up your own ass if you can't go for less than two hours without looking at it.

The three S's! Pretty simple stuff. And honestly, I really just think it comes down to having manners. Where the hell did the importance of having good manners go over the past few decades?

Restaurant Gives a Discount for Putting Your Cell Phone in a Box

A restaurant in Sioux City, Iowa, is attempting to curb the epidemic of customers who heavily rely on cell phone usage during dinner service.

"Owner Dave Ferris doesn't want the devices cluttering tabletops like horribly ineffective utensils either, which is why at Sneaky's Chicken, servers make the rounds with shoeboxes on Wednesday evenings. Drop your phone in one, and you get 10% off your meal."

Personally, I love this idea. I'm holding out hope that it catches on, especially in major cities. I read some of the comments below the original article and people were saying that 10% is too low, which made me laugh. As if upping your discount would make you enjoy any surrounding human contact more. Anyway, I would do this in a heartbeat if a restaurant offered it. Remember a time when there were little to no interruptions in social settings? Neither do I!

The Bed Butler

It holds laptops up to 17", magazines, tablets, e-readers, books, cell phones, remotes, pens, glasses and more - all within arm's reach while you're in bed. While I try not to tolerate cell phone usage in my own bed, this does seem like a great idea to have.

(Sidenote: no couple should allow cell phones NEAR their bed. Let a bed be a bed, unfettered. Shouldn't it be the one place where technology doesn't take over your surroundings?)

“If you’re sharing a bed with someone, never use your phone when in bed. Can’t even describe how rude this is. That bed is for humans, not smartphones.”

— #lizadvice

Louis C.K. - Cell Phones

Love this so much. Just great.