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Saturday, January 29, 2005 · posted at 6:16 AM

Dear Abby... Due to a series of unfortunate events recently, I have decided it is entirely appropriate to visit the wonderful world of movie etiquette.

I'm not talking about the in-movie etiquette (e.g. refraining from: bringing little ones in Pampers, chewing/slurping loudly, removing your shoes, answering phone calls, putting your feet on the seat in front of you... when there's a person sitting there), though this too is important to the movie-going experience.

What I'm talking about is an even more critical factor: pre-movie etiquette.

Recommendations:
With tickets costing as much as Monday happy hour at Surfside sushi, one-time-wear shirts from Forever 21, and Target weekly sale items (all very important expenditures), give recommendations freely and accept them seriously. If a movie completely and totally blows on so many levels that it transcends taste and personal preference, tell a person. Saw Collateral and it sucks? Issue a public service announcement. Saw Million Dollar Baby and it made a stone heart clench? Pay it forward. Important note: Take recommendations only from a reliable source, such as one who receives EW in the mail every Friday.

Invitations:
There is no excuse for an invitation getting "lost in the mail"... ever. If you care not to see a movie with a person, fine, but hold your tongue, refrain from movie talk and especially don't rub it in that this person was excluded. This holds particularly true if the movie is being recommended by said person (e.g. "I heard Sideways is like Swingers. We should go watch it"). Additionally, comments such as "I really want to see Finding Neverland" that seem to indicate a desire to watch a movie most often do and should be interpretted as "hey if you're going to go watch it, I want to go."

Discussion:
Keeping in mind the whole "holding your tongue" at the appropriate moments, it goes without saying that one must always exercise tact when talking about a movie. This means not walking out of the theater talking about the surprise ending in earshot of the next patrons or bashing an actress in front of her grandmother. This also means not asking what disease a main character died from before confirming that the other party has seen the movie.

So though some of you may say this little instructional guide was a complete waste of reading time, others are in dire, dire need of it.

Not that I'm bitter or anything...



	Saturday, January 29, 2005 · posted at 6:16 AM Dear Abby... Due to a series of unfortunate events recently, I have decided it is entirely appropriate to visit the wonderful world of movie etiquette. I'm not talking about the in-movie etiquette (e.g. refraining from: bringing little ones in Pampers, chewing/slurping loudly, removing your shoes, answering phone calls, putting your feet on the seat in front of you... when there's a person sitting there), though this too is important to the movie-going experience. What I'm talking about is an even more critical factor: pre-movie etiquette. Recommendations: With tickets costing as much as Monday happy hour at Surfside sushi, one-time-wear shirts from Forever 21, and Target weekly sale items (all very important expenditures), give recommendations freely and accept them seriously. If a movie completely and totally blows on so many levels that it transcends taste and personal preference, tell a person. Saw Collateral and it sucks? Issue a public service announcement. Saw Million Dollar Baby and it made a stone heart clench? Pay it forward. Important note: Take recommendations only from a reliable source, such as one who receives EW in the mail every Friday. Invitations: There is no excuse for an invitation getting "lost in the mail"... ever. If you care not to see a movie with a person, fine, but hold your tongue, refrain from movie talk and especially don't rub it in that this person was excluded. This holds particularly true if the movie is being recommended by said person (e.g. "I heard Sideways is like Swingers. We should go watch it"). Additionally, comments such as "I really want to see Finding Neverland" that seem to indicate a desire to watch a movie most often do and should be interpretted as "hey if you're going to go watch it, I want to go." Discussion: Keeping in mind the whole "holding your tongue" at the appropriate moments, it goes without saying that one must always exercise tact when talking about a movie. This means not walking out of the theater talking about the surprise ending in earshot of the next patrons or bashing an actress in front of her grandmother. This also means not asking what disease a main character died from before confirming that the other party has seen the movie. So though some of you may say this little instructional guide was a complete waste of reading time, others are in dire, dire need of it. Not that I'm bitter or anything...	Recent Posts Regina: But you're, like, really pretty. Cady: Tha... I always feel torn when the bigwigs come into town... We're all whores. "I'm not a whore," you say, and ... So, can the mind actually ever be free from fear? ... GLINDA I've heard it said That people come into ou... Prochaskan behavior. When I was in New York, some... The biggest deal there is. The great "Can I or Ca... Question from Trivial Pursuit: What famous athlet... In the cold December rain. I almost bought galo... Flying the not-so-friendly skies. Traveling Delta ... Morning news babie goose ryan bluemouse daves son dawntaught desiree diorama emily escadawg galveric high entropy invisible cube jepgato kyellow lilly mhuang mogbert nudream starfish + coffee verbivore Archives March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 January 2007 March 2007 April 2007 November 2008

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