We have pay TV with hundreds of channels, but for my wife and me it is our version of "date night." We enjoy going out for dinner and a movie because when we were younger and both working tons of hours we rarely had time to enjoy going out on dates. Now we see it as a way to do something special a couple of times a week. Sometimes the movies are awful, sometimes they are great--the important thing is enjoying each other's company doing things we enjoy.

Don't let this scare you away. I may beach and moan a bit, but the truth is that I am very happy to live here and the benefits greatly outweigh the occasional difficulties.

Before we moved here we lived on a small tropical island in Panama. Those who came to visit us saw it as paradise--beautiful beaches, low cost of living, warm weather year round, a close knit community, etc. When we decided to leave most were incredulous--"why would you leave paradise?" I saw it for what it was, a beautiful place but it still had issues--sometimes we would run out of water or electricity, sometimes we couldn't find provisions at the local market, we often had to deal with corrupt politicians looking for bribes/handouts. I still loved it there, but instead of calling it "paradise" I called it "paradise with warts." The same is true with TV-it ain't perfect (no place is), but it sure is nice. Consider TV paradise with warts.

By golly, I think you've got it! :coolsmiley: Congratulations on your happiness.

You don't get out much do you?

:1rotfl:cappyjon: We have dates too..at least that; what my wife calls them and she buys me lunch too, she visits just about every store in the area on the same day and I get to push the cart and do the heavy lifting....and that wonderful lunch you would be surprised on how fast you can fill up on the samples stores hand out especially on Saturdays:1rotfl::1rotfl:

By the way I worked in a movie threatre as a kid when I was dating my wife. got her in free sat her in the back and she watched movies and ate free popcorn.. I sure was a big spender back then. and oh yea I was the kid who knocked on the threatre seat if I caught you smooching...Please stop that now I saw South Pacific with M Gaynor in its entirety 25 times Psycho as many Oh the good life of a usher. Gosh I wonder if the threatre at LSL is hiring I have experience

Hey cappy if you beach and moan then I would say you have a sunburn. Just joking not an insult.

none taken, it is good to start the day with a laugh!:)

Date night
 

My husband and I have "date night" every week. We've always called it that even though it ends up being "date nights." Now, my daughter always refers to Friday nights as "date night" with her fiance. It's nice to know she was paying attention and is now carrying on with our tradition.

I think one thing we forget is that many seniors are in the beginning stages of Alzheimers and/or dementia, plus bad hearing which means no clue how rude or loud they are being.

I have a dear friend who takes her husband to a movie once a week. It is a very special treat for him, a very trying time for her as she tries to keep him from not talking in full voice. He's not trying to be rude and inconsiderate, he is reverting to a young child who is excited about what is being shown on the screen. Inconsiderate to those around him? Yes. But there is no way I would want to deprive him of this enjoyment even at the expense of those around him.

That being said, I once spilled a Coke on a woman's phone when she refused to go outside or end her conversation (it really was accidental -- I had leaned forward to again ask her to stop, had drink in hand and it spilled). Rude is rude and if you know you are disturbing others and know it is wrong, shame on you!!!

Certainly a good point and an ethical conundrum, probably no "black or white, right or wrong" answer.

I will further cloud the waters by adding this:

We are a comunity of seniors, and many are in early (or late) stages of losing some of our hearing (my wife is going through this now). It is sometimes difficult enough to fully hear the dialogue on the screen, even without conversations going on around us. Should we make it more difficult for those who are hearing impaired to enjoy the movies that they have paid for?

An interesting aside: My grandmother is 96 and hadn't been to a movie in years because she is now almost totally deaf. My parents heard that "The Artist" was a silent film and thought she might enjoy going out to a movie for a change. She loved it! Now my parents came up with another great idea--take grandma to foreign films (they usually have subtitles--something she is accustomed to with the closed captioning she has on her television). Now my 96 year old grandmother will be able to once again go to the theatre and enjoy an activity she always loved.

Jon, I loved the story of your grandmother. It actually brought tears to my eyes. What a great solution for her!

I truly loathe people who think they should discuss the movie while the movie is playing and have absolutely no problem asking them to shush. Not sure I'd kick the back of the seat, but it seems like a viable option to me. For someone who makes an occasional comment whether whispered quietly or much too loudly, I can live with it (don't like it, but can live with it). For the person who has regressed to an earlier lifetime, I would never say a word and have actually gotten more enjoyment in their joy than I ever would have from the movie I had paid to see. For the phone users, there is no excuse. None. whatsoever.

I thought the theaters here had "TV Ears", a headphone-like device that transmits the audio portion. Those who have reduced hearing capability can use those to hear the dialogue more clearly. I agree that sometimes the conversations that bother others are simply an attempt by one patron to "fill in the blanks" that the other person isn't hearing well.

Another alternative is the wireless headsets for hearing impaired people. My friend has a set for watching tv at home because she's totally deaf in one ear and can't hear too well in the other. She and her busband can now sit in the same room and watch the same shows without blasting the volume.

I agree, I'm just not sure that I would be able to spot the difference in a darkened theatre.

Aging
 

Mike, they probably do have those hearing devices in the movies but the problem is most people won't admit they can't hear. My mother who is 84 has the TV so loud It's hard for me to watch it with her, it hurts my ears. She would never believe me if I told her she was hard of hearing. It's a denial thing and a lot of seniors are in denial about, well, getting old in general never mind their eyesight or hearing.

Fight Rudeness With Technology
 

and have fun at the same time! Cellphone jammers (probably not legal, but all's fair in the fight against global ruditity!
Portable Full-function Cell Phone & GPS Jammer - Jammerall Co., Ltd

Now there's a thought.

But a super soaker would be much more fun!

Inappropriate term - Hearing Impaired
 

Please do not use the inappropriate term - hearing impaired (or impairment). If I tell people that I am hearing impaired, they think something is wrong with me. However, if I tell people I am deaf, they say nothing is wrong with me except that I can't hear!

Oh Dear, I think you are amazing!!! That you can tell what other people think!

I think you should take your show on the road!

But you probably already know that.

Thank you, my sweet Village Girl! :coolsmiley:

We are people with challenging abilities, not people with impairments (obstacles) in life!

Regards.
DD

Now these movie theaters are offering the seat-based captioning device, where you put on your seat's beverage holder. However, I am curious if you will be bothered by screen-based captions (captions on screen) or not. Because there's a basic flaw in the system - that the captioning screen is at the seat, and that makes it impossible to focus on both the captioning and the movie screen at the same time. If you focus on the captioning on the device, then the movie on the screen is out of focus, and if you focus on the movie screen, then the captions are a blur. And for people like myself, trying to focus near and far constantly causes severe eyestrain. I know how hearing people feel about open captioning. We know that at least some of them dislike it, but we don't how widespread that sentiment is.

Also, to obtain the seat-based captioning device, I have to give my driver's license. There is absolutely no justification for the theater manager or anyone else retaining possession of someone's driver's license. All they have to do is make a photocopy of the driver's license. If someone walks off with the equipment, they can call the police and provide them with the copy of the driver's license.

My husband and I had an incident happen at one of the Villages theaters. A big teenager sitting in front of me would not remove his hat. The brim of the hat was flipped up in the front. We both politely asked him to remove his hat or put the brim of the hat down. He refused. After the movie was over, I unpolitely told him where he could stick his hat in words a lady would never use! :-)

I usually just move to another seat-- if one is available-- if someone sits in the seat in front of me who may ruin the movie in some way.

Rudeness
 

I look at it this way. Even a day in a movie theater with rude people is better than a day at work. A year to go before we get to retire and move to TV and are thinking that we would rather have a few rude people around us in a show instead if what we are doing right now!

________________________________
Unfortunately there were no other seats to move to!

I too experienced plenty of rudeness at the TV theatre and that was just from the actors on the screen. I just don't want to know about their bodily functions nor their pornographic thoughts, etc tc etc.

they do make an announcement before the movie, but SUCH people as these know that it isn't meant for THEM

The hubby and I mostly attend the first matinee so we haven't run into some of the problems mentioned. The only time we have had to move was when two women in front of us had so much perfume on that it was making us sneeze. I am very careful about splashing on scent after that experience...

I usually go to the 2nd matinee which is a little more crowded than the first. There still have been a few movies where it is hard to find just the right seat if you do not come fairly early. The Debt, Wild Hogs, Boynton Beach Club, Mama Mia were all movies that I had a hard time findind a good seat even though I came early and it was a 2nd matinee.

Time to go back to the "Drive In Movies". Don't have to put up with peoples rudeness, yapping and cell phone ring'n!!! Also can be close to your Honey:ho::a040:

R there any drive ins left?

westbrook and bridgton, maine - 2 screens at bridgton! and a new refreshment stand coming this summer!

Florida Drive-ins :-: FL :-: Drive-in cinemas movies theatres films of Florida

There are 10 still operating in Florida as far as I can tell. One is up in Ocala. I would call the number though before going just in case. This may be an old web-site.

Ocala Drive In

This thread reminds me of a friend's mother who has Alheizmers’s. She has good and bad days. Last Sunday they took her out to dinner for Mother's Day. Deb's Mom stood up in the middle of her meal and shouted, "Be Quiet, it is too loud in here!".

Ok so all the people that worry about rudeness in a theater have a resolution- go to a drive in,
but with your luck someone with van will park in front of you:1rotfl:

You could always call some like Ann Richards.
 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUqLWTQCeHM]Ann Richards Alamo Drafthouse - No Talking No Texting - YouTube[/ame]

You could always call someone from Graciegirl's posse.
 

Above is a link to a youtube entry on how to handle a rude moviegoer-- Texas style.
Sounds like the movie they are watching is Brokeback Mountain?