Forgetting Their Manners

Kudos to Michael X. Ferraro for his clever commentary about the pent-up rage over movie theater etiquette, or the lack thereof (“It’s a Real Zoo in There,” Sept. 1). However, don’t think that the exclusive industry “screening” circuit is immune to such issues.

As an entertainment journalist invited to many pre-release screenings, I’ve been irate at colleagues who forget, or refuse, to turn off their cell phones. On separate occasions I have listened in amazement to a noted local television critic and a member of a foreign press association as they not only answered cell phone calls but also carried on conversations during a screening .

But I cringe when I see the senior critic for this city’s major newspaper at a screening. This critic (let’s just call him “K.T.”) appears to take copious notes and turns each page of his notebook very, very loudly.

He may not notice the noise, but the “rustle-scrunch-fold” sound is awfully distracting during poignant or dramatic moments. I’m sorry that he has to put up with others attending “his” screenings, and I hope that our watching the movie doesn’t interfere with his page-turning.

ALAN SILVERMAN

Culver City