Theaters need better movies, more civility

Re “Moving pictures,” Current, March 26

As a child of the ‘50s, I grew up without the benefit of multiplexes, stadium seating and cellphones, all of which have contributed to the demise of my own theater-going experiences. I could live with assigned seating, bar service and even the increased price of the ticket. However, I can’t live with the person next to me opening up individually wrapped candies (that she brought with her) and who thinks she’s sitting in a soundproof booth. The same goes for the individual who is whispering into his or her cellphone during the movie, acting as if he or she is being oh so discreet. And please don’t bring your babies and toddlers to adult-fare movies. It’s not just the picture palaces that are fading; it’s our civility as a society.

LIZ TEMKIN

Los Angeles

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All this hand-wringing by the movie industry about why people do not go to the theaters to watch movies astonishes me. They do not get it. Sadly, there are few movies that have a good story and are not filled with vulgar words and vulgar scenes. I do not see films that bring me down to some low level of society or have a social agenda. I go to see a film that entertains me.

I am willing to pay for the overpriced theater tickets and refreshments, to sit through the people chatting during a movie, to put up with the children crying and the cellphones ringing. But I am not willing to sit through a film that has no story and is loaded with vulgar words and scenes or someone’s social agenda. The last line of Peter Bogdanovich’s article was absolutely right: “Better movies would help.”

CHARLENE WOLF

Pasadena