Mailbag: No wonder ‘Hugo’ honors silent films

I enjoyed reading your article “Movie experience still worthwhile” (City Lights, Jan. 5) and also the editorial “Big-screen blues” in the Los Angeles Times. One thing I would like to add as a reason movie attendance might be shrinking is that, like a lot of older people who have hearing problems, I have limited my movie attendance because I just cannot hear the dialogue anymore. With blaring background music and mumbling actors, plus the increase in ticket prices, it just isn’t worth it to sit through a movie and not know what is happening. Many of my family and friends share this concern.

One happy note is the Regal theater chain has started showing limited open-captioned movies, and we attend them at the Big Newport and Metro Pointe. Sadly, not all theaters are following their example. Hollywood and the theater chains ought to wise up to the fact that there are an awful lot of retired people out there with plenty of time and income who love movies, and in fact a lot of others with hearing problems due to years of rock music, video games, etc., who forgo the movie experience because they just can’t hear what’s going on anymore.

Dennis Crowley

Huntington Beach

Residents’ voices clear on bridge

I have been a resident of Huntington Beach for over 30 years and am still fighting this 19th Street Bridge. Why in the world are Supervisor John Moorlach and Mayor Don Hansen still trying to force this unwanted bridge down the residents’ throats (“19th Street Bridge meeting planned,” Jan. 5)? We have told them “no” for all these years. What part of “no” don’t they get?

Eileen Murphy

Huntington Beach

Costa Mesa provides fireworks warning

I do not want fireworks of any kind in Huntington Beach. I lived in Costa Mesa for 15 years before purchasing a home here five years ago. Every year, around the third week in June, Costa Mesa evenings would erupt in a cacophony of skyrockets, shrill whistles and explosions. This worsened as the Independence Day holiday neared and continued for about a week afterward.

As I read the article in the Dec. 22 issue of the Independent, “Council ignites firework debate,” I recollected two memories of Costa Mesa: First, the legal “safe and sane” fireworks provide a cloak for those with illegal fireworks to hide under; and every year on the Fourth of July, my Costa Mesa neighborhood resembled a “war zone.” Near the end of the article, my memories were affirmed. Evidently, the Orange County grand jury report from 2007-2008 agreed with me. Bombs away!

David Singer

Huntington Beach

Surf City needs a spark on the 4th

Wow! All that crying about legalizing fireworks in Huntington Beach! I say good for the mayor. These last several years here in HB have been boring. I’ve lived here in HB for 13 years and it is a very dull city when it comes to the 4th lately. To all those people who are upset about safe and sane fireworks...don’t live so close to the beach if you can’t stand the heat!

Tommy Fain

Huntington Beach