Once upon a time, legend has it, the movie theater was a sacrosanct place of sorts. Not anymore. In St. Charles, Ill., a Twitter-inspired service with the ridiculous name MuVChat has been allowing the audiences at movies like Zoolander to text-message their thoughts directly to the big screen, where they’re displayed for all to see. According to the Chicago Tribune, "Most viewers make about 40 [!] comments per movie." This sounds super-annoying, but it’s actually not the most controversial instance of multiplex texting that I’ve read about today. That would be last night’s "#Twitflix" experiment, in which a group led by Human Giant’s Aziz Ansari, Paul Scheer (both pictured), and others used Twitter to live-blog a screening of Crank 2: High Voltage. Their totally hilarious tweets drew the rage of Ain’t It Cool News maven Harry Knowles, who spewed some Twitter bile of his own about how inappropriate this behavior was. "Movie Theaters are places to leave the outside world behind," fumed Knowles. "If there was even one person not a part of that…group whose experience was less because of annoying lit screens, it damns everyone that did it."
Okay, Knowles is right that it can be distracting when the dude sitting next to you is straight textin’ his pals while you’re trying to watch a cinematic masterpiece like Crank 2. But you know what? If I went to see Crank 2 — or even The Godfather, Part II — and realized that Ansari and Scheer were posting uproarious things to Twitter a couple rows ahead of me, that would not bother me. At all. It would be awesome! I’d far prefer that experience over going to one of those MuVChat screenings and having to sit through the instant commentary of people who are not professional comedians (though it’s true that the MuVChat experience is one you sign up for at the door, whereas Knowles was defending innocents who never asked for a side of Twitter with their cinema). Maybe that’s just me, though. What do you think? Do things like MuVChat and Twitflix make it acceptable to text in a movie theater, or is that never okay? Has the Twitter infatuation just gotten completely out of control?
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I don’t think I like this at all – can you pick a non-MuVChat screening for a movie at a particular theater? It’s just one more thing in the audience to distract me from what I paid good money for, which is to watch the freakin’ movie.
I love Aziz and Paul, so I would definitely be into reading their take on the film. However…would I want to read the comments of unfunny people trying their hardest to make the crowd laugh, which would inevitably only make them MORE unfunny? Uh, no thank you.
I’m feeling a pang of double standard in myself over this – I’d probably really enjoy reading those tweets, but if I was actually THERE, it would bug the crap out of me.
The MuVChat thing sounds fun. If you have to sign up for at the door, you know what you’re getting into. Twitflix? Heck no. If I pay good money to see a new film, I don’t want someone in the theater distracting me with their brightly lit phone screen. I don’t care if it was President Obama himself, I’d still tap him on the shoulder and tell him to put the phone away.
I know how ticked off I get when one little blue screen in a theater distracts me from the movie. If I was in a room with 100 people doing that I would probably go postal.
EXTREMELY annoying, please please please let this trend die! Especially since movies are getting more and more expensive. $12.50 in NYC! People, have some mercy and respect! Lights and/or clicking sounds are completely distracting.
Honestly, I LOVE texting at the movies because it has replaced talking at the movies! I’ll take people furiously typing away silently on mini-keypads any day over people talking on their cell phones during the movie (yes, it happens!) or holding a full conversation with their friends. In fact, I think theaters should post signs saying that texting is the ONLY acceptable way to communicate during a movie. Text “Who’s that guy?” or “Pass the popcorn” or “Is it just me, or has Julia Roberts had major work done?” Don’t speak it!
Isn’t this a new version of TRL or MuchOnDemand? And we all know how engrossing those IMs are! I can’t imagine that the idiotic teens sitting a couple seats over have anything profound to say about the latest popcorn movie. That being said, I would enjoy reading the tweets of someone who was actually funny. Sort of a new generation’s Mystery Science Theater.
If I was going to text @ a movie, and I’ve read some pretty hilarious live blogs that stem from this, I’d sit in the far back of the theater, away from everyone else, turn the sound off and tweet away. Obviously it’d be annoying if the person next to me was texting, but if you show some basic courtesy I wouldn’t mind.
If someone was texting right next to me, it would probably bug me, especially if it was ALL THE TIME, but otherwise I have no problem with it. I’ve definitely checked my phone during movies and may even have texted once or twice myself, although I do like to focus on whatever movie I’m watching.
I used to go to the movies all the time but I seldom do now because I can’t stand the people texting and checking their cell every 5 minutes. It’s especially bad in coliseum style seating where you have a top down view of everyone in the theatre. Some even make or receive calls all the way through the film.
I totally disagree with this article:
Maybe I’m just grumpy, but just because Ansari, Scheer (and friends) happen to be funny, it doesn’t make it ok for them to distract people who may be trying to watch a movie in a theatre (even if it’s a craptasterpice like “Crank 2″). Like Josh, I get totally annoyed when people check their message or text other people while watching a movie because the little light from someone’s phone can be absolutely distracting. I mean, honestly: are our attention spans SO short, that we can no longer sit still and devote our attention to ONE thing (the thing we paid to see, by the way!) for 100 minutes. Ugh.
On the other hand, I have no problem with the MuVChat thing, because anyone who goes to a screening like that, knows what they’re getting into. Anyone who gets annoyed would be just as dumb as someone who tuned in to Mystery Science Theatre 3000 to watch “Pumaman” and got annoyed because the robots wouldn’t shut up.
So basically you’ve plunked down $9.00 to sit in dark room and be self-absorbed? “ooh, that piece was really buttery” Why not just watch the movie?
I contemplated getting a Twitter account, mostly because I didn’t want it to look like I abhor technology, for my job search, but this has become such a “look at me, look at me” vehicle for the attention-starved that I’ll pass. For every person who does it once in a while, there are Ashton Kutcher’s out there.
I don’t understand the need to text while watching a movie, eating dinner, driving, walking your dog, whatever. Can’t people just focus on one thing at a time anymore?
Just watch the freakin’ movie!!! You can tweet or text or whatever when it’s over. You’re not he President – there’s nothing that can’t wait 2 hours!!
It sounds like a good idea for old comedies like zoolander where everyone’s just there to have fun, not to become engrossed in the movie. But for new movies, dramas, etc., it would be unacceptable. I hate when people around me start texting at the theater. Then again, I normally sit in the first few rows, so I don’t see much of the audience.
Definitely the latter — Twitter has gotten out of control. I use it myself, but not in a movie! Everyone is so enamored with their own astounding wit and desire to hilariously document their experiences that they’re not really experiencing anything.
I HATE BEING DISTRACTED BY OVERLY-BRIGHT PHONE LIGHTS AT THE MOVIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i go to movies to get lost in the images/mood/story/sound & some selfish/self-centered moron has their phone going & it enrages me! this has probably done more to discourage me from going to movies than anything else…one time two girls in front of me had their lit up phones on cords around their necks in constant view & kept walking past me taking phone calls to the doorway & then friends joined them & they started passing the phones around GGGGRRRRRAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!! totally ruined the movie for me…& how anyone writing for EW could champion this is totally irresponsible & reprehensible & should be drawn & quartered the way i want to rip those texters heads off ruining my efforts to enjoy myself & relax…yet when i lean over & verbalize nicely could they please turn their phone off they look at me like i’m being rude…don’t people have any sense of public courtesy & decorum anymore? ………….
Twittering, texting in a movie is so inconsiderate. I hate it when someone’s phone lights up in the theatre. It’s so distracting. What is it that can’t wait 2 hours!
i’m constantly amazed when people barge into elevators or board buses without waiting for people to leave first or demand information or directions from strangers in public & don’t even try to say a simple thank you afterwards…i don’t think schools/society/parents teach common-sense social skills anymore judging by how rude & self-focused folks have become & it makes no sense for theater-owners & entertainment magazines to encourage bad behavior that just makes folks around you uncomfortable & irritated so you have extreme situations like where that guy shot some fellow movie-goers for talking & ruining his movie for him & then stayed to watch the movie before getting arrested
If you text/use your phone at a movie you should hand everyone in your immediate vicinity the cost of the ticket they paid for because you are ruining their experience (doesn’t matter if it’s Schindler’s List or Crank 2) with your self absorbtion. I don’t mind twitter generally but regarding the subject of this post – there’s this whole culture of instant reaction to things that totally undermines reflective thought. Like when this site did a live blog of the Battlestar Galactica finale. What ever happened to experiencing something and then reflecting on it before spouting an opinion?
And, also what John just said goes for me too.
Most of us pay our hard earned money to go to the movies, which in itself, has become a less and less enjoyable experience thanks to the cell phone. I don’t care if your famous, encouraging bad behavior is wrong. If I had the money I’d go to these guys’ stand-up shows and text during their set.
If the screens didn’t light up or make noise I would have no problem with this. Otherwise, I don’t care how funny you are; if you really feel the need to live-tweet a movie, rent one and do it from your living room.
Twitter is so lame.
That said, according to Aziz’s blog, there were “rules” for the Twitflx which included sitting in the back, so as not to distract others with the light from the phone screens, and stopping all together if someone was bothered by the updates.
I have a Facebook account (although not Twitter) and am by no means anti-technology. However, I don’t get the point of paying to go see a movie if you’re going to have your cell/iPhone/BlackBerry on the whole time so you can text or tweet your way through it. I mean, what the heck are you doing in the theater in the first place if you’re not going to bother to pay attention to the movie. If people want to go ahead an do it in the back of the theater where they won’t disturb anyone, fine, it’s their prerogative I guess. But nobody should do it to the point where it’s distracting to fellow moviegoers.
No texting at movies! I don’t care how funny or clever you are. It’s sooo distracting for other people.
Or you can sit in the very last row and tweet all you want.
In more important news… OPRAH HAS JOINED: http://squareeyes.blinkx.com/2009/04/oprah-winfrey-enters-the-twitterverse/
Cell phones off at the movies. That includes texting. It’s rude and disruptive.
Comments like “If I went to see Crank 2…and realized that Ansari and Scheer were posting uproarious things to Twitter…that would not bother me. At all” are what make this story so ridiculous. Because they’re semi-famous/semi-funny, you have no problem with them disrupting/disrepecting the movie and paying audience?? I think there’s a word for that. Starts with star. Ends with an F word. This has the potential to start a really bad trend with “normal” people. Do you still think it will be “awesome!!!” when every teenager/parent/jerk around you is texting during a movie? Step it up, Popwatch.