Tuesday 12 August 2008

The end of (popcorn) days

I hate popcorn. Hate it. The smell. The taste. Sweet. Or salty. Never understood the appeal. And so the news that a number of cinema chains in the UK are banning the stuff brings me great delight.

"Popcorn is a contentious issue. Lots of people absolutely hate it and have asked us to ban it, so we're going to do exactly that," said Gabriel Swartland, head of media at the Picturehouse Cinema, a chain that comprises 19 Picturehouse-branded screens across the country, including such non-branded venues as the Little Theatre Cinema, Bath. Throughout September, the Picturehouse's Cinema City screen in Norwich will hold popcorn-free screenings at 7pm every Tuesday. "If it's a success, and I've no reason to suspect it won't be, we'll roll it out across all our cinemas and make it a permanent fixture."

Now, if they could only ban people who talk during films...

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Plus, it costs like 7 quid a bucket or something ridiculously overpriced like that. Give me a bag of e numbers from Woolies snuck in under a coat any day...

People who talk during films should be strung up by their thumbs over a shark tank. As should people who get up to go to the loo halfway through. Go before you sit down, heathen!

Mark Salisbury said...

That's the spirit!

Gerard said...

Know what they need for the latter?

Snipers.

Seriously.

Unknown said...

...you want to... BAN popcorn.



BAN it.


um... why don't you just, like, not buy it? banning it seems a little harsh, don't ya think? maybe it's different across the pond, but don't you be bringing your popcorn hate ovah here!

as for talking, i'm on the fence on this one. while i LOATHE people who just TALK during movies, i LOVE witty commentary (as i am guilty of this). recently, when i saw the dark knight in imax, **SPOILER** and he wrecked the lamborghini(sp) some guy said "oh my god no! i hate this movie."

hilarious. i DO want to kill the people who seem to be unable to turn off their cell phones (or "mobiles" as you brits call them... i believe) and THEN when they go off, feel the need to explain to the person that they are, in fact, at a movie and they will call them back. kill mode: engage.

Matt Jones said...

Here, here!

Mark Salisbury said...

At big press screenings over here they often have security guards with night vision googles checking the audience to make sure nobody's recording the film, so the deployment of snipers isn't that far fetched. And could work.

I'm all for the odd witty comment but it's the non-stop chat I hate. You are not at home people. There are others present who may not want to listen to you talk. Continuously. About nothing important. Or interesting. [I really need to calm down.]

As for mobiles, I remember someone's ringing one time during a screening at Cannes. When he answered it, another journo plucked it from his hand and tossed it far, far away. To much applause.

Unknown said...

that's awesome. i hates the chatter boxes too... at the movies AND at home.

Anonymous said...

I am in total agreement that there is no penalty too severe for the crime of talking during a movie. TALKING during a movie... it's a despicable sentence! When I went the other day to a film, the people behind me talked CONSTANTLY from beginning to end... I mean, why did they bother paying for a ticket?

Having said that, although I don't tend to eat popcorn very often, I absolutely love the smell! It just evokes nice associations for me. It's the smell of the movies.

Matt Jones said...

Hah! the press screening story is great! I fear however us Brits treasure silence in the cinema perhaps too much-watching a film with an American audience is non-stop chatter, whooping hollering-they react to a film screening like the 'groundlings' at a Shakespeare play! A vocal 'participation' or appreciation of the entertainment before their eyes.

I wish people could be more respectful of others & indeed of the film itself. I joined BAFTA years ago to have a better quality cinema experience & indeed food & drink is prohibited & of course mobiles. The only disturbance is the snoring of some of the older members!

Mark Salisbury said...

I've seen films in Times Square and the talking back to the screen is all a part of the show. I particularly remember one very entertaining evening watching Jerry Maguire... that "talking" I don't have a problem with.