OSF - Don't remember the name of the cinema but it was on the main drag in the University District, yes.  And they didn't allow me to smoke, I just did because there was no-one else there, and it made me feel like a big man.

Neff - I enjoyed that insight.

Thankyou very much for your insights John - so great to see the film here in England (Nottingham, seen it three times now but each time not the whole due to certain problems with cinemas not my own fault!) and then 'talk' to a person personally involved in the film.

The barbeque scene is one of my favourites in the film, I found it hilarious. In a sense.

It was more the images that scared me but the sounds were fascinating. Laura doing her BOB thing was terrifying. Made me jump!

The woods scenes I loved too. Many Twin Peaks-esque elements in the film, I thought. Overall, great film and I hope Lynch makes something soon but maybe a little more plot!

Not that that has anything to with you John.

All the best,

James R Woolley

It's great to hear that some of you still  enjoy the cinema experience.  Guess I'm not like "most people" who can afford a home theater (sniff).  Yes, concessions are pricey, but I've never been a big theater eater.  Dining's for before or after for me. (is it the popcorn smell that gets ya?)   Most matinees run about $6 & some 2nd run houses are as little as 3.  I occasionally get a DVD from the library, or borrow from a friend, but I still have to pay to buy or rent one. How do you get them for free?   I don't think some value the DVD experience sometimes. Too much control and distractions. I have a feature film that I starred in & have sent copies to a number of folks whose opinions I value. I've had to pry reactions from all of these family & friends. I just have to trust that they've made time to view it. We've had a number of previewss in Seattle. It's a thrill to hear people react. I know when it( & my performance in particular) is working.  There's a commitment, an investment in the theater... I'm also a live theater performer. The audience there is, needless to say, crucial.  I suppose I'm in the minority in this as well, but an actual audience is greatly appreciated by the artist.  Damn me & my exhibitionist tendencies...

I loved going to the cinema when I was in Toronto. They had this salt n vinegar popcorn seasoning that I was hooked on. We would go to the cinema religiously every week just to pile this stuff on our popcorn! Can't get the stuff in over here unfortunately. Normal butter-salted popcorn is ruined for me now :-(

A new weapon in the war on sh*tty theater experiences:

Select moviegoers get tattletale tool

By David Lieberman, USA TODAYNEW YORK — Movie theaters don't have vice principals or hall monitors to enforce the rules, but they seem headed that way as they step up their battle with a big and growing problem: rude customers.

Major chains are telling managers to monitor audiences more frequently and clamp down on disruptions, including cellphone use, talking and gross littering.

The largest theater owner even is enlisting moviegoers themselves. This week, Regal Entertainment Group will significantly expand a program to give selected patrons wireless devices to anonymously alert the manager of disruptions.

"We have noticed over the years that customer etiquette has become more and more of a problem," says Dick Westerling, Regal's senior vice president of marketing and advertising. "We're doing what we can to provide a friendly environment for all moviegoers."

Summer is the peak time for complaints as kids pack theaters for the season's high-energy adventure and animation flicks.

"I don't believe that this generation of younger folk is as respectful of fellow audience members as previous generations" were, says National Association of Theater Owners President John Fithian. "Maybe that's because I'm getting older. But the sense among our members is that this is a growing issue."

Rudeness isn't limited to kids, though. "Parents who bring really small children into R-rated movies are an annoyance," Fithian says.

Theater owners must act. As HDTV and home theater sales grow, "They have to make it worth people's time to leave home and go to the movie theater," says Research Associates analyst Marla Backer.

The financial toll isn't obvious this year. Box office sales already are up 6%, with an unusually high number of potential blockbusters on tap. Shrek the Third, Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End have set a heady pace ahead of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Live Free or Die Hard, Ratatouille, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and The Simpsons Movie.

Owners still recall, though, the 2005 box office slump that led many to fear disturbances had done permanent damage.

"There's a subtle structural change going on," Backer says. "Certain people don't go to the movies anymore."

Regal will try to change that this week by introducing its Regal Guest Response System in 114 theaters, up from a test at 13 that began last year. Customers in Regal's loyalty points program will be invited to take a cellphone-size device into the theater. If something pushes their buttons — a disturbance, picture or sound glitch, someone recording the film — they can push one of four buttons to alert the manager.

"We've seen an improvement in the customer etiquette with the implementation of this program," Westerling says. "It addresses these problems on a more routine basis and in a faster manner."

Yes, concessions are pricey, but I've never been a big theater eater.  Dining's for before or after for me. (is it the popcorn smell that gets ya?)

Heh, no. Typically I head straight from work to school, and then from school to the theater so I'm famished by the time I arrive. I try to remember to pack an extra meal for those days for me to scarf in the car, but it doesn't always happen. So that's how I end up eating $10 nachos and soda. I've never really liked eating in the theater, so it's rare when I will buy something from concessions. I have to be pretty damn hungry. :D

I'm not a huge fan of watching DVDs all the time either. I don't rent, and I only buy DVDs I really give a hoot about...I'm not prone to just buying a DVD because a film won an Oscar or someone said it rocked. Most movies I'll just catch on HBO or Showtime. I'm OK with waiting a year to see things. If it was THAT important, I would have sucked it up and hit the theater when it came out. :) But as far as there being too many distractions and whatnot from watching a movie at home...well, I can control the distractions at home. I can turn the phone off and get the cats settled down and gather any food around me ahead of time so that I'm not up and down constantly. The same can't be said for the rude patrons that have driven me away from theaters. I have no control over them, no matter how loudly I complain to the manager. And while I can't speak for anyone else, I can say that when I put on a movie at home, I put it on at a time where I won't be pausing and going off to do other tasks. If I can't make that kind of time commitment, the movie waits for when I can. :) Even stuff on HBO and Showtime. 'Cause of course, those get TiVo'ed. :D

~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

There's a local theatre we have that absolutely rocks--shows movies that have been out of the other theatres for awhile for only $2. Was a huge success in the early 1900's, where many a play took the stage. Stage and everything is still there, has balconies where you can just imagine some of the greatest plays ever acted taken place there.  We go quite frequently. :)  I should try and get some pictures sometime--it's an amazing place.

Well, I don't care if they do allow you to bring in a bottle of wine, I still don't want to go to this new fancy schmantzy West LA theater for those who can afford the very best. 

Susan