Stay away from Midlands Cinemas.

impr0v

Having watched many films in cinemas along the Axis of Ignorance (an imaginary line drawn from Portlaoise to Mullingar, via Tullamore) I am now in a position to recommend that you go elsewhere if you want to enjoy a film. This is down to a number of factors:

a) The outright ignorance of the audience.
This dosen't really need any explaination because it will become obvious to you as soon as you enter the building (in fact if you come by car it will be obvious to you before you even enter the building). Just to be clear however, and leaving aside the matter of queuing for popcorn etc., once the film starts it manifests itself in loud guffawing, the intentional sounding of ringtones and text alerts, and pointedly loud conversing.
b) The unwillingness of the establishments to do anything about it.
I've written to IMC, the owner of two multiplex's along the axis, complaining about this after two particularly unpleasent visits to one of their establishments, to be told that they rely on other patrons leaving the film to come and get some staff to sort it out. This I did on the first occasion, and they did sort it, but I end up missing some of the film I have paid 7 euro to see, because of some clowns laughing at some other clown who had his trousers down some rows behind us.
c) Mating season. The summer months bring a large amount of the natives out of the ditches and hedgerows, all eager to impress potentional mates who evidently like their menfolk to laugh loudly, possess annoying ringtones and advertise their ignorance in public.

On the few occasions I have driven to Ster Century to watch a film, I've been struck by the good behaviour of the people in the cinema, which isn't actually good behaviour, just common courtesy and good sense.

At 7 euro a ticket, never mind the extortionate prices charged for popcorn etc., they should be well capable of stationing an usher inside each screen for at least the first 15 or 20 minutes of a film, as the louts tend to want to draw attention to themselves early. I'd don't believe it should be the responsibility of the people who actually want to see the film to leave it and call for help, thereby subjecting themselves to verbal abuse and even threats (as happened to me on the occasion referred to above), nevermind missing a part of the film which could be crucial to the full enjoyment of same.

Apologies for sounding like Victor Meldrew, but unless the management sort out some method of controlling the ignorant fools in the meantime, I'd advise you to steer clear of midlands cinemas, at least until the schools go back.

The Real B-man

Feckin Boggers

BlitzKrieg

Similar (sort of) in Thurles cinema (Capitol) though security is better on the important nights when a film moves to screen 2 it gets ignored. I've had similar problems but we also have it that the films all look and sound rubbish when they leave screen 1 cause of the pooer quality of the screen/projector/sound.


Lotr Rotk was ruined for my mom cause they did it so bad. Thankfully i saw it earlier in a better cinema so no worries for me. At first the digital sound the film came with wouldnt work with the crap speakers so it had to be turned off and then the sound was really weak. Of course a group of idiots in the corner had no interest in the film and talked and texted through the entire film they even rung someone outside the film before i kindly told them to shut the **** up. Course they thought the person 3 rows behind me said it. idiots...

Lainey

i go to portlaoise cinema regularly and i've never had a problem there.. worst cinema i was ever, ever in has to be blanchardstown... 'will ya date yer wan, ahh go wan.. she's mad inta ya' very close to battering a youth that day.. (joking, i never would)

liffey valley is def my favourite though

Hecate

We get out fair share of that in dublin as well, go to any of the afternoon showings in UGC and you'll see what I mean

As usual there is a Bill Hicks quote to fit the situation: "You know what a miracle is? A miracle is raising a kid who doesn't talk in a movie theatre."

aidan_walsh

We have the same problems here... I think it's just a problem with society in general becoming more and more socially retarded...

Agent Smith

i've never once had a problum in ugc in dublin,

apart from the odd txter, but apart from that, their grand

robbie1876

Nenagh 'multiplex' (lol) has to be the worst cinema I was in. I seen Shrek in it when it came out a couple of years ago. The audio system in the cinema I was in was not working except for the front left speaker. They still went ahead and showed the movie, and I watched in amazement as everyone strolled out at the end while I was getting my money back.

As usual in this country, not enough people complain about things.

rmacm

BlitzKrieg wrote:

Similar (sort of) in Thurles cinema (Capitol) though security is better on the important nights when a film moves to screen 2 it gets ignored. I've had similar problems but we also have it that the films all look and sound rubbish when they leave screen 1 cause of the pooer quality of the screen/projector/sound.
...

I've given up going to the poxy cinema in Thurles, the amount of gob****es who insist on talking/txting and just acting the fool is incredible. I agree with you about the sound in screen 2 its pretty s/hite alright.

Anyway thats my rant over

Cheers
Rory

Corben Dallas

this is so true. (dont know about cinemas outside Dublin)

Worst offenders >UCG
do not repeat do not ever see a late show in this pit. on more than one occasion feckin idiot pondlife Irish and Latvian/Russian think its ok to give their mates a running commentary on the film. Group of Russians one time decided the movie wasnt that good and decided to start calling their m8's on their mobiles and then passed the same mobile between about 6 of em.
:mad: :rolleyes:
This should be instant ejection from teh cinema and prob be Barred from future shows.

>Savoy sometimes (not all the time) u can get groups of skangers in and do the mobile trick as above and constantly move around the cinema during the show. FFS

The Best for ppl who go to the flics to actually watch the films
>Ster Century in Liffey Valley
More than half their screens are massive (is in the same league as Savoy Screen 1) and have never had any morans in there. Very professionally run gr8 ‘Big fella’ Screens and they have HDDS<? Sony sound systems and Dolby state of the art sounds systems (one for the sound sys buffs)

Major improvement
>Omni Park Cinemas in Santry, this used to be fairly bad/ average but since they have redone it its really very good. Well worth a visit.

+ don’t some of the Cinemas (ie Savoy) have mobile phone signal blockers? They should be compulsory in all cinemas IMO. It would cut out all the agro that ppl get when u runn into idiots/skangers at the flics. J

fjon

Can't say I've ever had any problems in UGC, or the Screen. The Savoy during the day gets a bit loud.
Any time I've ever seen this sort of thing is during day shows - usually anything after 6 pm is fine.
The best place I've gone (probably cos it's my local) is the IMC in Dun Laoghaire. The worst - the Bray Cineplex (although it has improved a LOT in the last few years)

Stephen

I think devices like that which block mobile signals are illegal - probably because what would happen in the case of an emergency - need to ring the cops/ambulance/fire service etc.

ChipZilla

This off-duty cop had the right idea for these ars*holes:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0728041cell1.html

impr0v

Stephen wrote:

I think devices like that which block mobile signals are illegal - probably because what would happen in the case of an emergency - need to ring the cops/ambulance/fire service etc.

The savoy had devices installed which blocked the signal, but were forced to dismantle them because of this. There are technologies on the market, or soon to be on the market i think, that will enable the blocking of the majority of signals, but allow emergency signals through, and force incoming calls to voicemail.

It's a shame the way the majority of cinema goers haven't the necessary literacy skills to decipher 'PLEASE TURN OFF ALL PHONES'.

LoneGunM@n

robbie1876 wrote:

Nenagh 'multiplex' (lol)

Worthy of the funniest statement of the day

When I was a kid visiting my Gran in Nenagh, I used to go to the 'multiplex' all the time & back then it didn't seem that bad .... but a couple of years back, I popped in to watch a film & talk about a shock to the system ... my car has a better sound system than it

I went to the cinema in Navan on Sunday to watch Shrek 2 ... I'm pretty tall, but I couldn't believe it when a girl sat in front of me [about 1/2 foot smaller] than & she still blocked my view. It's like there is a hump in the moddle of the cinema, which causes the seat in front to be raised above those behind :rolleyes:

The only Cinema I enjoy going to is Ster Century ... comfy, great sound system, huge screens and ok food!

1 more thing, as said before, the mobile phone sh!t in the cinema really pisses me off :mad: Anyone caught on a mobile phone in a cinema should be barred for life ... film ruining bast@rds :mad:

Corben Dallas

"I think devices like that which block mobile signals are illegal - probably because what would happen in the case of an emergency - need to ring the cops/ambulance/fire service etc."

Yeah i heard something about the Savoy doing this, a seeling point that would make me go there more often if ppl could use their mobiles.
If they had to remove it because of this then thats fecking stopid, isnt the Cinema required by law to have smoke alarms, no smoking in cinemas, and it should be up to the staff to look after their patrons safety.

What would they go out and say," sorry there seems to be a small fire in the cinema would u mind phoning the fire brigde for us!!!!????"

Thats a stopid law it should be changed.now.
****Ireland seems to a neat line in stoooppid laws at present****
maybe they should have a law that u can legally GBH someone for nattering away on there mobile in cinemas. :eek:

+CHipzilla class post LOL way to go.

shurl

Corben Dallas wrote:

The Best for ppl who go to the flics to actually watch the films
>Ster Century in Liffey Valley

Agreed, this is by far the best cinema in Dublin.
I'll gladly drive from home to Ster.

Second to that would be the Savoy, (screen 1).
On press preview days. ;-)

S.

MadsL

It is not just the big multiplexes and PG blockbusters, I was in the Screen for a very thin matinee of Richard Linklater's Before Sunset. Stupid Bint behind me's phone rings..tsk...then she fecking answers it!! Needless to say she gets a major shuuuuuussssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh!!! from me.

Zero tolerance, only way. Most film festivals have an instant pass confiscation if your phone rings. That way you make sure it is damn well off.

MadsL

Here's an idea...maybe we should offer volunteer usher services. Bit like the guardian angels in NY - Two hefty guys, a maglight and a can of pepper spray...

Karl Hungus

ChipZilla wrote:

This off-duty cop had the right idea for these ars*holes:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0728041cell1.html

I hope the guy was given a medal for that!