Bryan Curtis in Slate has a wonderful smackdown of the crowds at art-house movies, and agrees that such people are even more annoying and bothersome than multiplex audiences. The best part:
Lately, the New York art houses have been beset by stealth diners. Strange, because many art houses now have gourmet cafes that offer vanilla bean cake and, in the case of New York's IFC Center, organic popcorn topped with truffle butter. But art-house patrons, more so than multiplexers, prefer bringing their own. As soon as the lights dim, a loud collective unwrapping begins, signaling a furtive meal that will last through the opening reels of the movie and end, somewhat dramatically, with a loud crunching of paper. Instead of the smell of buttery popcorn, the art-house aroma is one of contraband sashimi and Whole Foods takeout. Harris Dew, a programmer at the IFC Center, reports encountering high levels of raw carrots and celery: "It's not an odor you expect in a movie theater, and it's kind of disconcerting." The munching seems to reflect a sense of entitlement, a snobbery that says if you're smart enough to select the right kind of movie, then you should be able to act however you want when you get there.Yes, it's a stereotype. But sometimes stereotypes are true. Posted by Stephen Silver at January 31, 2006 12:48 AM
Well I need to experience that to see if that is worse than going to AMC in times square with an audience who thinks Brokeback Mountain is a comedy...laughing pretty much the whole time, making a serious movie into a farce and ruining my movie experience.
Posted by: A at January 31, 2006 02:36 PMNever thought is was a comedy, but sure seemed a laughable farce. Not that I haven't seen a few covert reacharounds in my day--not participating, mind you--but I've seen em.
Posted by: Marion Morrison at February 1, 2006 10:59 AM