The points mentioned here are strictly from my personal experience.
This is actually my rule no 1 before watching a movie. Set the expectations a bit lower than what the general talk is. More often than not the higher the expectation, the higher the disappointment.
At HOME
Just to make your viewing a little more enjoyable experience
- When you are watching any movie for the first time, try not to take any breaks in between.
- Try to make the lighting as low as possible.
- Just for your info, English Movie Channels in India are screening only censored (U certified) version of movies in India. I prefer viewing the original uncut version for at least my first viewing of a film.
- The time to watch a horror movie is strictly after 9 p.m. that too with not a flicker of light in the nearby surroundings. Afraid to watch it alone? But the whole point is to get thrilled, isn't it? One of my friends watches horror movies in the afternoon with all the curtains open & then says that the movie is not frightening. Absolute waste of time. Not even in his dreams does he watch a horror flick at night.
- Don't watch the dubbed versions of a foreign language movie. Instead try to watch it in the original language with subtitles running below. Many times the dubbing doesn't have the same emotional effect as the original voice. Only watch the dubbed versions if it is difficult to follow the movie while reading subtitles.
- I love documentaries. You may watch a normal movie with breaks but never watch a documentary with a break. They won't have the same impact if you watch them in episodes. If you don't have the time to watch a documentary in one sitting, don't watch it.
At the THEATRE
- Switch off the mobile. If you don't like turning it off, atleast keep it in silent mode. Even vibration mode is a big no-no. It disturbs both you & more importantly your neighbours.
- If you get a message, the best thing is to ignore it until the next break. If your resistance is weak, only take a quick glimpse. Replying from your seat is a very bad thing to do. The light is very distracting for not only the people sitting adjacent but also who are sitting diagonally behind.
- Be extra careful & avoid making a ketchup of people's toes while finding your seat.
- Don't be late. Besides helping in avoiding the above scenario, it would be a nice feeling to watch the movie from the very first credits. I personally love seeing trailers (which come before the movie) on the big screen rather than on my laptop or TV.
- Don't talk. Don't talk. Don't talk. Don't comment about the movie while it is running.
- Don't dance. I have a friend who keeps on changing his position while watching. For a few minutes he sits at the edge of his seat, then goes back, moves sometimes to the left & sometimes to the right. Very very annoying.
- Everybody loves to laugh & who doesn't like a good clean comedy movie. But to laugh at every half decent gag twice a minute is not commendable. And to laugh every now & then at the peak of the voice is irritating to many people.
- I hate popcorn. Now I'm not saying you to stop buying it. Chew with your mouths closed. Better thing is to avoid eatables which make noise while chewing.
- If you are going with a friend, do check if the other person likes the genre or not. A long time back I had a doubt, what it would be like to have hell(pure torture) on earth. Sometime later I took a friend to an emotional drama. He likes only crap comedy which unfortunately I didn't knew at that point. For the next 150 minutes in the theatre, he showed me what it is to have hell on earth.
- Infants & Toddlers are definitely a big NO.
- Keeping public places clean is one of the most difficult things to do for our species. Make a little effort not to make it very messy.
