Everybody’s Talkin’ 11 – 8 (Chatter from Other Bloggers)

I have to make mention of this here because it amused me so much this week.

On Monday, I was lucky enough to see an advance screening of LINCOLN (look for a review tomorrow). As we were lining up to get inside, a helpful employee from the theatre worked his way down the line and told us that as a security measure, we would have to surrender our phones and laptops (standard practice nowadays). However, he also said that the policy extended to any electronic device – e-readers, mp3 players, basically anything irregardless of whether it actually had a camera. Seemed overprotective, but OK.

As I got to the head of the line, not at all worried because I didn’t have any iPod or iPhone to give over, I opened up my bag. It was then that security tells me that I have to hand over my headphones (I’d neglected to take them out of my bag when I removed my iPod). Puzzled, I said to the guard “Why? They aren’t connected to anything, what could I do with them?”. The guard said “They’re an electronic device and we’ve been asked to take all electronic devices.”

Ohhh-kayyyy…

There’s three things about this that puzzle and amuse me.

First and foremost, this little security checkpoint was late in getting its act together, so the film didn’t start until 30 minutes after it was supposed to.

Second, I understand the idea that maybe, just maybe, I could have been hiding a tiny camera in there. But they make cameras that hide in things like buttons, eyeglasses, lapel pins and so on. How far is this going to go before we’re getting strip searched before getting to watch a free movies (this practice has also been inconveniencing critics, which to me is completely unacceptable).

Finally, I think what gets me most about this is just the lack of common sense. The item was electronic – but the plausibility of it being an instrument to pirate a film were so remote, that anyone with half a brain would have said “Move along”. I’m reminded of a smaller screening a few months ago that wanted to take my laptop. To that guard (who had common sense) I said “It’s a laptop – If I use it in that theatre, you’ll see me doing it.”

I guess what I’m saying to the studios anti-piracy crusade is that they’re movies folks – not pieces of national security. Dial it down a bit?

Thanks for listening.

 

For your listening and reading fulfillment, I give you…

 

The ladies at Reel Insight dedicated their 92nd episode to Halle Berry and he curious career. Give a listen and be sure to drop them some feedback on their Lunchtime Poll.

Jessica has returned from her recent Italian travels and while she was there, she scratched an entry off any film fan’s bucket list: She visited Cinecitta Studios.

It’s only apropos then, that The Flick Chick wrote about 8 1/2 this week then, isn’t it?

Andy at Fandango could well be classified as a Moviegoing Heretic: He theorizes that Timothy Dalton could be the best incarnation of 007. (I didn’t realize drugs were legal in England)

Over at Impassioned Cinema, Max wonders whether we should actually make an effort to watch bad films (for my money: the answer is no).

Mettel Ray punched in her 400th post this week (Hooray!) To celebrate she has posted her Cinematic Alphabet (and is inviting others to participate)

I’ve long believed that half of the fun of going out to the movies is the actual going out part. Nick believes in that, especially if it gives him a chance to go for a nice walk.

It’s very seldom that a film dissatisfies me so completely that I see fit to give it a “Zero Star” review. A year and a half ago, SUCKER PUNCH pulled that off, and in reading Marc’s take on it on The Toast, I see that I wasn’t out of my mind.

For the Tweet of The Week, all I can say is that we’ve all asked this of ourselves at some point or another Dor:

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/dordotson/status/266363353251852289″]

 

Enjoy!