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How Splice Nearly Got Me Banned From My Local Theater

posted 14 years ago by flish553
286 replies | jump to latest

I don't want to ruin this movie for anyone, so if you haven't seen it, please don't read any further.

Alright, let's start with the previews. When previews for Splice hit the airwaves, it was promoted as a sci-fi/horror film about scientists who create a new life form, which the clever writers called "science's newest miracle (is) a mistake." After seeing a handful of trailers, I must admit I was intrigued. Maybe this was going to be like Species with more of a plot or character development to it. Unfortunately, I was wrong.
The actors aside (both of whom I adored in other films, Polley in the Dawn of the Dead remake and Brody as the mentally handicapped guy in The Village), I felt a bit awkward when Dren watched the two protagonists have sex on a filthy labratory couch. Then I had trouble getting past the weird feeling in my gut when Adrian Brodie taught Dren how to dance and she was OBVIOUSLY attracted to him. Also, when his dumb-ass decided it was alright to have sex with this creature (not a clone of his girlfriend, a mixture of animals and humans, so a THING), I had to fight the urge to get up and leave the theater. And finally, during the last twenty minutes of the film, when Dren becomes a male and visciously rapes Sarah Polley's character, I decided I wanted my money back.

As I said, I do not blame any of the actors for this movie's faults. I'd just like to know who the hell saw this schlock-fest and thought it was a decent film. I also read something about the DVD release should have alternate endings. Like what? Dren turns back into a female and rapes Andrien Brody? Come on, how on Earth could anyone want to see this disturbing film again?
After it was FINALLY over (and my girlfriend was nearly sick from the rape scene), we headed for the nearby exit. I couldn't stand the feeling I had in my stomach about what I'd just seen and felt I had to say something. I found one of the girls working the concession stand and politely asked her to locate the manager for me. After a minute, a large man in a nice suit walked up and shook my hand, introducing himself as the manager. I explained to him that I did not enjoy the film but I was not going to demand a refund. I simply wanted to know how the hell this movie got the semi-decent ratings it did and how he felt about it? Apparently I said something wrong because the big guy in the nice suit turned bright red and said, "If you'd rather not come back to this theater, you can continue talking about this movie. Otherwise, please refrain from libling a decent film."
By the way, lible is printed, slander is spoken. Dumb-ass.

Basically, I'd just like to know what happened to the science-fiction (or in this case, somewhat science-fact) movies that used to frightening yet not sickening. Something has gone seriously wrong with our mentality as a nation if we feel it's alright to make movies about creating life, then killing it, then getting raped by it, then killing it again. What does anyone learn from watching this kind of movie?
How NOT to make a movie.

[–] filmklassik 14 years ago

I'm confused: What on earth did you request to see the manager for? The fellow shouldn't have been rude to you (and his behavior, as reported, is pretty inexcusable) but what exactly does this guy (or anyone else working at the theater for that matter) have to do with the quality of the movie in question or the fact that it was exhibited there?

Did you think that managers had the right to APPROVE whatever movies they show in advance?

I'm sorry you didn't dig the movie (it looks disturbing to me as well, by the way) but individual taste is a "your mileage may vary" kind of deal, and the same movie, play or TV show that you find disgusting other people might revel in... and line up to see AGAIN.

[–] justintruax 14 years ago

The only time i've went to a manager is when the screen is *beep* up and starts pausing and stuff through out the movie.

I can't wait for INCEPTION!!!

[–] thirdeye55 14 years ago

i never complain when that happens - I think alright... piss break and then they'll fix it... we'll watch the rest... and then get a free movie for it! good deal. lol

[–] maxloh-1 12 years ago

The manager is a dumbass for getting pissed and offended by OP's remarks and allowing his own personal bias to show.

The OP is a dumbass for calling for the manager and wasting the manager's time just to bitch about a movie that the manager had nothing to do with

"By the way, lible is printed, slander is spoken. Dumb-ass."

1. it's libel
2. dumbass is never hyphenated. you can call someone a dumbass or refer to his dumb ass but there is no dumb-ass

http://www.weirddreamsblog.com/
http://www.maxloh.com/

[–] james-collett 10 years ago

maxloh-1 writes:-

The manager is a dumbass for getting pissed and offended by OP's remarks and allowing his own personal bias to show.

The OP is a dumbass for calling for the manager and wasting the manager's time just to bitch about a movie that the manager had nothing to do with

"By the way, lible is printed, slander is spoken. Dumb-ass."

1. it's libel
2. dumbass is never hyphenated. you can call someone a dumbass or refer to his dumb ass but there is no dumb-ass

It is not clear if maxloh-1 (i) is arguing on the point of the use of libel vs slander or (ii) correcting flish553's spelling chops.

If it is (i) then I'd like to encourage maxloh-1 that flish553 is correct to observe that the manager should have used the term "slander". Roughly speaking, libel refers to publishing defamatory and unsubstantiated material - printing or distributing electronically, for example.

If it is (ii) then maxloh-1 had better get his duster out and start rubbing hard. It's the pot calling the kettle black when we have lost full-stops and lack of capitalisation at the start of a sentence.

It looks like maxloh-1 is partly right about the "dumbass" vs "dumb-ass" point. One word is a noun and the other is an adjective. So there is in fact a "dumb-ass" as a word.

Well, I've learned something today, at least.

[–] Strazdamonas 14 years ago

that never happens here, tohugh we lost electricity for whole block when i was watching avatar (somone obviuosly didnt want me to see it) and the manadger came in running begging us not to ask for refund and that the electricity was gone for whole neighboarhood. it came back in 5 minutes but another 10 minutes of movie were a blurry mess till the equipment heated up to a normal level.

----------
"Common sense is not so common."
- Voltaire

[–] rexb-2 14 years ago

Haven't seen the movie so no comment on that. But I will say that local theater managers do have the right to make judgments about what is shown in their theaters. They receive the movies in advance of the showings for the purpose of their personal review (if they choose to do so) before the public sees it. They can raise the ratings (not lower them though) and refuse to show or otherwise limit showings based on their community. They have more power than they usually excercise. It's worth talking to them about what is being shown just to give them the local feedback they can use.

As an employee at a theater years ago, one thing I learned specifically from the theater manager there was "the customer is not always right, but he is still the customer." That has stuck with me for 25 years now and helped me on many jobs since then. I hope it helps someone else too.

"How do I set a laser pointer to stun?"

[–] kuba17 14 years ago

www.kidsinmind.com

use that site and it wont happen to you again bud :)

[–] cdaniels928 14 years ago

Theaters no longer have that power. They get the films the night before build them over night screen them in the morning. They have no control what so ever to sent the movie back or limit the showings. Everything is in a contract and they do not have the right to limit the showing of the film either.

If you look past the disturbing parts, it is an fascinating story line. They could have done more with it but the concept behind the movie is great

[–] ohmypotter 14 years ago

I love the phrase you used..."the customer is not always right, but he is still the customer." It's so true when you're working directly with the public. So many times I have to bite my lip because as much as the person in front of me, screaming at me because of something that wasn't wrong in the first place, is completely wrong, they are still the customer and need to be treated as such.
It sucks. Sorry, off topic.
------
"It's huge to finally embrace the life you never planned on." --Greenberg

[–] politicon2003 14 years ago

Not the best movie I have seen recently but quite enjoyable just the same. If you are put off (i.e disgusted ) by kinky sex scenes then I suggest you move to Saudi Arabia where even kissing and other milds signs of female-male affection are expunged by the official censors from all legal movies there as the good old desert Arabs are even more fanatically puritanical than your Pilgrim Fathers were.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mTopoMax_deleted 14 years ago

Hey, I'm fine with Japan! Fetishes are normal- simply because they are swept under the carpet in the U.S. doesn't mean it's not practiced on a regular basis as it is in the country on the rising sun. Trust me, Splice has nothing to do with perversion well perhaps for someone like...Christine O'Donnell.

[–] AlftheSacredBurro 14 years ago

Okay, to the OP, you obviously were too caught up in the visual aspects of this movie to understand that the rape at the end of the movie was a consequence of their poor attempt at raising Dren.

Seriously...do people not think about movies anymore? Just react? is that what movies are for? I'm more disgusted with your idea that this movie was disgusting and nothing more and your lack of an attempt to think about the movie as a hole than I am with the sexual deviance portrayed in the flick. You think Brody and Polley's character's were portrayed as heroes or something? Is that why this movie should not be seen by anybody?

Sorry friend, but you should not watch movies.

And to cold2005, and his/her ridiculous statements about sexual repression...you realize America has had a history of it as well, and if anything the Japanese have historically been far less puritanical towards sex than the West. Seriously....

Read a book.

Debt and debt and debt and debt and debt and then All will be enslaved.

[–] strat5520 14 years ago

hahahaha, yeah, "think about this movie as a 'hole'"...uhh i mean "whole"!! Thats what I meant! "whole" not "hole"!

Sure you didnt just want some of that good ol Dren hole???

(I hope the above sentence made the OP and his *beep* girlfriend puke in dismay. What a couple of *beep* pansies)

On a serious note, I agree with you completely.

[–] mazardeus 8 years ago

First off, I want to applaud you for making such a brilliant response. I can see it as you trying to help the OP understand how to THINK and REFLECT on a movie, so you really gave legitimate feedback for him to think about. Well done!!!

[–] jaddjamar 13 years ago

So if he doesn't dig kinky sex scenes he has to move out of the country. Intelligent and tolerant reply...if you are four years old .

Do you understand the words that I am saying to you?

[–] preschiousb 13 years ago

I think that person had every right to be disgusted. I mean I have seen plenty of sex scenes that have shown more nudity and may even seem more violent but this was disgusting! I felt sick thoughout the whole thing. I can appreciate the movie and I understand why they were needed to make it work but this should have been a porno made for people with fetishes or something not shown in a theatre. I will never be the same again after watching this movie

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] praisedivinemercy 14 years ago

Wish I had thought to ask for my money back too. It was just sickening at the end. I guess the manager is one of those who drank the kool-aid of "it's offensive therefore it must be art."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Speak softly and carry a sakabatou."

[–] jordangirl78 14 years ago

But that's just it. He DIDN'T ask for his money back! He wanted to harrass the manager and make him listen to his whining. Apparently he had nothing better to do. If I was the manager, I would have been rude too.

The 21st century is when everything changes.

[–] filmklassik 14 years ago

-- responsible for the quality of the movie you saw is like blaming the night cashier at "Borders" for the quality of a bad paperback. The poor sonuvagun didn't write it. He didn't publish it. He didn't order it. All he did was sell it.

[–] haileris-2 14 years ago

This is about science and evolution. You cannot expect morals from creatures, so killing and raping are just the usual ways of ensuring the existence of a species. Humans have done it for thousands of years, if they hadn't, you'd maybe not even existing to complain about it. Get over it.

[–] jaddjamar 13 years ago

I'm more disgusted by them labelling this a horror movie...when all the characters did was bicker until the last 20 minutes.

Do you understand the words that I am saying to you?

[–] bauereileen01 13 years ago

> You cannot expect morals from creatures, so killing and raping are just the
> usual ways of ensuring the existence of a species.

Killing [within the species] and raping aren't the usual ways of ensuring the existence of a species.

Males may compete with each other for a female or for status w/in the group, and one or both may be hurt to some degree, but taking it to the level where one is killed increases the likelihood the other will be grievously harmed.
Still one death may still happen during the competition; it's just rare.

Female competition may take place in some species but it'd be much less violent.

Rape, although it does happen to some degree is detrimental to a species. It doesn't allow for the female choosing the best of who's available.

Females can be quite choosy when it comes to a mate and males often give elaborate displays that show their worthiness to a female.

[–] mv5 12 years ago

rape isnt about proceation or sex its about power.

[–] bron-tay 14 years ago

Well, I would say no one's totally innocent here.

1) It's not the manager's fault that the movie was lousy. Was it a chain theater? The manager can only take what the operators send to him.

2) Even if the manager was responsible for choosing Splice, he can't pick a movie that everyone will like. I suppose some people in your theater loved it and were glad it was shown.

3) I agree with you, Splice was an awful movie.

4) The manager sounds like a jerk or a weirdo for cutting you off and threatening to ban you.

Nevertheless, I congratulate you for speaking up.

~~~~~~~
Think cynical thoughts.

[–] acountddd 13 years ago

No, don't congratulate him, he's a *beep* moron.

What's to say he didnt exaggerate what the manager was like? He sounds like a complete self-absorbed douchebag, calls the manager for what? Not asking for a refund? How courteous of him, the theatre totally owed it to him because any movie he doesn't enjoy gives him the right to a refund because he didn't do any *beep* research. Yeah, if you go to the theatre and watch a random movie not to your liking the theatre owes you a *beep* refund. Congratulations, you totally deserved a refund but good on ya for not asking for it. What a nice guy.

*beep* him.

I feel for the manager, imagine how much *beep* complaints you have to deal with let alone completely "don't-have-a-point-just-want-to-complain" complaints. I would love to rage in front of these people and tell them all this but no, mustn't upset my public image, gotta keep up the profile so the morons with the loudest mouths don't start spewing *beep* everywhere.

Splice was *beep* the premise was interesting but then it just turned into a run-of-the-mill monster movie but *beep* hell I hate people like the OP.

[–] SteelCitysFinest417 13 years ago

by acountddd (Sat Oct 22 2011 05:31:03)

No, don't congratulate him, he's a *beep* moron.

What's to say he didnt exaggerate what the manager was like? He sounds like a complete self-absorbed douchebag, calls the manager for what? Not asking for a refund? How courteous of him, the theatre totally owed it to him because any movie he doesn't enjoy gives him the right to a refund because he didn't do any *beep* research. Yeah, if you go to the theatre and watch a random movie not to your liking the theatre owes you a *beep* refund. Congratulations, you totally deserved a refund but good on ya for not asking for it. What a nice guy.

*beep* him.

I feel for the manager, imagine how much *beep* complaints you have to deal with let alone completely "don't-have-a-point-just-want-to-complain" complaints. I would love to rage in front of these people and tell them all this but no, mustn't upset my public image, gotta keep up the profile so the morons with the loudest mouths don't start spewing *beep* everywhere.

Splice was *beep* the premise was interesting but then it just turned into a run-of-the-mill monster movie but *beep* hell I hate people like the OP.

Agreed.

[–] Draefer 14 years ago

To be fair, the last thing a manager of a cinema really needs is some dork dragging him away from whatever he's doing to whinge about the film he just saw. I've worked in a cinema before, and I never had time for timewasters like that.

So he was probably just incredibly annoyed at you, and rightly so.

Having said that, I completely agree that the film was a load of balls. Not because of anything sickening (I've seen sicker films), but because the whole package didn't actually work as a horror - the only "horror" seemed to be compressed into the last 15 minutes... the acting was terrible (even from Adrien Brody, which was surprising), and quite frankly I had no idea what the point of the story even was. I mean, I THOUGHT I did....in fact, I was actually quite intrigued by some of the themes and ideas....right until that last quarter hour, when it all went stupid.

So, in summary, you're completely right...it didn't deserve the praise it's had. But you're also a dork.

[–] bing-57 14 years ago

> To be fair, the last thing a manager of a cinema really needs is some dork dragging him away from whatever he's doing to whinge about the film he just saw. I've worked in a cinema before, and I never had time for timewasters like that.

Yeah. What's up with these uppity customers these days complaining about the quality of the product? Don't the customers realize that they only exist to give us their money? If they don't like a movie then they should just leave their money on the counter and get the heck out of the theater.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] thunderztorm 14 years ago

Well.

If you buy a new flavor ice cream in your local supermarket, go home, open it and eat it, realizing you don't like the flavor.

Do you then have the right to go to the supermarket, ask for the manager, and tell him that the ice cream was crap and you really disliked this new flavor.

I guess you do, but what on earth is the manager going to do? Say "Sorry mate, we will instantly remove this ice cream from our shelves!" - especially considering that the shop is selling loads of that flavor every day and other customers really like it...?

You can't blame a random manager because you as an individual didn't like a given film. Nobody forced you to go see it, and the manager certainly didn't write, produce, direct, act in or had anything to do with the ad campaign. Why on earth would he care what you think? :P

[–] bing-57 14 years ago

> Do you then have the right to go to the supermarket, ask for the manager, and tell him that the ice cream was crap and you really disliked this new flavor.

Many products do, in fact, have the phrase, "satisfaction guaranteed" on them. That means that you can bring it back simply because you were dissatisfied with the flavor.

> I guess you do, but what on earth is the manager going to do? Say "Sorry mate, we will instantly remove this ice cream from our shelves!" - especially considering that the shop is selling loads of that flavor every day and other customers really like it...?

A good manager would say, "We are sorry you didn't like the flavor. Would you like to try a different one instead?"

And if many customers complain, then get rid of the flavor or put up a little sign that says, "Warning: Disgusting flavored ice cream!"

> Why on earth would he care what you think?

Oh, I dunno. Maybe because that manager wants you to return and buy more of his product. Perhaps you live somewhere where there is only one theater for a hundred miles and customers have no choice but to pay the evil manager for his product. Most of us have choices and the managers of any business realize this.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] thunderztorm 14 years ago

> Many products do, in fact, have the phrase, "satisfaction guaranteed" on them. That means that you can bring it back simply because you were dissatisfied with the flavor.

Hm, not so much in my country. Where I am from, the satisfaction guaranteed thingie is only in case of food being bad, as in rotten or similar uneatable shape. If you buy something and find you didn't like the flavour, well, then you learned not to buy that again.

> A good manager would say, "We are sorry you didn't like the flavor. Would you like to try a different one instead?"

Yeah, if the technical quality of the movie was in a bad shape, the sound was botched or something else that the cinema itself had any control over in any way was wrong.
If I was the manager of a cinema and a bloke wanted his money back because he thought a movie was bad, I honestly couldn't care less.
Then again, there is NO precedent for this EVER happening in my country - dunno how it is in the States..

[–] bing-57 14 years ago

> Hm, not so much in my country. Where I am from, the satisfaction guaranteed thingie is only in case of food being bad, as in rotten

In my country we have the phrase, "the customer is always right." We also have many choices. If I go to a restaurant and I don't like what I've ordered, that manager knows that if he tells me, "tough luck, mate. I guess you learned not to order that again, eh?," I'm pretty sure that I've learned never to eat in that place again. And fortunately there are twenty other restaurants within a mile.

> If I was the manager of a cinema and a bloke wanted his money back because he thought a movie was bad, I honestly couldn't care less.

Sure. And you have the right to do that. It's your cinema and if you are fine with losing customers to the cinema down the road, you are perfectly able to do that.

Just let me know your policy as soon as I enter the place so I don't waste any money in your store.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] jjpete7 13 years ago

You are a f u c king moron.

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

It's not 'his' product; the manager is responsible for the maintenance of the theater itself, not for the output on the screen.

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

> It's not 'his' product; the manager is responsible for the maintenance of the theater itself, not for the output on the screen.

Okay then, maybe you can lead by example. What did you do the last time you watched a movie that you didn't like in a theater?

Did you visit the director at his home to get your money back? Did you write a letter and how did that turn out? Did you just shrug and forget about it?

Tell us what you did so that we can all learn from your example to be better customers.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

I put on my big-boy pants, sucked it up, and accepted the fact that watching a movie is a GAMBLE, not something you are guaranteed to have a good experience with, every time! To do anything else would be as absurd as demanding your stake money back from a casino because you picked the wrong colour on the roulette wheel… No-one forces you to watch a movie. You pays your money and you takes your chance, so choose wisely.

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

> You pays your money and you takes your chance, so choose wisely.

Alas, you are the reason we get so many sucky movies these days. Folks like you just suck it up and say nothing. The movie studios assumed that, since you paid your money without complaint, that you want to see more movies just like it.

And so we get Transformers 3 and fifty Batman movies.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

Nobody listens. Not paying money in the first place is the only true leverage the consumer has. Once they've got your money, they don't give a crap whether you were happy or not. If you want to boycott ALL movies just because of a few bad ones, then that's up to you, but it won't make a difference, because there are still plenty of people happy to pay for what you're not… You're screaming into the wind just to make yourself feel better, but it has no wider effect than that. Movies are a business where everybody has different ideas about what constitutes a winner and a loser, and it's impossible to please every audience member.

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

I am getting the impression that you are a bit of a defeatist. Someone hands you a product you paid for and don't like, you shrug your shoulders and say, "oh well. I lose." And then, when it happens again, you shrug it off again.

Because you are making excuse after excuse as to why a customer should not bother complaining about a lousy product.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

Where you see defeatism, i see taking responsibility for my own actions, and taking the time to adequately research the choices that meet my needs… It's called manning up, and not passing the buck onto some poor sap who had nothing to do with my decision. Consideration for others. The world doesn't revolve around me. I'm not an egotist.

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

I guess we are at a stalemate. You seem to think that a theater manager has zero responsibility for selling a bad product to the public and I say that he is a responsible party. And, you seem to say that any customer who is dissatisfied should just shut up and pay their money.

I'm not sure what else there is to say.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

There is nothing else to say.

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

> One bad scene and suddenly you act like everyone around you is at fault.

Would you drive a car with just one bad tire? If three are working well, you shouldn't have a problem.

Would you like to field a baseball team where just the pitcher is horrible? How about if you build an Italian tower on sand?

Sadly, one bad scene can ruin an entire movie. I am surprised that so many people will eagerly accept bad scenes, and bad scripts, and bad acting.

Then again, I suppose that I am not surprised. Do you just go to the movies for the popcorn and air conditioning?

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

Sooo then, it sounds like you would drive a car with one bad tire. Right?

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] Gizmo386 10 years ago

I don't know how many more times someone can say this to you:

a.) If you want to complain about the quality, YES, you COMPLAIN TO THE STUDIO OR FILMMAKERS IN THE FORM OF LETTERS AND REVIEWS. If you are too lazy to do so, then you clearly don't care enough. Let it go and choose more wisely.

b.) Not only does the manager NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH MAKING MOVIES OR WHAT MOVIES COME OUT, they DO NOT EVEN CONTROL THE FILMS IN THEIR THEATRES! If you think anything differently, then you are simply uninformed, naive, inexperience, just plain dumb, or a combination of all four.

c.) "This ice cream flavor is disgusting. Buyer Beware." Seriously? Are you THAT dense? Just the fact that it is being sold and stocked says that several consumers have voted with their dollar and do not agree with you, and guess what buddy? THEY DON'T ONLY SERVE YOU!

Censor censor censor blame everyone but me blah blah...seriously...

[–] bing-57 10 years ago

> If you are too lazy to do so, then you clearly don't care enough. Let it go and choose more wisely.

Frankly, I don't care all that much. When I see horrible dreck, I move on and hope that things are better next time.

In fact, it's been a year now and I don't remember a thing about this movie. It's wiped clean from my mind.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] jtf1986 11 years ago

Satisfaction guaranteed refunds come from the producer of the product, not from whatever store you happened to buy it from.

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

The manager didn't MAKE the product… If you want to complain about the quality or lack thereof, then the writer and director usually hold the most responsibility. Bitching to the wrong person only makes you look like an imbecilic blowhard who takes their frustrations out on the closest senior person just to make themselves feel better - which is a petulant way to behave.

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

> The manager didn't MAKE the product…

True. But the manager is the one projecting the movie and collecting money from the suckers who thought they were going to see a good movie. If he gets enough complaints and has to issue enough refunds, he'll send feedback to the producers or just shut down the movie and show old Three Stooges shorts instead.

It's like if you get bad food at a restaurant. You complain to the waitress, even though you know that she did not cook it. You don't just barge into the kitchen and chew out the chef. The waitress will see that your complaint is passed on to the manager and the chefs.

> If you want to complain about the quality or lack thereof, then the writer and director usually hold the most responsibility.

I can't imagine that a strongly worded letter to the director demanding your money back is going to accomplish anything. Your letter will simply be trashed by some secretary. If you are lucky, you'll get a generic letter back.

> Bitching to the wrong person only makes you look like an imbecilic blowhard who takes their frustrations out on the closest senior person just to make themselves feel better

No. Bitching to the manager is exactly the right person to talk to. It's their place of business and they need to know when they are offering an unsatisfactory product to their customers.

There is a chain of command and you need to respect that.

By the way, what does your boss think when you go over his head and talk directly to the CEO about your day-to-day problems at work?

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

He'll send feedback to the producers or just shut down the movie and show old Three Stooges shorts instead.

- no, he wouldn't! That doesn't happen in this world. Managers are not in contact with producers, and even if they were, what's to stop his feedback being ignored, just like you think your complaints to the writer or director would be?

They're not offering an unsatisfactory product to all their customers though. Art is subjective; some will like it, and some won't. Just like it's not the manager's fault if you order a dish from a restaurant menu that you don't like. It's only their fault if the food is not prepared properly… So, if the screening is screwed up somehow, then complain away - but if you just don't like the product, then choose more carefully, next time.

Your workplace example is different, because a workplace is not two ENTIRELY SEPARATE organisations!

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

> Managers are not in contact with producers, and even if they were, what's to stop his feedback being ignored, just like you think your complaints to the writer or director would be?

Remember that chain of command I mentioned and you ignored? You tell the manager the movie sucked and, if he gets more than a few complaints, he tells the regional manager. If that regional manager gets enough complaints, he tells the distributor and maybe stops ordering movies from that company. If the distributor gets enough complaints, he tells the studio. If the studio gets complaints, they tell the producers about it.

If no one complains about crappy movies, we will all continue to get crappy movies.

> Just like it's not the manager's fault if you order a dish from a restaurant menu that you don't like. It's only their fault if the food is not prepared properly

Most managers will actually let you order something else if you simply didn't like the item even though it was prepared properly. That's part of keeping your customers happy and loyal.

But, you haven't addressed my question yet; who do you complain to if your food isn't cooked properly? Do you barge into the kitchen and hammer on the chef? Why or why not?

So, how do you handle it when a movie turns out to be something you weren't expecting and you didn't like it?

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

Not in contact, so it doesn't matter about the chain of command or how high up you go. They are two different industries. Movies only get pulled if they're losing money, not because one patron doesn't like them - and even then, there's no saying they'll be replaced with something 'better', because everybody's idea of what represents a good time is different!

Nobody knows whether a movie is gonna be crap until it's made and watched… Making them is pot luck, just like watching them is.

Right, so as soon as you don't like a movie, do you immediately use the refund to go and watch something else until you're satisfied - because that's the only way your ordering analogy makes sense? The restaurant manager lets you order something else because that keeps your money within the business. By contrast, the theatre manager risks losing money because they don't know that you'll use that money to see a movie there again… Sometimes the boss will take a hit anyway in order to avoid being hassled by a jerk… In that case, they're simply paying the ornery customer to leave, not because it keeps the person happy!

I complain to the waitress, because at least the waitress and chef are in the same BUSINESS, unlike theater owners and producers!

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

> The restaurant manager lets you order something else because that keeps your money within the business. By contrast, the theatre manager risks losing money because they don't know that you'll use that money to see a movie there again

Typically, the theater manager will give you a pass to see another movie. And, these days, movies are shown in a giant multiplex with vacant seats most of them time, so, unlike a restaurant, the manager loses absolutely nothing letting you see a different movie.

And, before you say, "But what about the money you'd pay to see that other movie?" Two points. First, if you hated the first movie and did not get a refund, you may never come back and spend any money there. And second, an awful lot of people sneak in and see a second movie at the multi-plex anyway, so there really isn't any lost money.

> I complain to the waitress, because at least the waitress and chef are in the same BUSINESS

Seems to me that they have very different jobs. In a typical night, the chef never sees a single customer. And the waitress never cooks a single french fry.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

Only an idiot judges a movie theater by the movies they show… They strike an agreement based on their customer base. THEY do not control what movies are likely to be popular with their target demographic.

A lot of people do a lot of things, as evidenced by your attitude… That does not make said things ethical.

They may not have the same jobs… but they do work for the same company, in the same establishment… The same cannot be said for producers and theater managers; how are you not seeing this?

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

> They may not have the same jobs… but they do work for the same company, in the same establishment… The same cannot be said for producers and theater managers; how are you not seeing this?

I do understand that, technically, they are not standing next to each other holding hands all day. Yes, I agree with that.

The thing is that they are in the same industry -- providing movies that they hope the public will pay for. They are links in the same chain and if one link fails, the chain is broken.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

… because they're not nearby, it's not as easy as you seem to think for messages to get heard.

Your definition of failure is out of whack, though - for every one person who complains, there are another 10 people who are satisfied enough. As long as the theaters are making money, then they don't have to listen to the one person who disliked something.

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] bing-57 11 years ago

> As long as the theaters are making money, then they don't have to listen to the one person who disliked something.

I really, really hope that your job does not involve working with the public.

--
What Would Jesus Do For A Klondike Bar (WWJDFAKB)?

[–] Howlin Wolf 11 years ago

Nope. It's true in all professions though - they pretend to listen so they can fob you off, doesn't mean they're really invested.

If you're nice to them they'll be nice to you, but if you're complaining for the sake of it, then they can't wait to get rid of you.

"Your mother puts license plates in your underwear? How do you sit?!"

[–] Topsword 14 years ago

Tucky your brain is too numb to think ,and your belly is too swollen from eating all those oatmeal cookies.

[–] Ultra_Bonus 14 years ago

My little brother, my best friend and I all smoked weed and watched this movie. We were laughing all the way through it. ESPECIALLY all the bizarre awkward sexual stuff. It was the most awkward atmosphere in the theatre that I have ever experienced.

Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get.

[–] Ryan822861 14 years ago

yes this movie was highly rated but it was very misleading. All preview were pointing to a horror movie, but it turns out to be about ethics and being disgusting. i sat through it and its a decent movie for what it is but as being hyped as a sci fi horror movie it failed. Also all of the scifi aspect were never fully explained, like why did they pick the animals they did and why did it look like a human when human dna was added but looked like a blob when 5 or 6 random animals are mixed. it could have been great if they took 30 more minutes to explain some of their choices and took out some of the shock value stuff.