Presenting a movie theater etiquette manifesto!

Matt Singer over at IFC wrote up a great article (which in turn became a petition) that I wanted to share:

I have always loved going to the movies. And more and more I hate going to the movie theater.

What happened to the movie theater as a haven, a refuge from the problems of the outside world? These days going to the movies is a more stressful experience than real life.

That's not the way it should be. And it needs to stop.

That is why I wrote this blog post and the accompanying petition that you can find at PetitionOnline.com. Read it, and if you agree with me, please sign it. Will it change anything? Probably not. But this has been driving me crazy for months. I have to do something. If you see a movie with me, I can promise you that I, at least, will be following these rules. And if you see a movie with me and you don't follow these rules, I might give you a piece of my mind.

So much for MoviePass...

...according to this from Deadline:

Reps for MoviePass confirm they have thrown in the towel and canceled their test run in San Francisco this weekend. They say this is on a "temporary hiatus," but I doubt we'll see this service up and running again particularly since it's clear two major theater chains don't want it. That Moviepass counted six AMC theaters in its test run without actually getting clearance from that chain or from Landmark, probably qualifies this as one of the most boneheaded stillborn launches in recent entertainment history.

Good luck getting a refund if you didn't care for The Tree of Life...

...at least at one theater. Thoughts?