One of the reasons I don't go to the movie theater very much has to do with a pet peeve of mine:  People who arrive late for the movie, stand around blocking your view while they look for a seat and talk & talk & talk.   I should have remembered this before going to see Shrek The Third opening weekend.  My son and I went with some friends.  We ordered our tickets on-line and arrived with plenty of time to buy popcorn and find our seats.    At approximately 1:10 (when the movie was supposed to start) the lights started to dim, the ads turned off and then the mess began.  For at least 5 (probably closer to 10) minutes the lights went up and down, and off completely one time.  The sound for the movie started, then stopped because there was no video showing.  The video for the ads started again, then stopped.  The sounds for the ads started then stopped.  All of this went on over and over again.  FINALLY the movie starts, the sound is working and the lights have been dimmed.  Of course, there are those people who arrived late and are still coming in, standing in front of us so we can't see, climbing over us to get to seats and back over us to go get popcorn.  I consider this rude but to a point it is acceptable.  If you can manage to get in your seat by the time the previews are over I can deal with it.  At approximately the exact time the previews ended and the movie started the lights turned back on.  Someone from the theater was walking people to seats because the theater was full but they were still selling tickets.  Not only are we now watching the movie with the lights fully on, but you have many people walking in front of you, all of them talking.  The employee is making people get up and move over so there is more talking, more blocking of the movie.  At approximately 1:40 this employee left the theater but the lights did not get turned off.  My friend had to go tell them to turn the lights off which they finally did.

I do not believe that you should let people into the theater once the movie has begun.  It is rude and disruptive.  We paid a lot of money to go see this movie, we arrived with plenty of time to get food and find seats.  Those of us who do that should not be punished by people who can't arrive on time.  If the theater is not full and those people find seats quickly and easily it is not that big of a deal (although I still don't think it should be allowed).  When the theater is packed AND they continue to come in 20 minutes after the movie started it is up to the THEATER to tell them they are not allowed to go in and must wait until the next showing.  since it was opening weekend, there was probably another showing within an hour of when this one started.

I had planned to speak to the manager the minute the movie was over but I needed to use the ladies room first.  I walked in and walked right back out again.  It was disgustingly filthy and I would not use it.   I decided to send a letter to the theater to let them know what I thought.  I went to the website to find out the contact information (I had heard there were new owners) and found this wonderful blurb about the company:  

Our company philosophy "remain creative and innovative" has evolved over the years and contributed to our corporate goal "to be the leading independent theatre chain in all of New Jersey. To remain as such we must strive to achieve excellence in presentation, cleanliness, maintain "four star **** customer service and provide an enjoyable movie-going experience for each and every customer." " Treating our customers well is the right thing to do."

I sent a letter to both the parent company in NJ and the local theater.  Believe it or not, the letter to the local theater was returned undeliverable!  Who would have thought there was someone in this town who didn't know where Sandhills Cinema 10 was located or, at the very least, where the street was!  So, I tried sending the same letter via the internet (the theater website has a way to contact them).   I have not heard back from either the parent company or the local theater.  It has been nearly 2 weeks since I mailed the letter and almost a week since I sent the on-line letter.

I can tell you that was the worst movie theater experience I have ever had.  There was non-stop talking throughout the entire movie.  there were people constantly getting up and leaving and coming back.  I was so distracted I'm sure I missed a lot of the movie.  With the option of Netflix and other movie rentals, I can not understand their attitude.  I have no desire to go back to the theater but my son tells me we have to go back to see The Transformer Movie.  Maybe I'll hand deliver my letter when we go.....