Great Movies
From: Jeff Miller, Martin, TN
I like most of your responses to Tom Woodward in regard to the pet-peeves of moviegoing, but I take exception to your idea to block cell-phone reception in theaters. I accept that the actions of a few ill-mannered cell-phone users can be annoying, but is such a drastic step necessary? My six-year-old son has diabetes; if my babysitter needs to call me while I'm at a movie, I don't want to miss the call. If my phone is on vibrate, and I quietly slip into the lobby to talk to the sitter, how is your movie experience affected?
The problem, then, isn't cell phones, it is selfish and ignorant cell-phone users.
My alternate suggestion: allow the audience to self-regulate by encouraging annoyed patrons to pelt the talker with candy wrappers and empty popcorn tubs. The extra-large tub would quite likely cause permanent damage to the phone's ringing mechanism and perhaps teach the phone addict a lesson in public decorum.
Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.
