Ally Carter: criminal mastermind
I'm still mad. Like when I think about it I start shaking, mad. But I guess I should blog about it so here goes.
I went to see Knocked Up last night.
(That's not the part that makes me mad.)
I arrived at the theater about ten minutes early (which I never do--usually I'm rolling in during the previews), but last night I had time to use the bathroom and buy popcorn. I even got to pull my Blackberry out and do email while waiting for the previews.
And that's where my problems started.
The lights go out. The previews roll. And just as the opening credits start a bright light blinds me over my shoulder and I hear a deep voice say, "Ma'am, I'm going to need you to get your things and come outside."
And then I see the badge.
A cop! There is a uniformed police officer who is ordering me out of the theater.
Him: "Where's the camera, ma'am?"
Me: "The what? What's going on?"
Him: "I need you to step outside, ma'am."
Meanwhile, all the people in the theater are staring as this cop is ushering me to the lobby!
Me: "Is this some kind of joke?"
Him: "We've had a report that you were videotaping the movie."
Well, first of all, the movie had JUST started! And second of all, I WASN'T doing anything of the kind.
Well, we reach the lobby and there's the theater manager standing there, saying, "One of our employees saw you with a video camera. That's against the law."
Me: "I don't have a video camera!"
Cop: 'What do you have in your purse?"
Me: "A Blackberry, a wallet, sunglasses, lipstick..."
Cop (picking up Blackberry): "What does this do?"
Me: "It's a cell phone and email thing."
Cop (huffy): "Well, does it take video?"
Me: "No!"
So then the cop goes back to where I was seated and takes his flashlight and goes all over the seats and the floor looking for the nonexistent video camera because, evidently, I had taken a bootleg video of the annoying local commercials that they run before the movie but I'd abandoned the camera before the movie itself.
I thought that once they'd found NO camera that would be the end of it, but no. Then the cop comes back and says, "I need to see some ID for you, ma'am," so I have to hand over my drivers license while he calls in a check on me. Meanwhile, the theater manager is standing there, feeling the dagger-like stares I'm giving her.
Me: "Do you know how ludicrous this is?"
Her: "It's company policy. Whenever we see someone who might be taping a movie we call the cops."
Me: "Well, your company policy might also want to include exercising some common sense before treating people like criminals for the shear act of HOLDING A CELL PHONE before a movie even starts!'
Cop: "Ma'am. Ma'am."
Me: "I'm missing my movie."
And then I went and tried to laugh at the very crude humor that is Knocked Up, but it's hard when you're expecting a SWAT team to descend around you at any moment.
When the movie was over another manager-type person met me and gave me a free pass and apologized, but I was really past the point of listening. I was SO mad!
I'm STILL mad!
Can you tell?
Ally
I went to see Knocked Up last night.
(That's not the part that makes me mad.)
I arrived at the theater about ten minutes early (which I never do--usually I'm rolling in during the previews), but last night I had time to use the bathroom and buy popcorn. I even got to pull my Blackberry out and do email while waiting for the previews.
And that's where my problems started.
The lights go out. The previews roll. And just as the opening credits start a bright light blinds me over my shoulder and I hear a deep voice say, "Ma'am, I'm going to need you to get your things and come outside."
And then I see the badge.
A cop! There is a uniformed police officer who is ordering me out of the theater.
Him: "Where's the camera, ma'am?"
Me: "The what? What's going on?"
Him: "I need you to step outside, ma'am."
Meanwhile, all the people in the theater are staring as this cop is ushering me to the lobby!
Me: "Is this some kind of joke?"
Him: "We've had a report that you were videotaping the movie."
Well, first of all, the movie had JUST started! And second of all, I WASN'T doing anything of the kind.
Well, we reach the lobby and there's the theater manager standing there, saying, "One of our employees saw you with a video camera. That's against the law."
Me: "I don't have a video camera!"
Cop: 'What do you have in your purse?"
Me: "A Blackberry, a wallet, sunglasses, lipstick..."
Cop (picking up Blackberry): "What does this do?"
Me: "It's a cell phone and email thing."
Cop (huffy): "Well, does it take video?"
Me: "No!"
So then the cop goes back to where I was seated and takes his flashlight and goes all over the seats and the floor looking for the nonexistent video camera because, evidently, I had taken a bootleg video of the annoying local commercials that they run before the movie but I'd abandoned the camera before the movie itself.
I thought that once they'd found NO camera that would be the end of it, but no. Then the cop comes back and says, "I need to see some ID for you, ma'am," so I have to hand over my drivers license while he calls in a check on me. Meanwhile, the theater manager is standing there, feeling the dagger-like stares I'm giving her.
Me: "Do you know how ludicrous this is?"
Her: "It's company policy. Whenever we see someone who might be taping a movie we call the cops."
Me: "Well, your company policy might also want to include exercising some common sense before treating people like criminals for the shear act of HOLDING A CELL PHONE before a movie even starts!'
Cop: "Ma'am. Ma'am."
Me: "I'm missing my movie."
And then I went and tried to laugh at the very crude humor that is Knocked Up, but it's hard when you're expecting a SWAT team to descend around you at any moment.
When the movie was over another manager-type person met me and gave me a free pass and apologized, but I was really past the point of listening. I was SO mad!
I'm STILL mad!
Can you tell?
Ally
posted by Ally Carter at Wednesday, June 06, 2007
17 Comments:
Oh, that sucks! But now think how authentically you'll be able to write a scene where someone is falsely accused of something.
WOW~ That would suck so much! At least they gave you a free movie ticket~! But still, way uncool! U went and saw Knocked Up this weekend and I thought it was okay. Fairly funny but there were parts that made me feel uncomfortable! Good story though!
Ohmygoodness. That's crazy. I didn't even know they did things like that. I'd be fuming for a few days.
OMG!!!!! thats horrible...a lot of people use their phones before movies and nobody ever stops them...they should really update their policy, because cell phones are common now!
Hahaha!!! That almost happened to my friend once. She had her phone ((sidekick)) out before the movie. But luckly, the movie-people weren't as crazy as yours. Love this site, btw. :]
I'm sorry! That's really dumb! Who the heck puts some of these people in management????
There is no way I would ever go to that theater again! There is no telling what would've been said if it had been me.
That's ridiculous. I'll certainly think twice before using my cell at a movie theater now (even though it's a relatively old one that literally ONLY makes phone calls.) I would be shaking mad, too!
Man. I would have been so mad, they should have given you ten free movie passes. They would have needed to if they wanted ME to come back.
thats really awfull. wow.
now, about that movie for Love you, Kill you...
I feel for you. By the way...(speaking of movies and all) who is playing Cammie in the Tell you, love you movie? If you don't know, or don't want to tell that's fine. I was just wondering 'cause imdb has it listed as a future movie (I think). Anyway, i think those movie theater people are crazy for thinking someone like you would be taping a movie! ;-)
Um, I work in a corporate office and I've seen plenty of blackberries and they sure don't look like video cameras to me.
I'd have been furious. I don't blame you a bit for being so angry. Good grief. How asinine.
But Katie's right. Think of the possibilities for future books!
You would think in this day and age that a freaking MOVIE THEATER MANAGER and a COP would recognize that a BLACKBERRY is not a camera!!!! Personally, I don't know one person who hasn't seen a blackberry and knows that it isn't a video camera! God, that makes me angry for you! You really should have gotten mad at the person who gave them the tip. That just sucks! At least you have a free movie ticket to go see Evan Almighty, which is the movie I'm waiting for this month!!
After all that, I would've told them to stick that free pass where the sun don't shine! That's really crappy!
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You are my hero! You're so brave for posting this. Its about time people with cel phones and "email thingees" got the respect they so obviously deserve. Oops, I mean crave. How about going to a movie without the hardware? Ever think of that? What a concept! Sitting in the dark, even during the annoying previews, and seeing a bright LCD screen is distracting. You're one step away from a public beating lady. Give it up. You're in the wrong. Stay out of movie theatres if you so ergently need to communicate with the outside world, which we all know is BS. By the way, I hate you and your kind very much. Great blog, have a great day!
that's kind of funny and stupid of the employee and police man . I heard that was a good movie.
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