I have changed some items to make it more difficult to identify the theatre. This is mostly to cover my rear. I would like nothing better than to publish a full page ad in the local newspaper, if I thought it would help the theatre run any better.

(Name),
District Manager of the Theatre.

File this under, I just thought you should know.

I went to see Happy Texas at the (theatre name) on Saturday, October 16th at the 12:50 PM show. Happy Texas was in Auditorium #15. I arrived a few minutes late and the LED sign said "In Previews." When I arrived at the auditorium, I discovered that the film hadn't started yet. I settled in and waited.

The slides were sharp and bright.

After 5 minutes went by, I pulled out my cell phone and called the theatre. The phone was answered quickly. I informed the lady that Happy Texas in Auditorium 15 was 5 minutes late. (Lazy bastard, aren't I?) After a further five minutes, I called again. I wasn't going to walk down that hallway and down the escalators that don't seem to run. I waited some more.

Finally I called again, at 20 minutes and asked if there was a problem. She said they were having problems with all their films. I called someone else a got the code to the booth. (#####) I went in the booth with the intention of starting the film myself. When I arrived I found a very agitated manager who told me that his projectionist didn't show up that day and that the other manager didn't know how to run film.

He started the film (30 minutes late) and took off running. I stayed and reframed because the film was started out of frame. I waited to check focus and went back to my seat. During the trailers I noticed that the sound came and went like it was going into stereo and into mono. I ran up to the booth again. The film wasn't in DTS but the trailers were. It seems that your DTS timecode reader isn't getting all the timecode. So when it is getting timecode it is in Digital and when it isn't getting timecode it reverts to Ultra Stereo, emulated SR. I would recommend either adjusting the reader of not running the trailer DTS disc.

By the time I got back to my seat, the feature had started. I noticed that the lights hadn't gone down. By this time I didn't feel like running up the stairs again. I saw someone running out of the auditorium and I thought they would tell someone. They didn't.

The only other thing I noticed was that all the green tags had been removed from the previews. I had started doing that at the theatre in which I used to work and was told to stop because we were legally required to show them.

There is never any excuse for not showing up at work. I never missed a day at the theatre where I used to work. The other projectionists missed a couple but they always made sure that the shifts were covered.

I think with the way this theatre is laid out that there should always be an attendant in the upper lobby. The patrons feel so abandoned when they run out there to find no one. That's why I used my cell phone.

I was so happy when the (Theatre name) opened in downtown (Big city where the theatre chain is located). I thought that now there was a good movie theatre to go to in my neighborhood. You guys are going to sink it if it continues to run this way. I would hate to see your theatre chain become the joke that AMC has become.

(Signature)

Thank you for your comments. We enjoy receiving feedback from people like you. We try hard to give our valued customers the best avaiable theater experience. Our employees train for many hours on the latest equipment to provide for your enjoyment. We hire the very best projectionists avaiable for $4.50 an hour, two or three night a week.
When it comes to equipment, we don't stop. Our Powers projectors with unique dog-beater"
movements were obtained specially for our company. Combined with our xenon-modified Motiograph lamphouses, we can confidently state that we have a picture on screen that must be seen to be believed. We purchase the finest audio equipment that e-bay as to offer, and with our single roll-around DTS rack, every auditourium (all of which have a "DIGITAL" sign above the entryway) can experience the wonder of digital sound- at one time or another.

As you know, motion picture film is easily damaged. After two of three weeks, it is practically unshowable. Here at (THEATER NAME) we have a firm maintaince policy of replacing worn parts like sprockets every 10 to 15 years. This waste will be a thing of the past however, because DIGITAL PROJECTORS will make every thing better, and at a lower cost to us. We don't want to spend your hard earned cash on projection equipment that we will only be throwing away in 10 to 12 years.

Of course, there's no need to thank us; we do it for the look on the faces of our valued customers as they leave the theater. From the morning, when we fill up the popcorn bins with 4 day old popcorn and chase the cockroaches out of the soda heads- to the evening, when we get the projectionist off the clock as soon as the last show has started, (the <START> button on the last projector punches him out automatically) we look forward to you being served. And as the last stuffed bank bag is squeezeed into the deposit hopper, we look back on a hard day of pouring over per-capita reports and putting candy that's not really that bad back into the display cases.

Please accept these two passes to make up for any inconvenience you may have experienced, although we are not admitting any. We look forward to your continued patronage and gulliabilty. We are glad to provide a warm friendly place to enjoy the finest in motion pictures. (Not good on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays, or after 6PM on alternate Wednesdays. Not transferable. Can not be combined with any other offer. Not good for Special Engagements or when our "NO PASSES ACCEPTED" sign is displayed. May be revoked or modified at any time for any reason. Management may determine where ticket holder may sit. May be subject to a $1 service charge.)

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That is the funniest piece I have read in a long time. You should send it to Variety, or IFJ. I am still laughing. I hope you don't mind if I post copies of this in our booths!

Most certainly you were right to complain. But when reading complaints, managers always think that they are right and the customers are full of . I'm sure he could come up with one excuse after another for what happened.

Wow, this in an old thread!

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