Monday, August 11, 2008

Film Culture Commentary: Some British Cinemas Are Banning Popcorn

Is there anything that overly zealous Brits won't ban these days?

Banning popcorn at the movies? I wish I were kidding, but I'm not. Of course, the report seems to say that it's the arthouse cinemas who are doing the banning.

Three observations:
1. At least it's not a government ban, because any more nanny government action and I'll scream.
2. There seems to be some snootiness and snobbery involved too. Perhaps the oh-so-posh, sophisticated arthouse crowd is "too good" for the popcorn of the great heaving unwashed masses.
3. The news report mentions "sugar-coated popcorn." Who puts sugar on their popcorn? I'm a butter-and-salt girl myself.

(And oh, yes, I haven't been movie-blogging much lately because there haven't been any good movies since "The Dark Knight." I'm eagerly awaiting the opening night of "Tropic Thunder," and I will be there, scattering popcorn as I go.)

UPDATE: Here's an amusing response:
I was in the middle of doing the washing up yesterday when I heard a howl of anguish emanating from my boyfriend in the living room. Obviously I feared some horrific tea-related injury or, at the very least, that he'd lost at online poker. But the cause of this primeval cry was, it transpired, a news article. A very disturbing news article which revealed that certain cinemas would no longer be selling popcorn.

My boyfriend is as close to being physically addicted to popcorn as it is possible for a person to be. Me, I can take or leave the stuff. Unless it's put right in front of me, in which case I mostly take it. But the prospect of being told I'm not allowed to eat it in front of the big screen anymore, gives me a sudden craving.

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