Dom Giordano: Leave The Whips At Home
By Dom Giordano
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- When I see a headline that says "Movie Theaters Tell Patrons to Leave Whips at Home," I know that I have to talk about it. This directive was given to those going to see "Fifty Shades of Grey." I think that will be a very interesting crowd.
The thing that it underlines for me is that it's a completely different experience seeing a film in a theater rather than at home. I know some jerks in a theater can distract, but there is still a powerful pleasure in seeing the film with a group. Seeing Dinesh D'Souza's "America" with Dinesh and listeners was one of my top movie-going experiences. It's one of the reasons that I almost always see films with Roe.
The best example I can give of the fun and power of seeing a film in a theater is seeing "The Passion of the Christ" in a Springfield theater on its opening day with two of my producers. The manager lectured us that he didn't want any violence or acting out. Huh? I saw people praying during the film and there were little or no sounds of people chewing on food.
Probably the most surprising and good experience I had in a movie audience was watching "Flight 93" with movie critics like Lou Gaul, my movie guy. I heard some people sobbing, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. I didn't think folks would be that moved.
So don't give up on a very nice pleasure. As Lou Gaul would say, "I'll see you at the movies."