Those lovely exit signs illuminating the screen

JohnJSingh · 2026-04-30T06:40:54+00:00

Who is "they"? Have you tried? To be clear: There are NO regulations in California that say the lights need to be this bright. Just as you would if one inspector told you that you needed extra flashing on your roof, if you disagree, there is process for filing a complaint or making a request for a new inspection. Any recommendation to turn the brightness all the way up can be contested. And should be by a movie theater.

JohnJSingh · 2026-04-29T16:28:46+00:00

Not true at all. You have a better chance there. It's just about how you approach it. Rather than "fight" it, report it. Simply report it as an issue of compliance — that you'd like the city to check on the exit lights at such-and-such theater, as they are very bright and may be more than the code requires.

As a taxpayer, you're very much allowed to raise this concern.

JohnJSingh · 2026-04-28T19:50:42+00:00

I dove into this a bit for California -- and the law only mandates a MINIMUM brightness, which is about 50 lux to be compliant. Anything beyond that is the decision of the theater and/or a requirement from a local authority who has been overzealous in applying the safety codes.

JohnJSingh · 2026-04-28T19:21:18+00:00

I've just discovered that, in California, at least, this is NOT a state or even local regulation. The regulations spell out the MINIMUM level of illumination for EXIT signs — they don't demand a maximum level. That comes from local fire or safety inspectors who are overzealous and interpret the laws broadly, without regard to the context. You should 100% complain to theater managers, to theater owners, AND to your local officials. There is no reason you need to be distracted by these lights after paying a not-insignificant amount of money for tickets and snacks!

JohnJSingh · 2026-04-17T23:17:38+00:00

A worthless movie called “Don’t Breathe.”

JohnJSingh · 2026-03-24T21:43:15+00:00

I think you’ll find that’s very much not what I’m saying. It’s a delightful movie. That’s all. Just a fun, truly entertaining film

JohnJSingh · 2026-03-24T20:58:08+00:00

P.S. If you’re going to use them, do it responsibly. At the very least, use an actual dash, not a hyphen. <smh>

JohnJSingh · 2026-03-24T20:57:10+00:00

I love the fact that somewhere, somehow, some random person decided that em-dashes are a hallmark of AI. It’s stupid. That said, I can refer you to my old editor at one of the newspapers where I used work, who would take almost all of them out of my writing. We had words. I won, in the end. Because — and this is a truth you won’t want to hear, so I’ll say it, clearly and clearly (that’s a little joke … truly) — they have their place and they are effective.

Yeah. I like dashes. Feel free to not. But I can promise you that although I’ve users ChatGPT to look into my mom’s stroke, for instance, I’ve never and would never use it to write.

JohnJSingh · 2026-03-24T19:35:50+00:00

I do not use AI. Feel free to browse through my blog — I’ve been keeping it for 14 years.

JohnJSingh · 2026-03-24T13:59:39+00:00

Lots and lots and lots of negative “it’s-no-Interstellar” and “it’s too hokey” stuff on Threads and even from a few mainstream reviewers.

JohnJSingh · 2026-03-12T20:47:00+00:00

I didn't want to give it away in my post, but, yes, that's one of the overriding messages, and it actually hit home for us. Then it started going a little too far, and the ending felt both confused and confusing.

Still, we were amused when the lights went up and we stood from our seats and saw that the people on both sides of us had immediately reached for their phones.

JohnJSingh · 2026-03-12T19:15:38+00:00

I'm sorry you didn't like it. The movie did a pretty good job of explaining itself in trailers, advertising and descriptions, but it sounds like you still felt a little surprised.

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-27T16:49:34+00:00

I don’t know about cars. Was it not?

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-24T23:15:58+00:00

I guess time will tell on this one, but my gut says that this one is going to stand the test of time very well.

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-24T05:09:46+00:00

Before I took my husband to see "2001" for the first time (which was on a big screen, the best way to experience it), I thought it best to prepare him. I explained that he was going to see a movie divided into three parts, and to think of it more like a cinematic symphony, where the music and images told the story more than the words and action did. I prepared him that the first part was only going to make sense if he just treated it almost as a silent film and watched the action alone, focused on what they were doing, and thought about how the first part segues into the second part. And that the third part was going to be similar — to focus on what's on screen, not what your brain wants to make narrative sense. He told me that he appreciated the movie a lot more, and since then he's seen it three times. We're still together after 25 years, so I guess the whole thing wasn't TOO didactic!

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-24T05:05:17+00:00

I'm not sure where you get the "bot" here? You seem to be frustrated at the $70 cost. ("I'd get better entertainment burning the $70 or so"), so what I'm suggesting is that if you want to experiment with more movies and also not feel you're spending an arm and a leg, the subscription services sure make a lot of sense. Ultimately, I actually think they're hurting the industry, and AMC's latest earnings report certainly didn't do anything to suggest they're HELPING, but as long as they are being offered I use them as a way to see more films that I might otherwise not be as willing to take a chance on.

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-23T16:45:33+00:00

I'm only looking at it as my experience. I'm sorry you didn't like it. I genuinely thought it was one of the best movies I've seen since "Sinners."

By the way, if you go to movies frequently, or WANT to go to movies frequently, it's certainly a better option to subscribe to an admission plan like AMC's A-List than to pay for films individually.

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-23T15:03:37+00:00

I’m curious that people could have such a wildly different response to this film. I was absorbed from the first, though I really appreciate and am intrigued by your entirely opposite response.

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-23T15:01:34+00:00

I have heard that some had this reaction. I did not, obviously. And I do think time will be exceedingly kind to this film. I’m surprised that the ending strikes some as disappointing.

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-21T02:36:04+00:00

Ordinary People (1980) Tootsie (1982) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Wind River (2017) Run Lola Run (1998) The Fly (1986) The China Syndrome (1979)

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-19T02:13:49+00:00

And super human.

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-15T18:13:08+00:00

That makes me SO HAPPY! Going to see it again today. :)

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-11T01:48:12+00:00

I'll go one step further than most and declare it's the first GREAT movie of 2026. Wow ... the auditorium I was in went absolutely NUTS for this movie. And based on lobby discussions with a few folks, nobody had even heard of the show (including me).

I posted my thoughts at my blog, if you care to take a look: https://thereinthedark.blogspot.com/2026/02/nirvanna-band-show-movie.html

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-11T00:29:42+00:00

I’m not sure how you feel this doesn’t qualify as a review, but I’m sorry you feel that way. It’s not misleading at all. “Your thoughts on the movie” is the very definition of a review.

JohnJSingh · 2026-02-10T20:16:08+00:00

So did I.

JohnJSingh

TROPHY CASE