Remember the Alamo Drafthouse rule: No %#@!ing texting during the movie.

The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is a movie-theater-and-restaurant-in-one chain based in the South-West.

Recently, they enforced their "no texting during screening" policy to a patron who was allegedly messaging on her phone while a movie was playing.

In a rage, the patron called up the Alamo and left a long rant that the Alamo has turned around and used as a killer before-the-movie PSA.

Watch the "Don't Talk - Angry Voicemail" motion text trailer below (*warning NSFW*).



On issuing the PSA, Alamo Drafthouse principal, Tim League, stated:

As many of you know, I really can’t abide people who talk during a movie. A couple of years ago I was accosted in the Village parking lot by a patron who was warned for talking in a movie. I’ve nearly come to blows more than a few times over the years with rude customers over the same issue. When we adopted our strict no talking policy back in 1997 we knew we were going to alienate some of our patrons. That was the plan. If you can’t change your behavior and be quiet (or unilluminated) during a movie, then we don’t want you at our venue. Follow our rules, or get the hell out and don’t come back until you can.

Recently, we had a situation where a customer persisted in texting in the theater despite two warnings to stop. Our policy at that point is to eject the customer without a refund, which is exactly what went down that night. Luckily, this former patron was so incensed at being kicked out, she quickly called the office and left us the raw ingredients for our latest “Don’t Talk or Text” PSA. You can check it out below, or come to the Alamo this weekend where the video will be playing before all of our R-rated movies.

Alamo Drafthouse's Tim League.
Photo courtesy Eric Kohn

Great way to turn a rabid complaint in to a warning message, Alamo!!

What's Up the Tri-Cities Health Board's Butt?

I had to dig a little to find this story.

A recent Colon Cancer Awareness campaign for the American Cancer Society was launched successfully in the southeastern region of Washington State. Running since last summer, the Yakima Health Department gave the campaign an approval to go ahead.

Billboard for Colon Cancer Awareness, Will Bryan Design.

Created by Will Bryan Design, the public awareness campaign is for the National Colorectal Roundtable and specifically targets the older demographic in rural communities of WA.

It comprises billboards, postcards, print and radio ads which run on the line:

"What's up your butt?"

Poster for Colon Cancer Awareness, Will Bryan Design

The visual components are accompanied by pictures of people with pained or shocked expressions on their faces. The senior citizens targetted, are prompted to get rectal examinations to check for colon cancer to help detect and treat the preventable disease.




Everything was running smoothly until earlier this week when the adjoining Tri-Cities and Benton Franklin Health Department reared up and blocked the campaign from appearing in its districts. This is despite the unanimous approval to extend the campaign's reach by the very same board just one month ago.

Probing further into this story, no reason was offered for the about face. A local survey showed 66 percent of people who saw the billboards reacted positively.

Personally, I believe the Tri-Cities Health Department are being a little too anal in rejecting this poll analysis. Frankly, it shows them to be acting very backward looking - and not in a good way.

I don't see what the big fuss is about a head-turning headline and a few innocent wordplays. The residents of southeast Washington should push for a better result.

It may very well save somebody's life.