"comic geeks, nerds, dorks, wonks and other damned souls"

Film David Bordwell investigates the optimal place to sit at the cinema:

"Note that I said front-zone. Not every theatre favors front-row sitting. Kristin and I once went to a screening of An Autumn Afternoon in a tiny Parisian house, one of those that seem to have been carved out of a loading dock. We sat in the front row, but that was a mistake. We could put our feet up against the wall housing the screen, and we reckon we watched the movie at something like a 45-degree angle.

"Something a little more peculiar happened when we went to a Fan Preview of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Firmly ensconced front and center, we were packed in by comic geeks, nerds, dorks, wonks and other damned souls, all determined to enjoy this movie. So we had the strange experience of hearing a line of dialogue and then, because its eloquence had a rich bouquet, hearing yelps of appreciation rolling back behind us, as row after row (a) heard it, (b) laughed, and (c) did an instant commentary on it. I can’t judge this movie objectively to this day."

I agree. On the rare occasion I do attend now, it has to be the front row or the one behind. It's the area of least distraction (usually). Plus I've never seen the point of sitting on the back row and seeing a picture so small you might as well be at home. Which probably says a lot about my approach to life in general.