is working though. I listened to last week's Mayo/Kermode podcast this morning and heard Somon saying he'd seen it but had to sign something saying he wouldn't review it, today's Guardian has a free audio cd of it read by Roald Dahl, I believe and then I stick a box of Shreddies in my trolley and the book is attached to the box as a freebie. Can't say I'd ever heard of it before this morning.

that know how to upload this stuff. The bouncers have done their research.

Then flog it pre-release at the local car boot for £5 a time the next morning.

It is stealing, pure and simple. Done by criminals. Frequently on a large scale. And if the crims are getting their kids to do the donkey work then others need to be on the lookout. It is pitiful in its way, Mr Drayton, but it is also a way of stopping naughty men from profiting from the efforts of others.

If you've ever downloaded a film illegally or purchased a DVD from Dodgy Dave down the pub..

... they have to defend themselves against anyone who wanted to pirate the film and would see this showing as an opportunity to do so with less supervision? So long as the bouncers and goons were civil to the adults, and suitably genial to the children, I think they're probably a neccessary evil.

Much better than I did.

Wanna buy a copy of Fantastic Mr Fox? Filmed on a mobile phone from a 27th row cinema seat. There's very little crisp-eating interruption, marginal amounts of off-camera conversation, and only three people cross the screen to go to the loo. It's not even out yet! Fiver it's yours. No? Ok then, 2 copies for three quid? No it's not widescreen, you can watch it on any telly. I'm not sure about Hi-Def; what's that? You don't need that rubbish. This is expertly shot. Look, I'll throw in a bootleg of the X-Factor rehearsals OK? 99p then. I was up all night burning these. Two for a quid?

under cover of darkness, Mr Drayton.

I'd hate to have to sit through a movie knowing full well I was being watched by the central scrutineer's muppets through a night-vision camera, it's downright creepy.

If it had been an audience of hardened hacks, then maybe it's fair enough, but from your description this sounds like boorish jobsworthiness.

At university, two or three years ago, I used to go to a few press screenings after being tipped off by a film society. Nine times out of ten, there'd be a security chap to check that no-one was smuggling in a camcorder or such.

the knock of version you can buy and or download aren't filmed in regional cinemas in Britain. A friend was offered the DVD of a Spiderman the morning it was released as he walked through the market on the way to the pictures to see it. It's mostly done in the supply chain to the kosher dvd production plants people sell copies/nick them.
As I read elsewhere (apologies can't remember the blog) if cinemas still had ushers to help/police customers many of the things that reduce the quality of cinemagoing would be minimised ie anti-social talking and texting, films going out of focus (ie the usher go and shout at the projectionist) and yes if filming is going on deter that.
People buy knock dvd's partly because of the cost (a family of 4 going to a 3d kid's film easily pushes £60 in London) but also because the experience has deteriorated. Also as was pointed out elsewhere once a copy has been made why bother to police further copies the money would be better spent tackling the institualised piracy rather than alienating further the customers you already have.
This bouncer thing is just another link in the chain of this piracy idiocy.

Did someone check they were actually bouncers, and not just people who like to watch children in the dark without being questioned as to their motives?