If you know me, you know I love going to the movies.

It’s my personal paradise. Forgetting about all the stresses of day-to-day life and seeing a story unfold in a dark room where the screen is the only focus is utter perfection.

Another key thing about me is that I’m from Los Angeles, the land of movies. I grew up going to Universal Studios and seeing how movies were made, and I was always around a big movie culture. It also helps that my family loves the art, too. There was never a week when we didn’t go to the movies to just see whatever was out. So, my theater standards are pretty high, which definitely skews my view of the establishments here. Oh well.

When I moved out here to State College to come to Penn State, I looked at where the nearest theaters were to make sure I was able to get out at least once a week like I always try to. When I saw that the two options were UEC Theatre off campus, I was a little disheartened, but I was obviously willing to make the trek out for it.

However, that quickly went downhill. Back in March, I went to see A24’s latest film, “Warfare.” I was in an empty theater, and I was so excited to watch it due to all of the hype surrounding the sound design that I had seen on Twitter.

My screening starts. I’m immediately drawn into the movie, but around 30 minutes in, the air conditioning unit was screaming. One of the roof tiles just wasn’t there, exposing the air conditioning unit. That thing was blasting and making a screeching noise, and I can’t lie when I say I was heated.

I’ve never had that issue at any movie theater back home. Everything’s always in order and the theater limits distractions from its own faulty systems. Like, how are you going to have the A/C ruin what was supposed to be one of the most visceral sound experiences of the year? It was from that moment that I stopped going to UEC consistently, and I know it sounds dramatic, but it really threw me off.

Yet, I got back to campus for this school year and decided to give it another shot. I had a decent run of weeks, checking out “The Conjuring: Last Rites” with some friends, “The Long Walk,” “HIM,” and “One Battle After Another.”

It wasn’t until I went to a screening of “The Smashing Machine,” one of my most anticipated releases of the year, that UEC’s problems rose up once more.

I got into the theater a little early to watch the trailers, and I’m sitting in silence. There’s no sound. I think okay, maybe it’ll start once the actual trailers start rather than the advertisements, but it didn’t. I know this is going to make me sound so entitled and bratty, but it really bothered me that I had to get up and go tell management about the issue.

It’s just mind-boggling to me. How are you running a movie theater and something as major as the sound just isn’t on? Like, what are we doing here, man? I’ve never had that issue in any theater I’ve been to back home.

Management ultimately did turn it back on, but why was it off in the first place? It just sucks when I go, and it’s what I do to unwind, and it just turns into another problem. It takes me out of the zone when movies are so important to consume. Movie theaters and chains have a responsibility to make the viewing experience as accessible and enjoyable as possible, and I just haven’t had that experience here.

So, to UEC, please fix it. I know these are probably rare complaints, but my experience just hasn’t been up to par. I want everyone’s theater experiences to be full of whimsy. I want everyone to have a good time when they step into the theater. Thank you for providing the service, but the product has to be better.

P.S.: To the State Theatre, I like you. Keep doing what you’re doing.