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Going to the movies

By jeni | July 20, 2008

What’s the coolest thing about going to see a movie in Singapore? 

Two words: Assigned seating. 

I love assigned seating. You can buy your tickets online before you go, or even reserve them on your mobile, or just go wait in the queue (yes, I’m still using queue) like the rest of the plebeians. But regardless of how you buy your tickets, you get to choose your seat. So assuming you’ve purchased your seat in advance enough to guarantee a wide range of choices, you can pick your perfect seat, yet still show up for the film with only minutes to spare before the previews. No more sitting through a boring 20 minute pre-show and eating all of your popcorn before the movie even starts just to spare yourself the pain of sitting in the front row. 

My perfect seat? About halfway up the stairs in most theaters, in the middle section, but closer to the aisle (just in case I need to make a run for the restroom during a slow scene). Yesterday I enjoyed this perfect seat while watching The Dark Knight with 600 of John’s colleagues and their families. It was “the company” day at the Cathay Cineplex – employees, their families and a bunch of clients were invited for a lunch buffet and then to see the movie, so of course John and I went to take it all in. 

And take it in we did – it was pure madness. Little kids laughing maniacally at a magician in the lobby, hundreds of people swooping in like vultures when the buffet was replenished, and of course watching the movie, which I’ll get to in a moment. 

This wasn’t your typical movie outing of course since the entire theater was reserved for the company, but it was a good representation of a typical day at the movies in Singapore. The bathrooms are the best – they have those fancy hand dryers that you move your hands in and out of, all while watching a tiny screen with the latest movie previews. The entire theater is carpeted, and the seats are big red numbers that are incredibly plush and comfortable. This works in Singapore because everyone is incredibly concerned with cleanliness and tidiness. There are large fines for littering in this city, so it is rarely done, even indoors in the dark. Thus, everyone just tends to clean up for themselves. No spilled sodas, no popcorn bits or candy wrappers all over the floor. 

When we got to our seats we had little containers of carmel corn and a can of Coca Cola in our seats, courtesy of the company. Nice! The first thing I noticed when the movie started – it was loud! Super loud. Why? Probably to drown out the kiddies cowering in fear over the scary Batman movie. No matter where you go I guess, people tend to bring kids to see movies they probably aren’t ready to see. Ahh, such is life. 

Movie theaters are air-conditioned here to the point of pain. They turn the temperature down so low that it’s common to see women pulling sweaters, ski pants, down comforters and earmuffs, and of course I was no exception. I learned my lesson after the first movie we saw, so in my bag I had stuffed a hoodie, and boy was I glad once the movie got going. It was freezing! By the time it was over we were both frozen popsicles, so we were actually excited for once to go back outside to the sauna that is Singapore. 

I loved The Dark Knight – it was dark and brooding and had lots of great action scenes. Heath Ledger is amazing of course and Christian Bale isn’t too shabby either. Funny how Morgan Freeman always plays the same basic character – we just saw him in Wanted – but obviously it works for him. The movie was a little long, but then again I always think movies are long. My favorite part was the stunt where they turn the semi over – that was awesome.

Anyway, our next trip is going to be to the Golden Village Gold Class Cinema. That’s the one where you basically get your own couch and butler and they serve you dinner. Can’t wait for that. I love the movies. :) 

XOXO

Jeni

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