Going to the Movies

I can’t believe I’ve not written an extended piece on the movie going experience here yet… I’ve written a piece on the state of the cinemas here but the whole process of going to the movies is something else altogether.

More than one of my friends have likened it to watching a football match.

Yes, instead of the conventional wisdom of keeping quiet in the cinemas, these people cheer, shout, whistle and yes! dance in the cinemas!

So depending on your preference this could be a hell of a good time or just plain hell.

I mean it is hard not to feel a heady rush when the whole cinema erupts into claps and cheers when John Rambo saves the girl who’s about to be brutalized by appearing behind the baddy with an “i’m ready to claw your neck out with my bare hands” look on his face. These people live for cinematic moments like this.

Actually, I take that back. These people live for ANY cinematic moments, including wild cheers and wolf whistles when the main stars’ names appear in the opening sequences. I am not kidding.

Another sequence these people love are the kissing scenes. It is a very big deal for these guys because it is still taboo to show onscreen kisses for the local flicks. How serious are they about the taboo? People can get sued for “immoral conduct” over it. I’m serious. There are self appointed “keepers of morality here”. Before I go on to rant about THAT, check out the too cool for words Headlines for the article in the link. Even for Hollywood flicks, some kisses are cut because they are deemed too “passionate” and “immoral”.

For those that aren’t cut, the fun starts in what I dubbed the “nose touching” moments. This is the lead up to the kiss where the actors/actresses are trying to build sexual tension. I don’t know how successful the actors/actresses are at achieving that.

I really don’t.

Because by this time, the cinema would have broken into rhythmic clapping and stomping of feet going “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss! Kiss, Kiss, Kiss!” before erupting into, yes, cheers and wolf whistles when the kiss finally happen. It doesn’t even matter who the actors or actresses are. It could even be a kiss between Napoleon Dynamite and Ugly Betty. (that’s a sight you’d probably want was outta your mind now)

Now, you’d think that would be the highlight of these kiss sequences. But No! (*wink* Girlfriend*)… it gets really really intense if the kiss scenes are CUT. You never thought you’d ever see people this upset in the cinema. They’ll scream, they’ll hiss at the screen and horrors, they’ll SPIT! It is EXTREMELY disturbing hearing spittle projectiles flying around you in a really dark cinema. It’s kinda like the attack on Normandy sequence in “Saving Private Ryan”… only worse

Even for all this, I think you’d miss the true local movie experience if you don’t watch a local flick at the cinema. The local cinema is famed for their song and dance routines and all the stars are so familiar to the locals that there is almost constant cheering throughout the 3 hour long epics. And this whole carnival atmosphere climaxes during the various song and dance sequences. The locals will dance on their seats and some will even bring their partners onto the small stage before the screen and start dancing along.

According to some locals I spoke to, some of these people have already seen the movie more than 10 times. (And I thought I was already quite extreme in my repeat movie viewings <last count, matrix: 8x. Infernal Affairs: 5x. BOO YEAH!> )

It is sort of like a clubbing session for them.

Wild….