Movie Monday

We went to the Palace IFC Cinema on Monday to see "Sahara" starring Matthew McConaughey (I worked with him once on a press junket. He smokes like a chimney) and Penelope Cruz. You may be saying to yourself, "Hey didn’t that film come out in April?" Well, most films aren't released on the same date all over the world and I guess the marketing folks at Paramount Pictures decided the optimal time to release "Sahara" in Asia was early July. So go figure.

Anyway, going to the movies here is not the same as it is in the States. They encourage you to buy your tickets on-line, which I did. And you have to select the exact seats you'll be sitting in. No saving seats here. They're all pre-assigned.

When you get to there, you swipe the credit card through a slot at a kiosk in front of the theater and the machine spits out your tickets. Pretty neat. You can also buy your tickets at the box office from a real live person if you prefer. There's only about 10 minutes between screenings, so you aren't in allowed in the theater complex at all until 15 minutes before your show starts.

They have almost the same food at the concessions as the U.S., except you have to let them know what kind of popcorn you want; salty or sweet. They even have the gross looking hotdogs rotating on that tube-y thing in the glass case.

There's usually an usher to show you to your seats, which by the way are AWESOME. They're wide, high-backed leather chairs that have built-in cup holders. Very nice and cushy. Way better than any theater seats at home. And there are only one or two previews. Not so many you end up forgetting which movie you came to the theater to see. And the ticket prices are less. About $7.00 for adults.

"Sahara" was entertaining and the violence was pretty comic book, you know, like the A-Team where everyone has guns and is shooting at each other but no one ever gets shot. The girls liked it, and Matthew McConaughey wasn't too sore on my eyes (although I'm sure his second-hand smoke would be).

Well that about it for now. Hope everyone's having a great week!

(By the way, a friend of mine got a closeup of those spiders we saw on Lamma Island. Check out the photo on our blog from July 3rd)