Eye of the Tiger

A hush falls over the crowd as the house lights dim. The previews have just ended and the opening scenes of the movie start to roll. Music swells as the rapt audience leans forward slightly in anticipation. For the next two hours, the spectators will become wrapped up in a plot line as the actors weave a story with their words. While the story is being told, the world seems to still, nothing exists but what the director permits. Everyone is transplanted into the living, breathing world of the movies.
There is just something exciting about seeing a new film on a giant silver screen. It is almost as though the movie house is a hallowed place, there are specific rules and taboos, and there is a certain unity in a theater when complete strangers share a laugh or simultaneously gasp in surprise or outrage at the events playing out on the screen. Since the early 1900's, the movie house has been the spot where countless others have gone to pass the time in the cushy silence of its darkened rooms, and today, I too spent my afternoon, and my money, at the picture show.
I decided to give my cousins some space today so that they could practice for their upcoming competitions in relative peace. I didn't want to do anything all that adventurous today, as I wanted a low-key Saturday afternoon, and what says low-key more than a matinee movie? However, as is typical for your humble narrator, my afternoon still contained a hint of adventure. I didn't know the name of the theater to look up movie times, so I decided to just wing-it. I figured that I could show up at the theater, figure out what movies were showing and when, then just wander around the mall while I waited for the next showing of the movie that I wanted to watch. As I was in no hurry, leisurely made my way to the mall that housed the theater. On my way, I passed Tianmu square where a flea market was going on. Every weekend, vendors flock to the square with suitcases and blankets and lay out their wares for people to buy at discounted prices. It is akin to a large garage sale, and pawing through the varied merchandise is more fun than actually buying anything. I was able to look around there for a while, then I noticed this going on in the other square across the street:

 It was like a store expo, or a publicity event for a company. They were selling all kinds of products and giving out free samples and balloons. It was an unusual sight, so naturally, I had to take pictures.

Eventually, I made it to the mall, or it would be more accurate to say malls, because there are two right next to each other.

This is one,

and this is the other

A small street runs between them, and there is an attendant who stops traffic and waves people across. Both malls are very ritzy, with the majority of their stores selling imported designer brands, (think Gucci, Burberry, and Marc Jacobs). Inside of the second mall is the movie theater.

This was on the outside of the mall

This was the posted showtimes

Now, I had arrived with very little idea of what was showing in the theaters, but I knew that they showed American films with Chinese subtitles, so I would fully understand what was going on in the movie. At the worst, I resolved to watch one of the Chinese films and try to decipher the plot through the action alone. Luckily, I didn't have to do that, remember, I was wanting a temporary break from adventure. The theater was showing Life of Pi and Hansel and Gretel.

                                                             

Both sounded intriguing, so I figured that whichever one was starting the soonest was the one that I would go see. The problem was, that I had no idea what time it was, so I couldn't exactly make an informed decision. I had to go ask for the time, and upon finding out that it was 5 minutes to 3:30, decided to go see Life of Pi at 3:30. I had to go to the fourth floor of the mall to purchase the ticket.

Here is the ticket, they assign seat numbers, and the attendant asked me if the center was okay. I was pretty impressed by this point with the quality of this theater. I decided to go all out, and splurge on a small pop corn and a water, which may not seem like much of a splurge, but for someone who doesn't normally dish out the cash to see a movie in theaters at all, much less buy any type of snack there, it is a pretty big deal. A deal that was made even bigger when the lady asked if I wanted sweet or salty popcorn. I didn't know that there was even an option at a theater. I was expecting the usual buttered popcorn that was made three days ago out of the smallest kernals imaginable and tastes stale, but here I am given the power of choice. I was super excited. I ordered the sweet popcorn, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the "small" bag was bigger than the standard "small" sized bag that one would find in the U.S. For those of you who were wondering what this sweet popcorn was, it was Kettle corn coated with a light drizzle of caramel, and it was quite scrumptious. 

 The auditorium was two floors up, on the 6th story. There were escalators for people to take up to the different theaters.

The inside of the theater was just as cool as the outside, the seats were incredibly nice.

 I had initially been wary of seeing Life of Pi, because the book that it is based off of happens to be my favorite book of all time. The story has a perfect blend of comedy and tragedy, page-turning action and philosophical introspection. I have read the book three times, and each time I felt as though I was reading it for the first time. When the advertisements for the movie came out, I was torn between excitement that something I loved so much was going to gain visibility, and apprehension that Hollywood would butcher Yann Martel's beautiful work. So, I am ecstatic to be able to say that my apprehension was unnecessary. The movie covered almost everything in the book, with only a few minor exceptions. It also clarified the beginning of the story, which, I have been told by some of the people I recommended the book to, is kind of confusing. I could also see why it was such an expensive film to make, because the special effects were breathtaking. It was one of those films that make you forget that you already know what is going to happen, as it catches you up in the action. The actors brought the story to life for me once more, and I could easily go see it again.

On the way home, another round of flea market vendors had set up on the square, and I got to spend some time looking through more stuff. 

This lady was making purses

a stand selling slippers

There was a stand set up for children to do crafts

There was also a group of performers

It was a great day, and it really fit the "low-key" bill. See you next post.