London Ninja

I watched my first movie in London tonight at the Odeon Whiteley in Notting Hill right next to my hotel.

I, of course, watched Transformers. More Than Meets The Eye. Great summer movie. It was pure Action, Action, Action. Michael Bay style…lots of cheesy panning shots, lots of slow motion, lots of dramatic music with a heroic narrator, lots of American flag-waving. We got it all in this movie. Excellent.

So what’s different about watching the movie in London vs what I’m used to in the US?

1. Small screen - Yes, take it back about 10 years and this is what I experienced….like going to the school theatres like the Four Star in San Francisco.
2. Long previews. 20 minutes worth of adverts and previews (isn’t it 15 mins in the US?)
3. Bloody expensive. 9.25gbp and 6gbp for the popcorn combo. That’s radical. US prices = $18.50 for the ticket, and $12 for popcorn and pop. Add it up for a grand total of $30.50 for 1 person’s movie experience. Bloody hell. (I’m assuming you realize that I took advantage of the Orange Wednesdays and brought in a snack from my hotel.)
4. Non stadium seating. The seats felt a bit high, also. Ultimately, once you go stadium, you don’t go back.
5. Sound was loud but not spectacular. You don’t get any of those THX, DDS type of sounds. Just basic speaker sound. Boo.

and…last…but…not…least…..[drum roll…..]

6. Don’t get to watch the whole movie. Ok, maybe this doesn’t happen everytime, but WTF. About 2 hours into Transformers, right at the start of the critical and well-known freeway scene…BAM…no video. There was sound…just no video. WTF. yeah…WTF. So we went out and they told us that they would give us a voucher. A bloody voucher? I want them to rewind the damn thing so I can watch the entirety of the movie. And then I want them to take all the popcorn in the theatre, put it into a tub unbuttered, and allow me to swim in it like a dolphin…oh, and free Coke for life. And by Coke, I mean Coke and Rum. They did get the video back at a certain point and we finished off the movie but I completely missed the scenes where Jazz and Bumblebee…[don’t want to spoil it for those that haven’t seen it].

Long story short: This was the one movie I wanted to watch this summer…now I’ll have to sneak in again so I can watch that scene I missed.

Two words for my First experience in the cinemas in London: Bloody Hell.