The Umpteenth Journal Attempt (Version III)

In this age of high class cinema theatres, where you have to pay an arm and leg just to watch a friggin’ movie, the cineplex at Cinere Mall is about as far away as you can get from overblown luxury. The tickets are still those flimsy paper ones that went out of style in other theatres sometime in the mid-’90s. The seats smell like someone recently died, and I’d prefer not to know what those stains are to keep my sanity intact. And despite being part of the monopolistic Studio 21 chain, the films aren’t entirely up-to-date, usually coming out a week or two after they’ve been shown everywhere else.

However, not being one of those obsessive flick fanatics who insist on having perfect surround sound and plush arse cushions to enhance their viewing experience, I don’t mind occasionally dropping by Cinere to catch a movie. Ever since working full-time it’s been harder gathering people together to watch something on short notice, unlike back in my college days where Monday was almost always Movie Day (especially due to the lower prices). Nowadays I just don’t get around to seeing anything, not even on weekends. Too much hassle involved.

So Cinere’s ideal because it’s near home, and I can just drop by at leisure whenever there’s something interesting on that I haven’t managed to see yet, and I don’t have to make a big fuss about not having anyone to watch with. The problem being, what I usually want to see is stuff that didn’t last too long on the more mainstreams theatres, and so it’s highly likely that the tenure on Cinere’s screens will be even shorter. As a result, when I’m passing by the mall to or from work, if an interesting movie’s poster is up (like, say, Wedding Crashers), then I only have a few days in which to see it. Judging by the lack of studio attendence whenever I watch (about three people, including me - which makes watching by myself slightly less embarrassing), it’s no surprise that each movie only stays up for a few days.

With one surprising exception. You see, I always check out what’s on whenever I pass the mall, which is just about every day. And I’ve just noticed that there’s one film that’s been continuously on for the past two weeks, approximately. That flick must be pulling in big numbers, it seems. So what is this blockbuster? I bet you’re thinking King Kong, right?

It’s not King Kong. It’s Karate Dog. Friggin’ Karate Dog. A cinematic tour de force, starring Jon Voight, the late, great Pat Morita and Chevy Chase as the voice of Cho Cho, the titular canine. A film originally released in 2004. The taste of Studio 21 Cinere’s moviegoers sucks.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 22nd, 2006 at 11:43 pm and is filed under Film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.