Last night we went to our first movie here in Georgia. Most of the movies here are in Russian, some are in Georgian, and occasionally they have one in English. When they have a movie in English they don't just let it run like the others, they just select a couple of times and a couple days for it to show.
We have been anxiously waiting for Hunger Games and Ender's Game to no avail. Finally they decided to show the Hobbit in English on December 28th. We were still pretty excited about that, so James' friend and co-worker Jeremy offered to get us tickets. He came back with bad news: sold out.
Now if they can sell out a picture 4 days before it is even scheduled to show, AND sell out on the day it is posted, it seems to me a good businessperson might consider doing a few more English movies and showings. (Business opp for James and I perhaps?)
Luckily for us, they did another showing last night (Saturday). And trust me, as soon as they posted that showing (Tuesday) James was buying tickets.
I was pretty stoked for several reasons. (Do people still say stoked?) First, a MOVIE!! We kind of love going to the movies and we miss them. Second, it cost us $12 USD for BOTH tickets, and $2 more for a bucket of popcorn. A lot better than the paycheck we usually turn over back in the U.S. for a trip to the theater.
There were a few entertaining things that happened during our awesome movie outing. The crowd was pretty mixed. There were Georgians who presumably spoke English, other expats from other countries besides the U.S., some Russians, and a couple other Americans.
I liked how all of the previews were dubbed in Russian. It was clear that only about 5 people in the audience understood what was going on and laughed at just the right parts. But the best part of the movie experience was where we sat.
Seated to James' right was a teenage couple that looked like Goth-mild. The boy was clearly American and the girl was Georgian. To my left was an elderly Georgian couple. Both couples were kind enough to give us other options besides watching the movie to keep us engaged.
James' friends pretty much made-out the whole time. Sloppy, wet kisses. Ah, young love. Guess the Hobbit just didn't have enough heads getting chopped off to hold their attention.
The couple on my side was a little harder to ignore. Surprising right? And no, they weren't making out. I don't know if they spoke any English, or if maybe just one of them spoke English, but I DO know that the woman spoke Georgian.
I know this because she spoke it during the ENTIRE movie. She had a running convo with her seat mate, along with lots and lots of reactions to everything on screen. Gasps, and Georgian Oh my's, and angry chatter. I don't know if she was translating the whole thing for her friend or just letting him know what she thought about it.
Upon further reflection I suspect that they were actually just on the run from the secret police. It's the only thing that makes sense. They clearly weren't there to watch the movie. They didn't speak English. They knew they could carry on a full conversation without being overheard or bugged with the movie playing over them. And it was a warm dark place to hide. It all adds up.
At first I was pretty annoyed by the constant yammering, but after a while it got pretty amusing. Occasionally she even leaned over to me in a part that made us both jump and said something to me in Georgian with a big smile. I patted her arm and said, "Da, comrade, da." No, I didn't. That doesn't even make sense.
One final part that we enjoyed. If you've seen the Hobbit you know there is one scene where the elvish lady (Taurin) starts working her elvish magic and gets a nice bright glow around her. It's a pretty serious part and yes, very mystical. For some reason this audience thought that this scene was funnier than any other moment in the movie. They were laughing hysterically and James and I just looked at each other in wonderment. And then we joined in. Cause why not? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
We have been anxiously waiting for Hunger Games and Ender's Game to no avail. Finally they decided to show the Hobbit in English on December 28th. We were still pretty excited about that, so James' friend and co-worker Jeremy offered to get us tickets. He came back with bad news: sold out.
Now if they can sell out a picture 4 days before it is even scheduled to show, AND sell out on the day it is posted, it seems to me a good businessperson might consider doing a few more English movies and showings. (Business opp for James and I perhaps?)
Luckily for us, they did another showing last night (Saturday). And trust me, as soon as they posted that showing (Tuesday) James was buying tickets.
I was pretty stoked for several reasons. (Do people still say stoked?) First, a MOVIE!! We kind of love going to the movies and we miss them. Second, it cost us $12 USD for BOTH tickets, and $2 more for a bucket of popcorn. A lot better than the paycheck we usually turn over back in the U.S. for a trip to the theater.
There were a few entertaining things that happened during our awesome movie outing. The crowd was pretty mixed. There were Georgians who presumably spoke English, other expats from other countries besides the U.S., some Russians, and a couple other Americans.
I liked how all of the previews were dubbed in Russian. It was clear that only about 5 people in the audience understood what was going on and laughed at just the right parts. But the best part of the movie experience was where we sat.
Seated to James' right was a teenage couple that looked like Goth-mild. The boy was clearly American and the girl was Georgian. To my left was an elderly Georgian couple. Both couples were kind enough to give us other options besides watching the movie to keep us engaged.
James' friends pretty much made-out the whole time. Sloppy, wet kisses. Ah, young love. Guess the Hobbit just didn't have enough heads getting chopped off to hold their attention.
The couple on my side was a little harder to ignore. Surprising right? And no, they weren't making out. I don't know if they spoke any English, or if maybe just one of them spoke English, but I DO know that the woman spoke Georgian.
I know this because she spoke it during the ENTIRE movie. She had a running convo with her seat mate, along with lots and lots of reactions to everything on screen. Gasps, and Georgian Oh my's, and angry chatter. I don't know if she was translating the whole thing for her friend or just letting him know what she thought about it.
Upon further reflection I suspect that they were actually just on the run from the secret police. It's the only thing that makes sense. They clearly weren't there to watch the movie. They didn't speak English. They knew they could carry on a full conversation without being overheard or bugged with the movie playing over them. And it was a warm dark place to hide. It all adds up.
At first I was pretty annoyed by the constant yammering, but after a while it got pretty amusing. Occasionally she even leaned over to me in a part that made us both jump and said something to me in Georgian with a big smile. I patted her arm and said, "Da, comrade, da." No, I didn't. That doesn't even make sense.
One final part that we enjoyed. If you've seen the Hobbit you know there is one scene where the elvish lady (Taurin) starts working her elvish magic and gets a nice bright glow around her. It's a pretty serious part and yes, very mystical. For some reason this audience thought that this scene was funnier than any other moment in the movie. They were laughing hysterically and James and I just looked at each other in wonderment. And then we joined in. Cause why not? If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
that made me laugh. especially the part about the theater laughing at the wrong part in the movie. wish we could've been there!
ReplyDeletei wish you could've been here too! You can....
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