Monday, September 05, 2005

Top 10 Best Movie Experiences

This was the first list I ever churned out - way back in November 3rd, 2004:-

Have been watching quit a lot of movies lately. All kinds – serious dramas, romance, action, brainless comedies. Yeah the works. Really love movies (as most of u who knows me should be aware by now!)

And i got to thinking back not onli of my all time fav movies but oso, my all time fav movie experiences!!! I have had a lot of interesting experiences in cinemas – there was once when the cinema got flooded! Another time, the usher stopped me from going into the cinema – they were screening “Powerpuff Girls, the movie” and he thought I was going into the wrong cinema. And the other times when I simply walked out because the movie was jus so bad!!! But thank goodness there were many other really good experiences!

Here my Top 10 list of all time unforgettable movie experiences:-

No. 10 Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom – at Sentosa Cinema, PJ

I was onli in my early teens when a big bunch of us went to the old Sentosa cinema (which has since burned down). We took almost a whole row of seats. Not onli us but everyone else in the cinema was in the mood for a good time. And we did. We were all gasping at the same time, screaming out loud, laughing crazily and basically enjoying oursleves. It was nice when the whole cinema erupted into spontaneous clapping when Indy managed to get his tram to jump tracks, fly across a huge chasm and safely to the other side.

No. 9 The Mummy – at Bangkok

It was a long day (we were there for some mission/fact-finding trip) and we decided to relax wif a movie. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the cinema but the most memorable incident was just before the movie started. A message flashed across the screen “Please pay homage to his majesty, our ruler”. Before we finished reading the words, we could hear the seats all flapping backwards as the other cinema-goers got up to their feet. We followed suit and all of us stood in silence as the National Anthem of Thailand was played!!!

No. 8 Troy – at TGV 1-Utama

I went with Jit Tat and when the movie started, we were shocked at how bad the quality of the picture is as the opening credits were being screened. After watching for another 10 mins or so, the quality of the picture was still really bad and we decided to walk out and demand for our money back. The usher asked us to go to the next cinema hall where they were just starting to screen the same movie. We went in and found it to be empty save for a small group of malay guys sitting at the back. The picture quality was good. We stayed on. The movie was alrite but wat made it really memorable was those malay guys behind us who were giving a running commentary throughout the movie. It was hilarious!!! The classic was during one of the more serious scenes – Paris was going to fight Menelaus and Helen was watching anxiously from the “royal box”. Priam, seeing Helen watching at the edge, called out to her and aked her to sit nx to him. Immediately, the commentary behind went “Wah… tahu anak akan mati, dia pergi 'conquer'!!!!” (translation: “He knows his son is going die so he goes and “conquer”!!!)

No. 7 Maverick – on a British Airways flight

This was in the days when we dun have our own personal screens and we had to watch the bi screen at the front. It was gonna be a long flight and everyone was trying to sleep. Not me, tho. Perhaps a little excited at the fact that I’m going home? Maybe. Anyways, the movie started and it was really funny – Mel Gibson at his comedy best! The thing was that this guys nx to me was trying to sleep and I was trying sooooo hard to stifle my laughter – not very successful! I din make many new frens on that flight!!!

No. 6 True Lies – at Trocadero Cinema, London

This was back in 1994. The cinemas back home were still quite pathetic and this was my first movie I went to watch with the state-of-the-art sound system (at that time). It was brilliant! When Arnie shot his machine gun, I could hear not only the gun shots but also the empty shells falling on the ground all around me! And when the Harrier appeared on screen, the sound of the jet just blew me away! Now, tt’s what I call a true cinema experience!

No. 5 Die Hard 2 – at Cathay Cinema, KL

I was in Form 6. It was a school day. The 4 of us skipped school, cramped into my class monitor’s yellow mini and went to Cathay – none of us knew the way there at that time!!!! It was a great movie. Jus wat we needed – senseless violence to give us a break from our studies. I guess the idea of playing truant and going to watch a movie made it even more sweeter! ;-)

No. 4 The Firm – at Romford Cinema, London

Our first movie in London. Again, there was a big grp of us Malaysians there and we jus made a nuisance of ourselves, talking loudly, calling out to each other (we were seated all over) and Stephan and I were singing at the top of our voices during one of the Nescafe commercials! Can’t remember much bout the movie tho… but the book was good.

No. 3 P Tinto’s Miracle – at GSC Mid-Valley Cinema, KL

I managed to get 3 of me closest frens to watch this relatively unknown Spanish movie. It was really unknown cuz there was no one else in the cinema. It was a private screening for us!!! And yes, we talked loudly, phoned each other on our mobile phones, changed seats now and then and even talked to the projector person!!! He din reply us tho….

No. 2 King of Beggars/Hail The Judge – at Leicester Sq, London

After months of being deprived of Cantonese movies, we jumped at this chance of a special screening – 2 movies of Chow Sing Chi back-to-back! When we stepped into the cinema, we were transported back home!!!! It was like we were at Sungai Wang Plaza’s cinema. All Chinese ah bengs and ah lians!

It was so refreshing to watch some no-brainer nonsensical Chow Sing Chi movies again. Me mates said that I laughed the loudest in the cinema! It felt like home.

No. 1 Lord of the Rings Trilogy – at Sunway TGV

The best of all! 3 movies back-to-back. I went wif a bunch of die-hard LotR fans (a couple actually intended to name their kids Aragorn and Arwen…). We had the front seats!!!! I watched The Fellowship of the Ring seated at the front seat on the right side – yeah, my neck was killing me. When the Two Towers started, I went to the back wif Kok Choong and we sat on the floor nx to the entrance. KC fell asleep on the carpet there!!!

And everyone else was all psyched-up for it!!!! We clapped (some girls were jus clapping each time Orlando Bloom appeared), cheered, cried, screamed and enjoyed the movie together.

At the end, we wandered out into the bright daylight, feeling dazed but satisfied! And yes, we were given a free t-shirt and a certificate confirming we survived the marathon screening! :-)

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