One of the best things about France is its movie theaters. Seeing a movie in France always seems like a treat compared to going to see a flick in the US. First there is the student discount. How much does that rock? Except that it doesn't apply Saturday's and Sundays, which stinks, but hey, 5/7ain't half bad. Then you walk in and sit in THE MOST COMFORTABLE CHAIRS KNOWN TO MAN. I'm not kidding, they are huge and plush and oh so comfy and you just want to melt into them. And I'm not kidding when I say they are huge. No shoving yourself into replicas of those tiny auditorium seats you swore only existed in high school and large university lecture hall. The French movie theater is equiped with seats that could fit at least 1.5 normal people in them and big enough for a small child to sleep in comfortably. I melt in these chairs. Then you get to sit and watch a good movie.
I went and saw In the Mood For Love, a wonderful Chinese movie last night. I highly recommend it. It was a great love story about two people who discover their spouses are having an affair. Most of it takes place in Hong Kong in the 1960s, which was interesting as well. I love how many foreign films the French get at their movie theaters. It is not as though the French are lacking in domestic releases, but they still seem to have a great appreciation for foreign films, an appreciation that I think more Americans need to pick up. You know, I bet Americans wouldn't be accused of being so uncultured if we had a market for foreign films, as well as foreign music (that's another post in itself).
So, conclusion for today: movie theaters in France rock and we Americans all have a lot to learn about comfortable cinema seating