Going to the Movies in Taiwan.

Went to the movies tonight. Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference. Let me break it down...

-The biggest difference is that when you buy a ticket, you also choose which seat you want. This means that most people buy tickets in advance so they don't end up in the very front or very back. I don't know if you can move up once the movie starts, probably not.

-Because of difference #1, most people reserve their tickets online of by phone. when you reserve your ticket, you type your number in and it sends you a text message with a number on it. when you go to the counter, you show the message to the girl at the counter (they were all girls) and she prints out your ticket.

-When you pay for your ticket, you also pay for soda or popcorn if you're planning on getting any. This means the line moves slower, as everyone spends time at the register deciding if they want something.

-You can bring food and drinks into the theater. I was told that this wasnt always the policy, but recently some people filed a lawsuit against the theaters, and they changed their policy. I cant imagine why this hasn't happened in America yet. Also, you can get caramel on your popcorn.

-There weren't nearly as may commercials before the movie, most of them were public service ads from government offices like the CDC and mass transit.

-English movies are shown in English, with Chinese subtitles at the bottom.

-As far as I can tell, the sense of humor over here is very different. People laugh at different things then an American audience would laugh at. They like slapstick and physical comedy.

The movie I went to see was Transformers 2. Its incredibly popular, I saw a 10 story ad on the side of a building last weekend. It was playing in probably half of the 18 screens of the theater we went to. As far as my thoughts on the movie, I think they can be best portrayed in a haiku.

Loud, defies logic.
Jive talking robots are just
not funny. nice lens flare.