Sunday, July 12, 2009

Lato Filmów and Movie Theaters in General

I've just returned from a trip to the Luna theater for a show. The Lato Filmów (Summer of Movies) film festival has just drawn to a close. I've been kicking myself because I only got to see one movie, since they've actually had quite a selection and the tickets are a scant 5zl.

The Kino Luna is actually rather quaint. It's like The Criterion in its old-timey feel (for those who are not familiar with The Criterion, it's an Art Deco theater.) The concession stand is small and sells only a select number of treats and goodies. I slapped down 8zl for '7up' and a water. The '7up' was merely .7 liters of carbonated water sans syrup, but I didn't make a scene and make the poor fellow take it back. I heard the place had financial problems anyway.
The theater inside slopes softly down (no stadium seating here) and then turns into a shallow bowl. It appears that the front seats are slightly higher than those in the middle, which is rather nonsensical. The seats are that old quality (I can't really explain) with a satin material as their covering. Also, no drink holders.

I guess most movie theaters here are just like they are in the States, except they have this annoying habit of assigned seating. When you buy your tickets, you buy the seat number as opposed to just going in and picking your own. It favors those who come early; buy their tickets and pick their seats; then come when the commercials have finished (and they have prime seating.) But still, it's a bit of a pain in the ass for those who show up ten minutes before show time.

3 comments:

Dr. Detroit said...

I had a chance to visit Poland a few years ago and went to a movie theater in Szczecin. I was hoping for a bit of nostalgia, with seats being assigned. Back in the day, the ticket prices with proximity to the screen. The best seats were in the rear and cost more.

Never did get my nostalgia fix. It was a brand new theater, complete with popcorn and pristine bathrooms, and no seat assignments.

PolishMeKnob said...

No seating assignments? I've never heard of that! In every theater I've been in—from Multikino to Kinotek (where they gave me a seat that was actually assigned to another person))—it's always been assigned seating.

Ashton W said...

Verry thoughtful blog