Let's go to the movies

We've been dying to go to the cinema for weeks now. Before we came, I had grand plans that we'd visit a cinema in every town we went to and make a geek's log of every location.

It all started going wrong in Mumbai, when after a hot midday trek round Colaba, we could only find the new Bond movie at the Regal. It's an iconic cinema and all, marooned in the middle of one of those impossibly anarchic Mumbai roundabouts but Dan had seen the film, didn't think much of it, and my appreciation of Bond movies only stretches to the theme tunes. (Nancy Sinatra singing You Only Live Twice is my favourite, followed by Burly Chassis singing Goldfinger, should anyone be interested. Trivia mentioned in an effort to lighten the tone of often too-serious blog).

We went on another random mission south of the Colaba causeway on our last afternoon in India, to find an art deco movie palace that some guidebook had promised was unmissable. Guidebook lying again as we only found internet cafes and mobile phone shops. A visit to Mumbai and no Bollywood, not even a little Hollywood? Dereliction of duty, surely.

From then on we only managed one little cinema jaunt in Singapore - to see the Sony cartoon Open Season in a shiny multiplex off Orchard Road. Have little recollection of the movie itself - it was fun and silly and satisfied our craving. The audience - mostly under tens from the sounds of things - had a high old time and squealed and guffawed so much some of them had to break off from their mobile phone conversations. A good afternoon out - thanks to Nick and Caroline for being brilliant hosts and taking us poor movie starved creatures to get a well-needed fix.

We've made do with countless low grade American movies since then courtesy of hotel satelite tv and luxury tour bus DVDs all the way from Bangkok to Hanoi. It's been a blur of Vin Diesel and Kate Hudson, studied ditsy, schmaltz and no-brained action. We watched a totally senseless Xmas flick with Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen at the end of a really long day in Hanoi just before Xmas Eve to get us in the festive spirit. Neither of us had the energy to reach for the off button so we watched the actors hurtle to career oblivion (surely, if there's any justice in the world?), our humbug rising exponentially.

Our most recent bus ride back from the island of Ko Tao to Bangkok provided us with a new viewing experience. From our luxury reclining seats in their prime location over the engine, we could barely hear the dialogue from the monitor half way down the aisle. This made viewing You, Me and Dupree somewhat problematic, but that may well have been a blessing. I slept through a similarly audio-challenged showing of The Pink Panther, waking up in time to witness only the end of Steve Martin's on screen humiliation.

This all sets the scene for yesterday when we ventured into Bangkok's shopping district and from the Skytrain, spotted the bright and shiny holy grail, at the top of the brand new mall-to-end-all-malls Central World Plaza - a cinema! Only 11.30 in the morning so by our reckoning, time for one, if not two films, shopping, food and back home to Banglamphu all in time for a goodbye Asia beer. Dan was practically dizzy with excitement, and once I'd been fed, I let myself succumb to the sweet idea of a movie in the middle of the day. First up was Eragon, one of those fantasy adventure movies where rash young heroes and skinny young heroines do battle with hammy old thesps and all the budget goes on dodgy SFX and sweeping helicopter shots of lush forest and mountainside. But it was blissful to sit in the high tech cineplex - only open for a day or two, and to curl up in our two seater sofa seat in the air-conditioned cool and watch a proper movie on a big screen.

It was so blissful, we did it all over again two hours later. This time, we tried a big rococo cinema, with swirling carpets and complicated plaster cornicing where they were showing A Night at the Museum. Another enjoyable yarn, particularly for someone who's spent a few evenings stalking round a supposedly empty natural history museum, and watched again from a big two-person sofa. Before both movies, we experienced some of the Thai people's unconditional devotion to their king when we were all expected to stand during a romantic montage of images illustrating his benevolent reign. Everyone does it, assuming reverent attitudes until the very last bars of the rousing Thai music. In this state of patriotic bliss, ear ringing from all that rousing noise and eyes misting over, you settle with your popcorn and coca cola, ready to believe anything that's shown before you.

It was a good day for the movies and we were so happy with our lot that we managed to stave off our daily 3 o'clock row until at least 7pm. When we got home, we watched Lords of War on HBO - food for thought but far too heavy for this blog, although I've made a mental note to treat all the gun runners I come across in future with extreme caution.