Kino

It's a gray Tuesday morning, and I'm sitting here listening to Johnny Cash (saw 'Walk the Line' lastnight). Yes, I do own Johnny Cash (thanks Devo!). Anyway, we've got the week off from school, and I'm relishing not having to get up to go anywhere (although I did have to get up early yesterday to go the first of my dr. appts - what a strange experience, to be recounted in another post). At the beginning of this week off, I was thinking it would be the perfect time to start my exercise regimen, you know, get into a sort of 'routine' before I go back to the grind...well, it's Tuesday, and I've only managed to do one 20 min session of power yoga. Baby steps. All I want to do is lay around on the couch and knit and watch movies and eat popcorn...which leads me to the original topic of this post: kino - the movies. Specifically, the movie theater.

One of the difficult things (for me) of living here is the scarcity of movie theaters where I can see english movies, in original version (no dubbing - they're crazy about the dubbing here!). There's one theater that is 'technically' in Dusseldorf, but really it's way out on the edge of D'dorf, so not always the easiest to get to. It's a multiplex, and so the offerings are usually more big budget, mainstream films. Of the 10 films they are showing, maybe 1 or 2 (3 tops) will be shown w/o dubbing, either with german subtitles or not. And the movie times for those are not always so convenient. But it's ok. There are also a few smaller art-house theaters sprinkled around central D'dorf, but they don't always show movies in OV (original version).

Thankfully, there is a theater in Cologne, the Metropolis, that is a saving grace, moviewise. They show all movies in OV. We discovered it when F was living in Cologne, and have made several trips there since moving to D'dorf. It's a funky little place, perfectly artsy, with the requisite boho, cinephile employees - but without the usually attendant snobbery. It's cozy, with a couple of tables in the 'lobby' area, and a small, well worn wooden bar/counter behind which is the concession stand. You can sit and sip your coffee, beer, or wine, and munch on your chosen snack. Yup - that is one of the great things about going to the movies here - you can enjoy a beer or a glass of wine before or during your movie. And you have a choice of salty or sweet popcorn! The theaters at the Metropolis are not that big, but the seats are cozy (and there are several loveseats scattered amongst them), and when you are snuggly ensconced amongst your fellow cineastes, you feel like you are having a true moviegoing experience, the way it was meant to be.