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Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Rant: Stupid Golden Village
In case you're (Golden Village and other cinema chains in Singapore) still wondering why no one goes to the cinemas anymore, let me tell you about the one single experience i have in the cinemas in years.

On a very high recommendation by my best friend to watch SPL, i went to the Golden Village cinemas to watch it, specifically, the one at Yishun 10. (Sidenote: SPL is really the best ever HK movie made. It surpasses the Infernal Affairs series easily, which to me was the best movies before this).

As usual, the entrance has signs and warnings about no outside food nor drinks, and to switch off the mobile phones. The conductors even did a "security check" on my bag to make sure i dont have any food bought from the 7-11 store just below.

Stepped into the actual cinema, and then, the preaching starts.....

A Chronicles of Naria short trailer was shown in high resolution, and slowly degrades into low-res, pixelated version somewhat like the divx movies that can be downloaded.... a message "Be Creative Be Original Be Hip" was shown...

Ironically, the ad that came after this, a Gatorade ad, WAS in low res !! haha.

Oh well.

In relation to the no mobile phones warning at the beginning, we got about 70% of the ads in the preshow from mobile phone business.. talk about another irony.

Next came Canon, again about using first-party cartridges as compared to third-party ones... the preaching about "Original" comes again!

Just before the show actually starts... ANOTHER preaching exercise about no cell phones, this time from a Chicken Little trailer.

Hey Golden Village! I paid full price to watch a movie, but was treated like a low-scum pirate, that cant make logical decisions to buy cheaper and better food elsewhere, cannot handle a mobile phone, and doesnt know what the meaning of IP is.

You should have blasted that preaching trailers OUTSIDE the cinemas, where people have not PAID to watch your original movies! The target audience is totally wrong. Why are you even showing it to people that already PAID full price to view an movie???

Thanks but no thanks... no more cinemas for me. I'll wait for the ORIGINAL DVDs.

 
posted by Jonathan at 11:29 AM | Permalink |


13 Comments:


At 12:23 AM, Blogger rinaz

I really dont go to cinemas myself. Kind of much too pricey now at $8.50 to watch a movie as compared to waiting for a few months to renting the same movie in DVD.

 

At 12:40 AM, Anonymous Anonymous

ur making a mountain out of a molehole. there IS some people who need reminders to follow rules. i don't understand why someone like you have to complain about something as minor as this.

its just a few reminders to switch off ur hps and be courteous to other viewers. so that everyone can enjoy the movie in comfort.

noone is treating you like a criminal. ur a tad bit sensitive, don't you think?

man, why the hell is this even tomorrowed. Zz

 

At 12:41 AM, Anonymous Anonymous

*pardon the mistake. its molehill not molehole

 

At 1:15 AM, Anonymous Anonymous

some pple go to cinemas to film the movie to make pirated vcds.

 

At 1:31 AM, Blogger ruz~*

now THAT would be funny, a pirated screenrip movie with the anti-piracy trailers. hurrhurrhurr

 

At 7:40 AM, Anonymous Anonymous

Singapore is this first country I know where Adults get in a Child prices.... shame the kids are getting ripped off.
Next time U buy a movie ticket at these crazy prices and get told the price. Ask "Are you sure? I thought that was only the Child ticket price!! I want an Adult ticket!"
The staff are sometime embarrased about charging young kids the full price. Maybe if we nag them enough they will pass the message along to their management... not!
ncdnz

 

At 9:08 AM, Anonymous Anonymous

I'm grateful for trailers. Why? Coz Singaproeans are always bloody LATE for the movie. If it started on time, we'd get our view blocked incessantly.

And those ads help keep the movie tickets lower. Compared to Oz, HK, etc, Singaporean ticket prices are pretty good.

So think about it next time before you whine mmkay?

 

At 10:00 AM, Blogger Jonathan

the last anon:
I actually timed the beginning of the ads and trailers and it took about 20 mins before the show actually commenced.

A few ads here and there i can possibly understand, but 20 mins of these for a movie that's just over 80mins? That's 20% of ads!

This is even worse than watching TV.

For the advertisers (Samsung, Nokia, Starhub, i-mode from Starhub etc), in case they are even reading this, paying for ads that are viewed by 30 people in the theatre for this show is way too low a ROI rite?

 

At 10:36 AM, Anonymous Anonymous

i don't really agree with your post and here's why.

i like watching trailers in the cinema, and i enjoy the ads because they're so laughable (think red bull). the ads settle me down to watch the show.

i used to work in the ad industry so i gotta support the need for ads - as mentioned earlier, ads keep film prices down. i'm doing time in australia at the moment and the prices there are really too exorbitant for me, if compared to singapore. cinemas earn their revenue from ads, and they'll continue to screen them as long as it brings in the moolah.

on another note, singapore isn't the only country with the HIP (honour IP) ads. they're all over oz as well. i'm not sure about other countries but there's a possiblity it's a worldwide campaign.

 

At 4:45 PM, Anonymous Anonymous

I thought this was a GREAT post, thanks!

And Golden Village prices really are too high. I don't mind paying for art house and difficult to find films, but $9.50 to catch mass rubbish?

Go Empress Jubilee and you pay $5.50 - no atmosphere, no (minimal) ads. Maybe 1 ad per a movie.

Another thought my friends had: 1 cinema ticket = 1 pack of cigarettes. Which do you think they'd rather buy?

 

At 5:44 PM, Anonymous Anonymous

Go malaysia better. Watch movie and buy cigarettes cheaper.

 

At 8:15 AM, Blogger studentscribbler

Please read my letter to GV
http://gogopixels.blogspot.com/2005/12/to-customersvcgoldenvillagecomsg.html

Their reply to me
http://gogopixels.blogspot.com/2005/12/re-customer-feedback.html

And my reply to them
http://gogopixels.blogspot.com/2005/12/my-reply-to-gv.html

I haven't heard from them since.

To those who think it's ok for GV to blast you with ads, please continue to support GV, you stupid fools. I'll go to Shaw cinemas or any other cinema chain which respects the audience's precious time.

 

At 9:00 PM, Blogger Jonathan

gogopixels,

thanks for the links to your blog and the posts.

i agree with your stance. If anyone one thinks 30 mins of ads before a full-fare movie is acceptable, then you're the "viewers" that GV quoted as thinking the ads are acceptable.

For all other people with a remote bit of sense, vote with your wallet.