Lawnchairs in a Theater

Apparently, in Prague, one can buy a glass of beer and drink it while watching a movie at a theater.

That's what I saw tonight as three guys took their seats at Bio OKO, right before Black Dynamite (Černej Dynamit) began. Two of them also sat in beach chairs;  they must have preferred laying down as opposed to sitting in the velvet recliner-like seats. Personally, the regular wooden floor-attached seats were fine for me.

The theater had an amateur feel. Looking at the stage, right below the giant screen, it looked like my high school's auditorium. The varied types of chairs added a relaxed atmosphere, one that I'd never before felt in a theater. The ones I've been to all had an impersonal sense to them; they were rigid, clearly gleaned by the grid-like seating and handrails. The theaters themselves never matter; even for an IMAX film, it's the screen that is unique. The location itself and the layout of the seats is superfluous to the experience. Unless they're uncomfortable, of course.

At Bio OKO, I saw and felt personality. The theater itself wasn't anything magnificent or avant-garde - rather, it was the silly notion of having beach chairs and beer that made it unique. Such small details matter not in the grand scheme, but they make a world of difference in such a location. You'd never find that in a major theater in the United States.

There weren't a lot of people in the theater, and I wasn't sure how many of them spoke English, especially as the film was subtitled in Czech. There was a hint that the audience wasn't fluent in English, as the film's soundtrack - which wasn't subtitled - had funny bits that augmented the scenes but failed to elicit laughter. It could have just been me being a boisterous American, but they did laugh at other bits!

Black Dynamite itself was thoroughly enjoyable. Having watched Superfly last semester for my African-Americans in Film class, it was great seeing a parody of that popular 70's genre. Every aspect of Superfly was in Black Dynamite, as were other traits common in the blaxploitation genre. There were purposeful mistakes that didn't feel forced, even though everything in this genre is simply by its nature. The soundtrack was there; not quite as catchy as Curtis Mayfield, but it worked. It was a funny movie, by all accounts, and it is well aware of the tropes and themes popular in the genre it parodied - which, by extent, were popular with audiences of the time period.

On my way to the theater, I realized I've seen a movie in every major city I've stayed in for a period of time. Miami, New York, LA (Anaheim, rather, or Brea, or wherever I saw Taken), and now Prague. For spring break, I'm flying down to Rome and Athens. While there, one of my goals will be to watch a movie. After this, the importance of the ticket stubs I retain won't just be to note what movies I've seen: they'll indicate where I've seen them.

Next time I go to Bio OKO, I might just get myself a drink. It's completely affordable, as the ticket cost 80 crowns: a measly $4.16. I was even asked if I was a student, which brought the price down 20 crowns. Why don't we have such discounts at the major theaters in the US? Oh, right.

Hell, I might just even sit in a more comfortable chair, too!