This is the 5th week that the movie Valentine's Day has been in theaters, and as it's now considered an "old" movie it's only playing in one theatre in all of Paris: UGC La Défense. Amie and I both wanted to see it, so we decided to venture into unknown territory for the showing. Why did we wait this long? Well, like I mentioned before, Paris is serious about movies. These past 3 days were "Le Printemps du cinéma", meaning that all showings were only 3.50 euros to all movie-goers. We waited until now to get premium deals on our tickets. Unfortuantely clashing schedules (and a dislike for going to a movie theatre by myself) meant that I could only see one film rather than spend the majority of the three days soaking in one film after another.
I arrived at my usual Tuesday drawing class (which is a half hour from the Middlebury center from where I leave every week) only to find that the entire building was shut down due to strikes. I texted Amie, we set up a rendez-vous for 5:50, an hour before the beginning of the movie started, and rushed home for a quick dinner. Somehow Amie and I, running late from our respective dinners, left the house around 5:50 and ended up on the same metro car heading towards the cinema. The journey was slow and the cars were crowded as a result of all the strikes (don't ask me where). We finally arrived at La Défense, and I was overcome with gratitude for her presence when we got completely lost inside the metro stop, which is the last stop on line 1. However, when we emerged from our underground laborenth (with only about 15 minutes to go before our movie started) we realized that, at the end of the metro line, a whole new world opened up for us. Literally open. Unlike the tiny streets of Paris buzzing with little toy cars and heal-stomping femmes on a mission, this land was one of tall buildings, open spaces, and relaxed pedestrians. Everything was modern looking--so modern it felt a little like a sci-fi depiction of another, well-developed planet with all its glass orbs, shiny buildings, and one gigantic white arch harboring a wide stretch of stairs that are more for just having a seat than climbing up or down. To the right of the center square there was Les Quatres Temps, a big mall complete with an entire floor just for restaurants and an attached movie theatre.
The movie was good. It was enjoyable, entertaining, and cute, but not really a great cinematic achievement. I also think this was the first film in which I actually enjoyed watching Jennifer Garner. Better than the movie, though, was this discovery of what lies at the end of the metro. I think we'll have to go back during the day to check it out in the sunlight.
I arrived at my usual Tuesday drawing class (which is a half hour from the Middlebury center from where I leave every week) only to find that the entire building was shut down due to strikes. I texted Amie, we set up a rendez-vous for 5:50, an hour before the beginning of the movie started, and rushed home for a quick dinner. Somehow Amie and I, running late from our respective dinners, left the house around 5:50 and ended up on the same metro car heading towards the cinema. The journey was slow and the cars were crowded as a result of all the strikes (don't ask me where). We finally arrived at La Défense, and I was overcome with gratitude for her presence when we got completely lost inside the metro stop, which is the last stop on line 1. However, when we emerged from our underground laborenth (with only about 15 minutes to go before our movie started) we realized that, at the end of the metro line, a whole new world opened up for us. Literally open. Unlike the tiny streets of Paris buzzing with little toy cars and heal-stomping femmes on a mission, this land was one of tall buildings, open spaces, and relaxed pedestrians. Everything was modern looking--so modern it felt a little like a sci-fi depiction of another, well-developed planet with all its glass orbs, shiny buildings, and one gigantic white arch harboring a wide stretch of stairs that are more for just having a seat than climbing up or down. To the right of the center square there was Les Quatres Temps, a big mall complete with an entire floor just for restaurants and an attached movie theatre.
The movie was good. It was enjoyable, entertaining, and cute, but not really a great cinematic achievement. I also think this was the first film in which I actually enjoyed watching Jennifer Garner. Better than the movie, though, was this discovery of what lies at the end of the metro. I think we'll have to go back during the day to check it out in the sunlight.