The old movie house

I don't have the slightest idea why old cinemas facinate me. They were small, crowded, the floors are littered with the accumulated gunk of countless spilt drinks and popcorn, seating was unconfortable, the projection was often grainy and the sound quality a far cry from what THX and Dolby sound systems have done for the modern cineplexes. Maybe because a trip to one during my childhood was always an eagerly awaited event, cajouling dad to take you out for a night at town to catch the latest flick and finally getting him to relent. Of buying snacks from the various concession stores, pickles, can drinks and junk food and sitting down, knowing you were getting permission to stay up for the late night show just this once and later enthralled with the magic only a cinema can conjure in a child's eyes. Yes so many cinemas are gone, replaced with the ultra modern sanitary cineplexes of which I am thankful for lush carpeting, deligent cleaning crews and state of the art technology, yet part of me is still that little kid, sitting in a seat twice oversized, munching on nangka (a local fruit akin to jackfruit) and fixated on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Above is a picture of the Rex which is abandoned, outmoded and obsolete, Penang, Malaysia, 2004.