Finding a movie that's playing in a theater is tough here. No, it's not that there isn't a website to help (there is) - it's actually finding the theaters that's the hard part.
We have five theaters in the Grand Theatre chain here. Five. I haven't been this confused since I lived in Burbank, California where there are three AMC Theaters.
But at least in Burbank they each have an easy name to remember (AMC 16, AMC 8 and AMC 6) and they're within walking distance of each other in case you go to the wrong theater. (Not that I was ever that foolish. Nope. Never.)
Here, though? We're not so lucky. Try to remember the difference between "Grand Cinecity", "Grand Cineplex", "Grand Megaplex", "Grand Metroplex" and "Grand Mercato".
Yeah, the last one's got the helpful hint of putting the name of the mall in the title. But the other ones, not so much.
I swear it's a conspiracy against me.
But that's not the biggest challenge going to the movies here. Nope. Nor is the fact that any nudity is cut out of the movie, per religious standards. I can deal with that. But at theaters in Dubai you can't get buttered popcorn.
(All of a sudden my dad is rethinking his vacation to Dubai.)
Now, they have popcorn, but none of that "butter-flavored topping" that we Americans dig on our corn that is delightfully air-popped.
I know, I know, that stuff is probably just a hair less toxic to our delicate innards than radioactive sludge, but it just tastes so good. Even if the popcorn is a week old. Heck, even on gym shoes I bet it'd rate a "not bad"!
But not in Dubai.
So yeah, between the popcorn, and not knowing which theater is which, we really don't go to the movies much out here.
