Posted here because if Pan's Labyrinth doesn't have a fandom, it should
Saw this over in stupid_free

missangyl is not a happy camper.


Hubby and I went to the movies yesterday in Kamloops, this is probably the first movie we have seen in about 2 years. We had free passes to go and a $10 GC to be used towards another ticket or towards concession. Since we are short on cash as of late this was great, a chance to get out and do something nice with each other instead of being holed up in our house an hour away (this is important later).

Hubby has been drooling obsessively over Pan's Labrynith, the fairy tale for adults. I'm a bit daft I'll admit and I didn't realize the film was subtitled. It hasn't been anywhere on the previews on tv, nor was it advertised anywhere in the theatre as being subtitled.

At the theatre we went too, they usually show "Low" or "Sold" on the marquee if the picture is getting full, ours didn't show this so we thought we were good. Imagine our surprise when we got into the theatre to find a total of maybe 10 seats left + the entire front row (right down front). I was a bit miffed by this but figured since I could still hear the movie it would be fine. We sat the second row back from the front and waited.

I couldn't see any of the screen, every-little-bit was blurry. I couldn't focus on anything. We found out recently that I have worse vision than I thought I did, and are calling optometrists to get in for an exam, however since I thought I could hear the movie, Id just suck it up cuz hubby wanted to see it.

Well movie starts, and I realized alarmingly that oh crap, I can't even hear the movie cuz its in freaking spanish or something! I tried my hardest to read the subtitles but was giving myself a headache and eventually started to cry from frustration. This vision thing is still really new to me and very scary that I can't see things and I was visibly upset. Hubby said we could leave so we got up about 5 minutes in.

When we walked up to customer service you could tell I was upset, cheeks were flushed, eyes glassy, quiet voice yanno the works. I asked if we could please get our money back and she said no problem, then I mentioned we had paid with passes and that we would like them back. She said "ooh no.. we can't do that, they are non-refundable". I'm sorry what? I got to watch 5 minutes of a blurry movie and you won't give me back my passes!? I got upset and she called over her manager who re-iterated, it states on the back of the pass non-refundable?? My response? Oh you mean the fine print that I can't read?

I found him to be completely unsympathetic, I think he thought I was bullshitting him, I eventually got so frustrated with being looked down on that I started to cry even more in front of everyone and asked for the head office number, as I felt that they expected me to pay to watch a movie I couldn't even understand basically. As soon as I mentioned head office he said that he could give us a pass to another movie that night!

I looked at him and said - In all honesty, it takes us an hour to drive here and an hour to drive home, the next film is not for an hour and to be even more honest, this is the only movie we wanted to see. Plain and simple.

Oh! Well we can give you passes that would have to be used by next Thursday. Thursday huh? My next day off is next Sunday. How's that work for me?

The way he was talking to me I felt like a child who was being scolded for doing something wrong. Eventually I just asked for a free pass to see THAT movie specifically, I didn't want anything else, just to be made whole so we could leave.

Eventually he relented and gave us passes that have to be used before the 24th of this month for that film, I'm going to be very hard pressed to go back to that theatre though.

Now before anyone asks, had I have known it was subtitled, we would have came sooner so that I could find a seat that I could see in, I can't see things that are close, nor far away, it sort of has to be in between. We had planned to come back the next weekend and see if we could get in early so I could find a seat that everything would be good, cuz I really wanted to see this f-ing movie.

So yea. Thats my long story. Im still extremely embarassed that I basically had to be made to cry before he realized I was serious.


The other members of the comm aren't inclined to sympathize.



PSA: Everyone should go see Pan's Labyrinth (or, in "freaking spanish", El laberinto del fauno) right the hell now because it is an utterly. awesome. movie.