Trip - Forgotten Cinema

Hi Blog,

You might be surprised to read this title and yes! There was a forgotten cinema to explore. Thanks to WS for inviting me to explore this place.

Thanks goodness that the rain stopped

I wondered what that place will look like... Anyway, I hope any reader who reads this, can keep it to yourself and I won't reveal the location to anyone because it is not a safe place to visit. I am just documenting that place before it was gone.

I was too excited about this trip and got ready too early... so trying to kill some time.

Alright! Time to leave my house.

Nice weather for the day. Thanks, Miss Sky.

Meanwhile, I was wondering whatever should I post about my trip...

I am glad that Thomson line makes travelling easy.

Here is the legendary cinema and will be forgotten very soon

plants are getting ready to take over this place

Quite a different ceiling from the usual

What a nostalgic feeling looking at the exterior of the classic cinema when they used to draw and hang their promoted movie artwork on the given space

Classic logo and the funny thing was that I could hear the nostalgic music playing in my mind with this logo

I love how classic the title was; It was literally a glass with lights in the background. Shaw Brothers are the Hong Kong version of Warner Bros.

The gate unlike anything in the present greeted us.

very nice when they were about to go somehow... 

We were lucky enough that it was not locked

I guess I will just take it as part of the memory

Lucky, my wild imagination does not kick in...

Last look at the gate and time to move to the next session

Hmm... The first door beside the entrance... hmm... power room hmm... Check out the footprints on such a thick coated dust-floor... You know... there was nothing worthy to explore here. 😆

Ooo! Here was what we came for. Are we ready to meet the hall where it hosted many people in the past?

Wooow really classic theatre really layout. The slightly inclined slope for audiences and the thick carpet of dust, oh my. 😲

Just check out the furry ground and imagine yourself walking on it.

I wonder why is there a need for a projector screen? They could just use a plain wall, right? And as I got closer, I could see many dotted holes on the screen... You can check the upper corner of the screen on the image, it is rather translucent like a thin screen.

After googling, I found this interesting information. This is a projection screen perforation. (link) Usually, they will place a few big speakers behind the screen so that the sound can project directly behind it as if the sound effects are heard from the screen to the audience. A great way of learning.

Next stop was the ticketing booth. Somehow, my imagination will fill up the scene with people waiting and queuing for purchasing movie tickets and snacks. Life was so simple at that time.

The wall tiles were so unique which belongs to the good old days.

Anchor beer commercial ads - only for beautiful people with abs

It seemed like it had been visited multi-times.

Hmm... the electrical circuit somehow doesn't make any content in my understanding.

(Thanks Br) Okay, Shh... don't disturb other people buying tickets.

(Thanks WS) Entered the ticketing booth and was greeted by the beautiful window panels.

Peeping behind the ticket booth and it was a simple desk

It seemed like 3:30pm was the time for their last ticket issued...

oooooooooooooooooooo! A safe was found!

(Credit Br) Let me try....

(Credit Br) MAN! OPEN UP! I WANT SOME MONEY!

(Credit WS) ...and caught in action.

Next room - The snack store beside the ticket booth

Saw a classic neon Pepsi display sign and we just placed a torch to lit up behind the signage

(Thanks WS) Great idea! Some of us tend to figure how to bring it back home… I guess it is best to leave it as it is.

I could imagine this store must be crowded with frustrated moviegoers due to the limited serving space.

Oooo! I bet the youngsters might know how the phone looked like in the past and how important for the people who made the call especially those who agreed to meet up but didn’t show up in time. In the result, it trained us to keep up our words and be on time; as we know it is painful to wait.

Alright then! Let’s check other theatre?

Theatre 2 where most of our excitement was at.

Oh my! It was pitched dark!

Br used his torch to lit up the whole theatre.

Br was busy inspecting the seats

(Thank you Br) and I was busy disgusted by it!

I asked Br to sit in the Center of the theatre like pro. It was uncomfortably funny and weird… it looked like Br casted a strong shadow at the back of the theatre.

If he was not there, that created a creepy vibe.

Even worse when the light was dimmed, like as if someone was standing at the back.

A lot of broken fake-wall ceiling which can become a final destination scenario so be careful.

In the past, they spent some thoughts over adorning the theatre which you don't see such these days

The seats showed us the amount of sweat and usage during those days. Changing cinema seats is one major expense to assure everyone a great moviegoers' experience.

Labelling each seat is common business practice than free-seating

What an old school lamp to lit up the theatre. Nowadays most lamp will lit up than down, which is better. Or maybe I am wrong... Who knows maybe this lamp lit up and down? Because they would want everyone to see the adorned theatre interior.

Weird choice of labelling the floor with a letter cut out and plastic casting glued on the floor

Without lighting, this place was dark. So I tested my Huawei phone to "see" in the dark

(Thanks WS) I always want to try to sit in the cinema like a boss

But what an uncomfortable posture to look like a boss/cool. Maybe I am just not boss material

(Credit Br) I will sit back like a human being which enjoys a good movie

(Credit Br for those two shots, I love it) …But I will prefer to free my legs spacing by sitting in front...

(Credit WS) but front seat is quite uncomfortable for my neck. I guess it is a pro and con thing; we can't have everything comfortable with the price I can afford. Low SES lifestyle just enjoy whatever style I can.

(Credit WS) Alright, let's have a group photo of five of us. 🤔 Five of us...

(Credit WS) Based on the previous theatre 1, there was a big speaker on the stage. Now we understand why they were there.

(Credit Br) Since I wore as Captain, so let's pose proudly

(Credit WS) Audition for Captain Nerd in front of Br

Before we leave this place, I just want to show you how dusty this place was. Yes,We just breathe in all these... Now feeling something wrong within our throats…

(Credit WS) Time to explore the 2nd floor

Turn on our torches as it was a dark corner

Weird dead end and we turned right…

There was a spacious and empty hall.

No outside light that shines through… looked like this place might be a private club for members to access

And many broken ceilings

And a special room within this hall

(Credit Br) Ooo spotted a weird leaf-litter, looked like something rotten

There was an opening to outside…

Ah! It was exit for crew to access for putting the movie posters

(Credit WS) Oh man, thanks WS for capturing. I love this shot so much because the angle and at the moment feeling.

I guessed we can’t access further…let’s explore somewhere else.

Now we are uninvited members to access the club

Walked like a high SES (faking it)

Many debits and empty cupboards

Looked like a bar corner. Really serving for the high SES people… unlike this fat ghost here

What a classic and rather clean toilet

Time to access somewhere higher

WS said this place is to access the rooftop…

Interesting. I have never accessed to the rooftop before because usually, it will lock...

... Few flights up. I noticed Br has an eye for photo, he took interesting photos by the stairs. So... I copied him. Hahaha 😅

Reaching to the top

(Credit WS) How nice of him to snap a few pictures here with the window panel. I just had such thought to showcase the height of these while a shortie was there to compare.

Ooo let's see... Anything special? 😂 I wondered why everyone does not want to step out...

Until I stepped out, the roof was kind of "soft" and it was like walking on thin metal foil with empty space beneath it. (can't say empty but it was supported by bars) So we were not sure whether is it safe to walk on it. So for me... I tried to walk on the fold slowly...

Tried to reach to the water storage platform

The things here rarely see a human around here

and ignore...

They were quite sturdy in some way

Standing beside the water tank to become the water boy

(Credit Br) I guess I am not the waterboy material.

Clean place here

No one will want to stay here for long

Mr Sun has been watching this place daily and won't spare any thought...

To fry this place

(Credit Br) If you want to suntan, here is a perfect place.

(Credit WS) Time to return back to explore other places

We walked to another entrance to somewhere darker

Hmmm... We can't make up what is the purpose of this room... It looked like a mini church in this room.

(Credit Br) A small opening in this room

Ooo, outside the opening, was another side of the wall for putting up the posters

There was another smaller door at the corner...

It looked like an observation room which we thought might be a projection room but the windows were not in the center of the theatre at all.

(Credit WS) Oooo! My teen time idol - Kakeshi Kaneshiro's movie - Returner 2002

(Credit WS) let's pose like him - Handsome vs Ugly

Many of them heard a slam of a door a far... They decided not to stay here...

Looking through the window down the theatre and wondered... are we alone? (Honestly, I just maintained a clear mind)

One of the most interesting and disappearing thing is this wall. Beautiful bricked wall.

It will be saved in my memories

Oooo! There was a Childcare center here. What an interesting wall sticker with an ocean theme

Thank you WS for bringing us to this place and together with Br for picture taking. I also need to thank the spirits here, I was glad you guys kept us safe

Overall, exploring such places just made me learn to embrace the past and how far we had being to the present. In some sense, such exploration is just an achievement for me; something different from my toxic surrounding but I hope I can move forward, leave the past, and treat the past as a memory.

Jeff