Sunday, July 17, 2011

Movies - Where to go

There are four possible places to go see an English language movie in the Schinnen/Brunssum area that I am aware of. Two are in Belgium, one on the economy in The Netherlands, and one at the theater at AFNORTH in Brunssum.  I'll start with the ones in Belgium because that is where I go.

Euroscoop Maasmechelen.  This bioscoop is located at the north side of Maasmechelen, Belgium.  From Schinnen it is a ten minute drive, without traffic.  It is right next to the outlet shopping center called Maasmechelen Village.  The theater has eleven screens; two of them are set up for 3D movies.  Adult (volwassen) ticket price is 7.00 Euros, children (kinder) under 12 years old get in for 5.00 Euros.  3D movies cost two Euros more and you must put up a ten Euro security deposit for each pair of 3D glasses so make sure you bring the extra cash. You get your money back when you hand in the glasses after the movie. Sometimes they hand out the 3D glasses at the snack counter and sometimes they set up a special stand (mostly on busy days for new movies). On Tuesday (dinsdag) it is filmdag (movie day) and everyone gets in for 5.00 Euros.  This is a very nice, modern theater with stadium seating.  It is always clean and there are a lot of bathroom facilities.  The snack stand is fully stocked with a wide variety of snacks and drinks.  The prices aren't too bad but popcorn (it is sweetened kettle corn) and a drink will cost about the same price as admission.  Eat at home and save a bundle.  This theater takes a ten minute intermission about halfway through the movie and it is a sudden stop.  The first movie of the day starts at 1400 hours. Parking is free but it shares parking with several restaurants and the outlet center so sometimes you have to park out on the street.  Get there early to ensure you can park close by.

Euroscoop Lanaken.  When I was here twelve years ago this is the theater I went to.  It is maybe five minutes farther away from Schinnen and is just outside the Lanaken Centrum.  This theater has eight screens and is a little older and of course smaller than its sister theater.  I haven't been there in quite some time but I remember it as being a nice theater. Prices are exactly the same as the Euroscoop in Maasmechelen, including Tuesday's discount, and the hours are also the same.  Parking is also free here.  The snack counter is smaller but more or less the same.  I presume that they also have an intermission.

Foroxity Geleen-Sittard.  The Foroxity is between Geleen and Sittard and is easy to get to from Brunssum.  It is a new and modern theater.  Most US personnel that I know go to this theater and I think they are more accustomed to English speakers (I have never had a language problem at the Belgian theaters but I do speak decent Dutch). There are eight screens and these can seat 250 people each. Tickets have seat numbers assigned so if the movie is first run and full, you won't have a choice of seats.  You can buy your ticket online and select your seat. Prices at Foroxity are: 4.50 Euros for movies between 1000-1200 hours, 6.00 Euros for movies between 1200-1800 hours, and 7.50 Euros for movies after 1800. 3D movies (no matter when it plays) are 8.50 Euros and you must purchase the 3D glasses for 2.00 Euro and then you can keep them.  I believe parking is free here. URL: http://www.forox.nl/index.php?event_id=10869714

NOTES: 
1. Adult movies will be in the original language with Dutch and French subtitles at the Euroscoop and in Dutch at the Foroxity; you get used to that after awhile.
2. Kids movies are very often dubbed to Dutch.  You need to pay attention to whether the movie is in the original language or Dutch.  If it is in the original language you will see the letters, "OV" after the title.  If it is dubbed to Dutch you will see the letters, "Ned, NV, or NL" after the title.

Alliance Theater, AFNORTH (Joint Force Command, Brunssum is its real name but most people still call it AFNORTH) is run by Aafes but you must pay in Euros.  Last time I was there a movie cost 4.00 Euros and the snack counter prices are also much lower than out on the economy.  This is not quite as comfortable a theater and they only show movies on the weekend (right now only on Saturdays).  The movies are all English language movies with no sub-titles but they usually are not as current and obviously there is no choice or selection, there is only one screen.  They cannot show 3D movies here. But, it is the place to go if you are too timid to go to a Dutch or Belgian theater.

There is (or was?) a theater on GK (NATO Airbase Geilenkirchen is always referred to as GK) but I have never been there and know nothing about it.

No comments:

Post a Comment