Bonding with James in Accra

This weekend, the widely anticipated 'Haitian Sensation' concert in Accra passed me by but I did take the opportunity to check out the new Silverbird Cinema at the Accra Mall. I was excited by the prospect of having the whole wide screen cinema experience complete with digital surround sound right here in Ghana. The last time I went to the cinema in Accra was during a family vacation back in '94 or '95. The mum, the big bruv and I went to see a B-movie out of Hollywood (or someone's basement) with some unknown D-list actors at the Rex or Roxy Cinema. Sadly, with the rise of the home box office
entertainment industry, all these cinemas died an unnatural death and were converted into churches. So the chance to see a new Hollywood blockbuster release that was not bootleg, was thrilling. So Quantum of Solace it was. My family has had a long-standing relationship with Mr. Bond. My dad was a major Bond fan-atic and apparently the big bruv cried the whole family out a movie theatre before I was born. They had gone to see Live and Let Die or the Man with the Golden Gun. I grew up in love with 007 (especially Sean Connery) and loved Roger Moore's humor-filled take on Mr. Bond. So on Sunday afternoon I made my way to the Accra Mall opting for the low-traffic 4:15pm show. Low traffic it certainly was...I coughed up the GHC 10.00 ($8.50)...*yikes* and a bag of popcorn.
The lobby was like any Odeon, AMC, Loews in the Northern hemisphere...complete with the concession stand. There were several other rooms showing other movies but our theater was impressive. Wide screen, lovely surround sound and fabulous seats. The movie started and we were transported with Bond on his adventure.
The drawbacks of the cinematic experience were the things going on in the room. There was a kid who decided to run up and down the stairs towards the end of the movie out of boredom and
the ushers were getting rather chatty just outside.
I also wished they had shown that "please-turn-off-your-mobile phone-and-stop-talking" advert before the movie since cell phone ringing was a popular distraction along with incessant chatter. A man in the row behind me let his phone ring and let us all hear his 2 minute conversation. Clearly brotherman had never heard of movie etiquette.
Ah yes, what about Quantum of Solace itself, I have come round to appreciate Daniel Craig as James Bond but this film was a little thin on the ground when it came to the plot...too many untied loose ends and more questions than answers. This Bond seems more brute than suave and the baddies were not like they used to make 'em.
The overall verdict: Okay Movie, great wide screen and digital surround sound , over-priced tickets and a serious need for clientele movie etiquette education.