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DUTCH AND FOREIGN MOVIES WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES

Oh so many years ago, my best friend and I founded Boom Chicago, the English-language comedy show in Amsterdam. Back then almost everything was in Dutch only. Today the city and country has gotten much more international and ex-pat oriented (sorry: 'Internationals' oriented), but one thing hasn't changed: It's still hard to see Dutch and foreign language movies with English subtitles. I had been a member of this group, but it has fallen into disuse. So when Meetup posted a request for someone else to take it over, I did! It turns out I love movies more than Pathe, who let this group lapse.

In high school, I was a usher at the Evanston Theater, near Chicago and. I was later a manager at the Fine Arts Theater in downtown Chicago. The Fine Arts was a less well maintained, Tuschinski-style movie theater whose big theater also had two balconies. (This is where the Dutch word 'zaal' would come in handy). Boom Chicago on the Rozengracht was also a cinema in the old days, by the way. In 1913, it was the first megabiscoop in the Netherlands with over 1000 seats.

Anyway, the goal is breathe some life into this group and turn it back on. I want to program a mix of fun and more highfalutin films (google that word, Dutch folks!). I will arrange with Pathe to have a print of the film with subtitles for our screening. Afterwards we have a drink and be social. If this takes off, we could have a bit more of an experience with the film. I don't know, dress up, have a related comedy component, have a Q&A with the 'director' of the film afterwards (who would look suspiciously like a Boom Chicago actor)

Internationally-minded Dutch folks are encouraged to join as well. The members of this group live, work and sleep with you already! We'll bring the feelings. You being the blunt honesty. It's a match made in heaven!

My focus is on Amsterdam, and that is where we will start. If there is a demand, we could also host things in other cities. InterActing, Boom Chicago's program for teenagers with autism is also in Den Haag and Eindhoven, so those would be natural expansion cities for this as well.

I have also had a dream of hosting a future series called the Bad Movie Club, were we watch laughably bad films together. Those, thank you Hollywood, will undoubtably be in English.

Those are my plans. Are folks up for this? And does anyone else bring butter with them to put on their popcorn here?