It's not stalking if you pay first

It's the season of the summer blockbuster and I am raring to go.  I am a Movie Fan.  Husband will clarify and tell you that I am a fan of horribly under budget, poorly written 'crap-ass schlock' but that's opening a door best left nailed shut.  I love movies and I love movie theatres.  I have a special fondness for the theatre right here in town.  True, the Rialto may have seen better days; it's carpets are no longer plush, the seats sag, and the smell of butter and orange nacho goo have long-since combined into a strange aroma one can only describe as 'penetrating' but to me it is everything a theatre should be: intimate, dark and slightly sticky.

I love the whole experience.  I love standing in line for the tickets, even in the rain.  I love watery fountain soda with too much ice and dim lighting that tricks you into believing your matinee is at midnight. I love the sounds of children begging for change to play the arcade games that beep and rumble seductively from the shadows on the edge of the lobby. I even love paying too much for Peanut M&M's.  

I confess I am not picky about what movie I see. From Oscar winning mega-hits to films that may only spend one night in the theatre before the producers are found and shot, I will be found centre aisle, popcorn in hand.  I enjoy them all, but my favourites are the ones featuring explosions, weird science, aliens, monsters, explosions, pirates, magic, big men in little skirts, explosions and Jason Statham.  If Jason Statham could play Quidditch while sword-fighting a Kraken that fires exploding alien vampires from it's mouth I would die of      awesome.

I argue that sitting shoulder to shoulder in a darkened theatre while lights flicker and the story unfolds is a very primal experience; a modern day gathering around the campfire at the mouth of the cave.  We huddle together to push back the black edges of the night and gaze for a moment at stars we believe can transport us to worlds where the punchlines are always perfectly timed, where the good guys always win and where Jason Statham rides a unicorn while fighting crime with Batman and Inigo Montoya.