Thing 298 Cinema Date Marathon

Jeez... doesn't she look lonely in there. Apparently I'm mad for my movies these days. I know I'm always mad for a good film, but after thirteen hours of Star Wars you'd think that I'd have enough of seeing films and want to get out a bit. Not so, not so. Instead of that I went on the marathon of cinema dates with The Thief. We got to the Omniplex about one in the afternoon, we left at just after one in the morning the next day...

There's a perverted kind of logic to it. Like I say, I've always been a movie buff, I've over two hundred and fifty DVDs, and that's a collection that grows weekly. I'm at the movies most weeks at least once to see what's on, and then give out about it, or rave about it endlessly, there's no half way with me really. I've always wanted to spend the day there. Just wander from movie to movie, with nought else to do with my time. Thanks be to Project, I get a reasonable excuse to do so.

If there's one thing the Project has done for me, it's erase any vestiges of dignity, shame or embarrassment that I once had. Not so for The Thief who spent half the time in between movies cringing at the the fact that the staff there seemed to be watching us and wondering if we had any lives of our own, or just kept getting confused when we were trying to find the exit. Poor girl was mortified.

First up: Tangled (3D). Awesome flick. Hilarious. You should see The Thief doing her impression of the Chameleon in it. Hilarious isn't even the word, it'd have you doubled over. Only if you've seen the movie though. I love cartoons. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever grow up. Funny thing about this movie was that it was being screened just after one o'clock on a Saturday. I figured place would be dead. Not a hope. Jammers. Packed to the rafters with kids. They were everywhere. Not exactly romantic. The movie was so good that they were rapt though. Not a peep out of them.

After the show we'd to head back and buy tickets for the next movie... Ladies and gents, number two: Black Swan.

Wow... now there's a disturbing movie. The lads had seen it already. So they spent ages telling me about a lesbian scene with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis. By the time it come s around, I was way too disturbed to find it anything but upsetting, and it's only five in the evening. Plus we've been back to see the same guy at the ticket desk too times in a row. He was giving us a funny look.

After it was done, it was my call for a show again. Now the dude at the counter is looking at us like we're seriously weird. He'd be right in my case, but The Thief is relatively sane as people go. It was Paul Giamatti movie. The man is a leg-end. So movie number three: Barney's Version.

It's not exactly a pace-setter as shows go. It's very good to watch, without being a classic. I think it'll get a good following on DVD though, because it's the kind of movie that'll translate well on to the small screen. At this point, we've been eating nothing but popcorn, peanut M&Ms (which I normally love, but there's only so much), and Starburst, while drinking only Coke. We're really not very healthy people... honestly. This is also the movie screen in which the photo up there was taken. I'll give you a mo to scroll back up...

Yep, that's The Thief entirely on her own in a cinema screen small enough to fit into my living room. Alright, minor exaggeration, but you get my meaning. Apparently the people in the Omniplex don't think much of Paul Giamatti movies and figured that there'd be only two people there. By the time it started there were actually six of us. Still small enough for us all to say hello and introduce ourselves. That's a new experience all on it's own. Introducing myself to everyone else in the cinema...

By the time it's done it's gone dark outside. And we've switched from cartoons to slightly dark movies about guys who drink.... alot! Time for a new show. Number four: How Do You Know.

Now I'm seriously hanging for some food that's not complete junk. Do nachos and cheese count? The nachos and cheese were the best thing about How Do You Know. A movie with Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon and Owen Wilson is supposed to be amazing. They're all pretty class. Instead it was AWFUL. I'm sure someone is going to argue with me about that, but it's true. A bad movie... Watch it, and regret that decision.

So now it's after eleven at night, and I've not had a morsel of reasonable food all day, just junk. Never thought I'd pine so much for a piece of lettuce, but there you have it. To add to this, The Thief is still cringing as the staff watch us move around for a fifth movie, and the guy at the till is looking at me like I'm taking the piss out of him. I'm trying not to look like I care, but there's a tiny part of me that wants to explain it's a Project Thing. I don't though.

Number five: A Little Bit of Heaven. It's not my choice. Obviously. Just go Google the title there. Not that I'm not partial to the odd chick-flick. Just that this one was never going to be a light-hearted romp. Something about it warned me to be wary...

It was brilliant. Cast was fantastic. Kathy Bates is brillo in everything. Kate Hudson's pretty cool too, to be fair. Smashing movie, if a little bit of a tear jerker. I didn't cry though. Even if The Thief tells you that I did, it's a lie. I definitely did not shed a couple of tears at the end. No way. You can't prove a thing...

Total money spent: I don't know, but it was something over a hundred and twenty quid... The movies are expensive. They're also great, but in not so hefty doses. It's kind of taken the novelty out of it for me for a while... Still though... great date... :)