17

ah, the cinema. the place where magic happens. escapism in its finest for the modern (wo)man, which even caters for the moodiest flavour of the months - tragedy? drama? sci-fi? horror? maybe even a bit of comedy? or, god forbid, romance? it's like an all-you-can-eat buffet for the visual and auditory, at probably a fifth of the price. what's not to love?

as you unerringly dash through the crowd, you notice that your the banker is falling behind, probably due to him not being as much the city-boy as you are the -girl. without a moment's hesitation, you grab his hands and lead him through the crowd, darting between the odd couples and sidestepping the families you know would only take longer than expected to get to the front of the line. spilled popcorn? overstepped those. unheedingly and inappropriately embracing couples? dodged those. it's like vietnamese minefield to which only you know the potholes and safe-routes.

and after what seems only moments, you are at that special place where everyone who goes to the movies without prior plans ends up - the big screens of movie lists. unbeknownst to yourself, though, you have made such a bold progression for the night, and you look up to the banker, raising your eyebrows towards the screen as if to suggest that he should at least peruse them. which is when you realise that you still have your fingers interlocked with is, and against all your suggestions to take a look at the movie-list, he is lost and caught examining something else - the infinitesimal depths of your eyes.

which is probably for the worst, actually, as at the precise moment, the other people in the crowd are steadily pushing the two of you closer and closer together. without the greatest efforts of resistance, there is no doubt in your mind that you would end up having a more physical encounter than you would prefer - something that he obviously senses (what is this guy, spiderman?) as he shifts his body so as not to face yours, and casually takes a look at the screens.

'so, what movie are you in the mood for?' he asks, and you realise that you're not even sure what's showing. the screens change to reveal the list of potential movies that are, which you let roll a few times as you ponder your answer:

1. 'the curse of doctor horrible': cheesy third-grade horror movies are always a sure bet on sizing up your first date. easy on the brain, contingency escape reason should shi* hit the fan, sounds like a winner.
2. 'indiana jones and the death of a prophet': action and adventure, ehhhh. if your date sucks, at least harrison ford (hopefully) won't. only downside is that it's three and a half hours long and nobody wants to be stuck in a dark, noisy, secluded place with someone they might end up thinking very much lesser of.
3. 'ancestors and the righteous': chinese dubbed social drama. one for the indies.
4. 'amy's ends': love story and chick-flick. probably a good test on your date's initial response to compromise. but at what risk?
5. 'a day in galatasary': odd name for a comedy, but it has robin williams and ashton kutcher, hmmm. sounds a bit dodgy but you can't really go wrong with a bit of slapstick and a lot of yelling, right?
6. 'sweet elbonian artisan jesus': a social commentary and low-budget documentary. think michael moore on anti-depressants.
7. 'the culling of stratholme': you're not sure about this one; tear jerker meets psychological thriller meets supernatural twister. directed by m. night. syamalan, though, so i guess it's a hit or miss choice. are you a gambling person?