Alone In the Dark

Lately, I find myself, more often than not, going to movies by myself.

And ya know, I dig it. I really do.

I mean, to a lot of people, that's like the epitome of lameness. For many , the idea of shuttling oneself to the local cinema and hunkering down alone in a dark movie theater auditorium is not just depressing beyond words, but the ultimate white flag when it comes to being single.

But then, when have I ever given the impression that I would ever (want to) be included in the groups known as "A Lot of People" or "For many..."

The truth is, movies have always been my way of escaping the cold, harsh brutalities of Real Life. They are my raison d'être. They're sort of like my Cheers--minus the fat, no-it-all, middle-aged mailmen getting in my face.

Lately, on late Monday nights, I head over to AMC or the cheap theater next to my apartment and watch a movie. The key to making the experience enjoyable (at least at the former theater, since all they play are first-run movies anyway) is to pick a movie that's been around for a while, therefore, allowing you to have, for the most part, an empty theater. I tend to like sitting in the back; that way, the auditorium can act as your own fortress of solitude. I mean, sure, there may be a few other moviegoers in the audience, but at least you know they're not going to bother you, especially when you're that far back.

Truth be known, as I am the main film geek in my group of friends, I'm usually the one who picks what movies we to see. So often, I see movies with my peers and the whole I time I think to myself, I wonder what they think of the movie. When I go to see movies by myself, I don't having to worry about what my neighbor thinks. The whole solo film experience allows me to enjoy the movie on my own terms.

Besides, I love being able to get as emotional (read: cry like the tubby little bitch that I am) as I want during a movie without being the recipient of Jack Therapy (ACHEM!!) or gleefully laugh out loud during a part that may or may not call for laughter and not worry about people thinking I'm a weirdo (which, let's face it, isn't exactly miles away from the truth, now is it?)

So, with that, I implore you, give it a shot sometime. I know it sounds like this totally depressing thing, but it's really relaxing.

Tonight, I went and saw "Atonement." It was the perfect romantic epic, certainly one of the *best movies of 2007. I highly recommend watching it with someone you love.

I sure did.

Yeah, I said it!!


*I have a new list and I am working on posting an update version of it for y'all!!