Movie Matters

‘So which movie did you want to see?’ Ben looks up at the board with all the movies and start times.

‘Whatever, I don’t care.’ Alice is more concerned about the candy bar and looks eagerly towards the popcorn. ‘It doesn’t matter which one you pick anyway. We can always watch another one after.’

‘I won’t be doing that,’ Ben rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

‘Aww come on,’ teases Alice. ‘You’re no fun.’ She pulls at his shirt sleeve drops the bottom lip.

‘Next please!’ The young man standing behind the counter raises his hand and calls out to them. Alice rushes towards the man and orders her popcorn, cola and chocolate.

‘I’ll have a boysenberry choc top too thanks,’ Ben adds his order to Alice’s. ‘And we’ll have two tickets to see Ghostshark at 4:30.’

‘Is in the middle and up the back okay?’ The attendant, Cameron, uses one finger on one hand to punch in the details while scooping up popcorn in a bucket in the other.

‘Yeah that’s cool man,’ Ben taps his card and finalises payment.

‘Great, here is your popcorn, your cola, chocolate and the choc top.’ Cameron taps the screen and pulls the paper printing from the machine. ‘And here are your tickets, enjoy.’

Alice scoops up the popcorn and cradles it in the crook of her elbow, takes the bag of chocolate with her pinky and ring finger and takes the cup of cola with her other hand, leaving Ben to carry his choc top. He follows her through to the cinema area where another attendant rips their tickets in half and points in the direction of cinema three.

Ben and Alice walk over the thick red carpet, past the cardboard cutouts of superheroes and through the double door under the large gold number ‘3’. Alice charges ahead, down the steps a few rows to ‘L’ and starts walking down the row. She plonks herself down and throws a popped kernel into her mouth.

‘Alice,’ Ben sighs. ‘That isn’t where we’re sitting. We’re down a couple more, 13 and 14.’

‘Oh Ben,’ Alice chastises. ‘Nobody sits where they’re supposed to.’

‘It’ll start a chain reaction though. If we sit here, then the people that have these seats will sit somewhere else and they’ll be in someone else’s seat.’

‘Oh, alright then you bossy boots.’ Alice scooches down a few more seats and Ben sits down beside her, stealing a piece of popcorn as he goes. ‘Oi!’ Alice pulls the bucket back and away while Ben grins, crunching on his win. ‘Just kidding, I’ll share.’

‘All good,’ Ben unwraps his choc top and bites into the ice cream. The cinema lights dim and the trailers play, then the lights dim to black and the movie begins to play. Every now and then Ben glances at Alice, eyes glued to the screen, shovelling popcorn into her mouth. A small curve at the corner of his mouth stops him from bursting into laughter. For someone so petite and pretty, Alice sure knows how to make a statement.

The jump scares make Ben sit back in his seat but Alice just seems to lean closer, getting more engrossed as time goes by. There are 4 characters to start with, each one getting picked off as the movie comes to a close, leaving the underrated one as the last remaining survivor.

‘What’d you think?’

‘Not bad,’ says Alice as she pulls out her phone. ‘C’mon, the next session starts in five minutes.’

She pushes past Ben and walks towards the end of the aisle, carrying her box of popcorn.

‘Alice!’ he calls and rushes after her. ‘We’re not going into another session.’

‘Why not?’ she retorts. ‘We’re already in here.’

‘Alice,’ Ben pleads with her but she takes no notice.

‘I just wish there was a candy bar in here so I could get a refill.’ Ben runs after her as she walks through the doors to cinema 6.

‘I wish you wouldn’t do this Alice.’

‘C’mon Ben, live a little. We’re paying good money to come to the movies.’

‘Yeah, for one movie.’ Alice rolls her eyes and finds a spot up the back and off to the side, reopening her box of popcorn and starting to eat what remains. Ben looks down at her and around the cinema before sitting down next to her, leaning back in his chair, legs wide.

‘What are we seeing anyway?’

‘It’s the new James Bond movie. I thought it might be right up your alley.’ Ben has to admit, she’s got him there. He already wasted the last two hours watching a movie about killer sharks that were already technically dead. He doesn’t say anything but just sits back and watches the trailers.

Alice was right. It was worth sticking around for. When James delivers his last line and the credits start rolling, Ben gets up to stretch his legs. Alice is on her phone again.

‘No Alice,’ he warns. ‘Don’t even think about it.’

She looks up with her lips pouted and eyebrows cinched. ‘Bennnnn.’

‘It’s not right Alice. We’ve had two good movies now, let’s go home. I think I’m all movie’d out anyway.’

‘Just one more. I think we should see something funny. And it starts in ten minutes, so enough time to go to the bathroom.’

She gets up and throws her popcorn box in the bin, waltzing to the bathroom. Ben hesitates and goes out to the bathrooms, waiting outside with his hands in his pockets. Alice comes out beaming.

‘Aren’t you going to go?’

‘Not to the bathroom. I’m going to go home.’

‘Just one more and then I promise we can go home.’

Ben looks at the ground and sighs. ‘Just one more?’

‘Then we can go home.’

‘Which cinema?’

‘Yes Ben!’ She wraps her arms around him and pulls on his arm towards cinema 4. A little after the movie starts, an usher with a flashlight enters the cinema. Alice watches him out of the corner of her eye as he walks down the aisle of one side then starts to walk up the middle. Ben tenses up and sees the light flash towards his feet.

‘Alice..’

‘Give it a sec.’

‘What if he’s after us?’

‘Yeah okay, let’s go.’ Alice and Ben shuffle out of their seats and start to sneak up the aisle. A second usher enters the cinema and starts to walk down the aisle. Now blocking their way out, Alice and Ben step backwards and start making their way towards the screen.

‘Good one!’

‘We don’t know if they’re looking for us, Ben.’ He turns back to look at the ushers who have spotted them and walking faster down the aisles towards them, as quietly as they can without disrupting the other cinema-goers – the ones who actually paid to see the movie.

‘They’re definitely coming for us. What have you gotten us into Alice?’

‘Shush, look. There’s a door.’

‘We don’t know where that goes.’ But before Ben can say any more, Alice has pulled open the door and slid behind it, disappearing. Ben glances at the usher coming towards him and follows Alice, pulling the door to lock behind him. The door shakes as the usher on the other side tries to pull it open, then it stops. He turns around and sees Alice tracing her fingers along the corridor walls.

‘Let’s find out where this goes.’

‘Let’s just get out of here Alice.’

Alice walks ahead as usual, with Ben glancing behind every now and then, catching up to her. She walks through another door and find themselves in a narrow room with a big black wall off to the right.

‘I think we’re behind the screen.’

‘Do you think?’

‘Yeah, see the speakers on the back and the frames to hold it upright.’

‘Huh.’

‘This is awesome.’

‘You’re such a nerd.’

Voices materialise from the corridors and footsteps get louder as they get closer to the door Ben and Alice have just come from. Alice quickly looks to Ben and grabs his arm.

‘We should hide,’ she whispers. They bend down behind an old red couch and press their backs against it, sitting on the carpeted floor. The door opens and someone walks in, talking through a walkie talkie.

‘I’m just entering the screen room now,’ the voice says. ‘I can’t see them.’ The man’s footsteps approach the couch and Ben sees the flashlight aura dance on the wall they face.

‘There you are!’ Ben glances up to see the man peering down at them over the edge of the couch.

‘Run!’ Ben and Alice bolt for the door on the other side of the room and run down the corridor, sprinting away from the man trying to run while also talk into the walkie talkie.

‘I found them!’

Ben and Alice run faster than they ever have before, heartbeats escalating and breath heavy. Alice slides through another door and they find themselves in the shopping centre, near the candy bar. They don’t stop there, they keep running towards the ceiling-high glass doors to the carpark and run out to the street, not stopping until they’re at the next corner, near McDonalds.

‘Jeezus Alice, that’s the last time I go to the movies with you.’

Breathless, Alice remains true to form. ‘C’mon Ben, I know you had just as much fun as I did. The movie wasn’t any good anyway.’

‘Which one?’ Ben laughs, feeling the adrenaline start to flow out of his body.

‘McFlurry?’ suggests Alice.

‘I’d love one.’