who we are and what we do

I'm Christine, I'm one-half of don't sit next to us, and I am addicted to film. I love movies. A lot. I love the ritual and excitement of it all: getting your ticket, buying popcorn, finding a seat, hearing the chatter from other viewers as we all await the dimming of the lights...

We like to think of ourselves as professional movie-goers. We know the order of all the questions we'll be asked by the cashiers, we have our cards ready, we know what we're ordering and we know where we'll be sitting. We talk all through the previews to determine which movies will make The List (more on that in a minute), which are drive-in potential, which we'll see at the indy theatre nearby, and which are a definite miss. Hence the title of the blog - you really don't want to be sitting next to us (at least during the previews) and really, we like some buffer seats between us and the next guy or gal. Nothing personal you understand, it's just in case you're a talker, or a texter, or worse - a snorer.

So what makes The List and what gets cut? There aren't any hard and fast rules but there are a few criteria we look for in no particular order:

a) Decent story: I don't care if it's the same drama/comedy/action film that's been done a dozen times before, if you can make me forget that I've seen it already with different stars, chances are I'll give it a go.

b) Intelligence: If the movie looks like it requires you to actually pay attention to the plot and not just look at the pretty actor(s) then it will likely make it.

c) Fantasy: I love a good fantasy film. Give me creatures and magic and I'm happy, most of the time. It's got to be done right and not all about the effects or the actor(s). Think more Stardust and less Clash of the Titans.

d) Humour: Does it actually make me laugh? Is it free from frat-boy humour? If the answers are yes, I'll likely see it.

As I said above these are not "rules" in any way. They're more intuitive than that. When we evaluate a movie the smallest thing can make or break it's position on The List. For example, Inglorious Basterds looked extremely interesting save for one minor detail: Brad Pitt. We can't stand him. Really, it was embarrassing to say the words "one ticket for Inglorious Basterds please" because of the fact that so many other women were going only to gawk at Mr. Pitt. (on a completely unrelated note: that weekend we saw not one but two movies where characters were burned while watching a movie. creepy!)

So what are we doing here online? We just like talking about movies and hope that some of you will join in the discussion.