It’s a Friday afternoon and I have some downtime in between my last class of the week (Stagecraft, if you must know) and a great weekend, so the only logical solution is to go see a movie in Oneida. There are a lot of things that I love in the world: video games, comic books and Tom Hanks just to name a few, but nothing quite compares to a trip to the movies. The whole experience is magical and exciting. Every trip to the movies feels like a first-time experience. Remember the first time you got drunk, listened to the Beatles, read The Great Gatsby, lost your… well maybe not that, but you get the point. For me, go­ing to the movies makes me feel like a little kid experiencing something for the first time, and over the years I have gotten pretty good at enjoying the movies.

A good movie trip starts off with a good crew. The com­pany you are with defines not only what kind of movie you will see, but what the pre- and post-movie banter will be like. Having gathered up a great crew, the next step is to choose the right movie for the right mood. Take a step back and examine your people. Are they girls who wouldn’t enjoy a simple action movie? If so, go see a good romantic comedy or a Pixar film. I mean, everyone loves rom-coms and Pixar. Fact. If you do find yourself to be in a group of young dumb males, go see any movie involving stuff blowing up and Michael Bay. But you shouldn’t assume that every good trip to the movies necessi­tates a good movie. In fact, sometimes the best trips are to go see the worst movies. One of my fondest memories is seeing Snakes on a Plane with my cousins. Everyone should see that movie, by the way.

So, you’ve gathered a crew of sweet people and you’ve picked out an awesome movie; now all you need are some tasty treats to hold you over. Careful though, you don’t want something that will last five minutes like Raisinets, but you want a sugary delight that will continue to pleasure you for as long as possible, providing sugary bombs minute after minute. My advice? You could go with the sure-fire treats like popcorn or Milk Duds, or you can go a little crazy with a blue or red Slurpee. These artificial slushees are guaranteed to please you, even if you are going to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 with your friend and his girlfriend who both think that talking about their future children’s names and constantly kissing and canoodling throughout the movie is appropriate behavior. Now, I’m sure you won’t find yourself in such a situation, but there is one thing that can provide you some solace: movie previews. The upcoming movie trailers are my favorite part of the movie experience. The exciting clips, the sweet montage music, the plot questions and even turning to my sweet buddy and commenting about whether or not I think it will be a good movie makes me feel like a freshmen stumbling across the sweetness of college. After the previews, just sit back and enjoy your feature presentation.

In short, do yourself a favor and use my guide to not just watch a movie, but enjoy the experience with good friends. Source Code rocked, by the way.