On the Moment the Lights Fully Dim and the Nature of Watching Film

by Evan A. Salazar

My friends hate seeing movies with me. They get frustrated, annoyed, and roll their eyes at my ridiculous idiosyncrasies and my overblown neuroticisms. I like (re. need) to get to movies at least thirty minutes before they start. At least. I like to be the first in the theater, because I need to make sure to get the seat I like, which is usually somewhere a bit below the middle of the theatre (so the screen is all encompassing), and my seat in the exact middle of the row. Exact. Middle. Being a bit off-center irks me and annoys me, which in many cases I have begged friends to switch spots if they are even the least bit closer to the middle than I. People fussing with bags of popcorn or candy annoy me. Whispering, even slight grunting is unacceptable. The list, well, it goes on.