Movie Mingle

[musicdied]

Who: Yelena and anyone who wants to show up
When: Evening on August 5th
Where: ADI apartment grounds
Summary: Yelena has procured a projector and a copy of Jurassic Park. Everyone's invited.
Warnings: None at the outset; please add any applicable warnings to your subject lines.


The invitation that goes out on Monday night is simple:

un: jelica

Jurassic Park showing outside housing Block C this Friday. Movie starts at 8:30pm. Chips, popcorn, soda, blankets provided. Feel free to bring alternate snacks and seating if desired.

Before
The benefit to showing a movie outside, projected against an apartment wall, is that there's only so much set-up required. A few folding tables holding large bowls of chips and popcorn, a couple of coolers for soda and whatever people bring with them, some large blankets spread on the lawn, and everything's just about ready. Yelena - and whoever's volunteered or been drafted to help - has everything ready to go an hour ahead of the movie's start time.

There's plenty of time to chat with old colleagues and new acquaintances.

During
There is still a strip of light at the edge of the horizon when the movie starts, but on the eastern face of the building, it's dark enough for the scene to play out clearly against the large white canvas that has been suspended from the rooftop, weighted so that it doesn't stir in the breeze and disrupt the picture. It is not - quite - the full drive-in experience; there is no stretch of windshield and hood to make the moment when scaled predators jump onto one of the vehicles all the more immersive.

The sound is up loud enough to cover some chatter, but talking too loud still risks getting popcorn thrown at one's head.

After
The movie ends ahead of curfew, enough so that there is a little time for those who've opted to live off campus to chat, or help with clean-up, before saying their goodbyes and slipping out before the gates lock for the night. Or to arrange a place to crash for the night, if they want to linger longer. It's a lovely night, and there probably aren't any actual rogue dinosaurs about.

Probably.


(ooc: Party-style log for group movie night! Tag amongst yourselves!)

Comments

[abrightboy]

"It sounds good," Malcolm tells him. "I'll have to check it out. You know, you can get movies from your time here, if something came out that you wanted to see and you didn't have the chance."

[bindlestifflost]

"You ain't pullin' my leg?" he asks, eyes wider. "Where? How much does it cost?" There are a lot of thing he can think of he heard about that he'd have loved to see at the time but either didn't have the scratch or knew Lennie couldn't sit through it without getting them kicked out for being too loud.

[abrightboy]

"There's still a video store downtown. I think they even rent the machines if your apartment doesn't have one. It's only a few bucks to rent a movie for a couple of days. Then you bring it back and you can get another one," Malcolm tells him. "And honestly you have decades of film to choose from."

[bindlestifflost]

"I'll prob'ly start with ones I never got to see and wanted to and work my way up. Might be fun. If you ever wanna come over and watch with us, you know you's welcome." Him, Nick, maybe Hickey if he's interested.

[abrightboy]

“I’d love that!” Malcolm tells him, probably a little too enthusiastically. He seems to realize it and dial it back. “That’d be fun.”

[bindlestifflost]

"Then that's what we'll do. I'll make us some popcorn. You can bring them twizzlers, an' I'll be sure we got some sodas and beer both." The enthusiasm reminds him of the better times with Lennie sometimes. He can't help but to grin at him.

[abrightboy]

Malcolm grins back. "Is it okay if I invite Neal?" he asks. He doesn't figure George will object and maybe Neal won't always want to come, but you don't bring a plus one to someone else's house without permission.

[bindlestifflost]

"Sure is. I ain't seen him since that day we ran into each other down by the fence. He been doin' awwright?" He'd seemed very off then. He doesn't want to worry Malcolm and imagines whatever he'd seen, Malcolm has, too, living with him like he does.

[abrightboy]

"He's doing better. He's struggled with what happened in West Virginia and..." His voice trails off for a second, then he looks over at George. "He woke up one night choking on sea water. He'd been helping with the beach clean up. He hadn't been that heavily involved yet, so it passed, but... that shook him up too."

[bindlestifflost]

"Like them folks what drowned," he says immediately. So it was some weird entity connected shit. Figures.

"I'm glad it didn't hurt him too sore." He can imagine how frightening that would be.

[abrightboy]

"Exactly like them," Malcolm confirms. "He went to medical to get checked, but he's okay now."

The opening sequence of the movie starts and Malcolm quiets down. George hasn't seen it yet.

[bindlestifflost]

George falls quiet, too, and aside from his occasional exclamations of concern, actual fright, or wonder, he won't be talking much during the movie, definitely not about anything other than the movie itself.

[abrightboy]

As the final scene fades and the credits start to roll, Malcolm looks over at George.

"Pretty good, huh?"

[bindlestifflost]

"Pretty good? I ain't never seen nothin' like that my whole life." He'll be days absorbing all of this. "Ain't nothin' to compare it to. Thought I was gonna have a heart attack a few times. I'm jes' glad them kids got out awwright."

[abrightboy]

"Yeah, you actually see them a few years later in one of the sequels," Malcolm tells him.

[bindlestifflost]

"They done a sequel?" he asks, eyes widening. "Is it any good?" He can easily see himself working through these if they're worth it.

[abrightboy]

"They did two sequels that take place in the couple of years after the first one and they weren't as good as the first one, but they were still exciting. Then they did a new series of three movies that take place decades later that are popular too," Malcolm tells him. "So there are six altogether."

[bindlestifflost]

"Guess I got me a lot a' dinosaurs to look forward to then." He claps him on the shoulder.

"I better go grab me a bag to help with the cleanup. Don't want Yelena saddled with that after she done all this for us. Hope you have you a good night, Mal."

[abrightboy]

"Thanks, George. See you later," Malcolm tells him.

Eager to avoid Yelena, he also goes to help clean up. On the other side of the space.