GOING TO A MOVIE

Heather: Well, George, I guess I am. Why do you ask?

George: I have just gotten a pair of pre-sale "Star Wars" movie tickets from a friend and was thinking of inviting you along for the opening premier. Are you interested?

Heather: Yeah, definitely! Thanks for inviting me!

George: No problem.

Heather: I really wanted to watch "Star wars" on the opening day but the pre-sale tickets were sold out. How did you manage to get hold of 'em?

George: A friend of mine works at the corporate headquarters of "Pepsi", which is a major sponsor of the movie. He was able to get the tickets for free, and then he sold 2 to me for $50 a piece.

Heather: You paid $50 for each ticket? That's a huge premium over the regular price!

George: Not really, considering the fact that other people are paying as high as $200 each on the "black market". Besides, I knew you were really looking forward to watching "Star Wars" on the opening day.

Heather: Wow, I'm really honored you went through all this trouble just for my sake. I really appreciate that. So, what time are we going?

George: Well, let's see. The movie starts at 10 PM. We should get there at least 1 hour earlier because there'll be a big line. I could pick you up at your house at 8, if that's OK with you.

Heather: 8 o'clock? That's fine with me.

George: Okay good.

Heather: So I'll see you tomorrow at 8 then?

George: Yeah. That's great. I'll see you tomorrow night, Heather.

Heather: Okay, George. Bye!

George: Bye, Heather.

Heather: Me too. I learned my lesson the last time I went to a premier opening. I didn't arrive early enough and ended up with a terrible seat all the way in the front row! Believe me, it was one of the worst movie experiences ever.

George: Yeah! I hate sitting in the first row.

Heather: By the way, it was really thoughtful of you to get this ticket for me. Why don't I show you a bit of appreciation by getting you some popcorn and a drink?

George: That would be great!

Heather: OK. What kind of soda do you want?

George: Let me see... I'll take a large Coke. As for the popcorn, medium size will do. Thanks a lot.

Heather: I better get going. You hold my place and I'll be back real quick. Oh... I almost forgot. I better hold on to my ticket stub in case you get let in before I get back. If that happens, just save me a seat and I'll meet you inside.

George: Okay. It's a plan.

(Ten minutes later... inside the theater.)

George: Over here Heather, on your left!

Heather: There you are!

George: Here you go! I saved this seat just for you.

Heather: Thanks. Here's your popcorn and Coke. Sorry it took me so long. There was a huge line at the counter.

George: That's OK. Thank you so much. I love popcorn. Did you add butter?

Heather: Yes I did. I thought you might like butter on your popcorn. I'm glad I made it back before the trailers started. I like trailers. They're part of the whole movie-going experience.

George: I think so too. Even though they're just previews, they tend to be quite entertaining. You know movie trailers are a fundamental marketing tool for production companies. They greatly affect the initial appeal and overall gross profits of a film.

Heather: Speaking of which, I think the trailers are about to begin. Let's sit back and enjoy.

Heather: Well... I think this "Star Wars" episode is an excellent piece of work. But not as good as the previous ones.

George: Really? I don't agree. This "Star Wars" episode was incredible!

Heather: Why do you think so?

George: Well, one of the most spectacular things about it are the special effects. State of the art special effects are the main reason for the success of the previous episodes, so audiences bear high expectations on this one. And I don't think they'll be disappointed.

Heather: You're right. The special effects were amazing! And I like that fact that they created so many fantastic settings and other-worldly costumes, weapons and creatures.

George: It's kind of cool that they still use the same "Star Wars" theme song for this movie.

Heather: Yeah! It reminds me of the previous "Star Wars" scenes.

George: I know exactly what you mean! Hearing that song gives me a nostalgic feeling.

Heather: I thought the overall plot of the movie was very interesting. But I don't think the character development was that strong.

George: Do you think that had anything to do with the casting of the movie?

Heather: No, the casting is great, the actors were excellent. They just didn't have a lot of funny or meaningful dialogue. The writing was a little weak.

George: Well, maybe, but I like the little kid who played young "Anakin Skywalker". I can't imagine anyone else playing that role.

Heather: I liked him too. He's soooo cute! You know, even though I was slightly disappointed, I can't wait for the next episode. I wonder when they're going to start making it and when it's scheduled for release?

George: I have no idea. But looking at the success of this "Star Wars" episode, I have a strong feeling production for the following episode will begin pretty soon. I hope it'll be even better than this one.

Heather: I hope so, too.

George: Well, I think we should go now. It's getting pretty late.

Heather: OK. Let's go.