A is for All Nighter

A while ago, my mum and my sister both started going on alphabet dates. Basically, each date is something to do with each letter of the alphabet, starting from A and eventually ending with Z. Now, since coming to University, I haven't been able to see much of my boyfriend. I went from seeing him every day to a couple of days every 2 weeks or so. This meant that we've been trying to come up with a plan to do something nice when we meet up, rather than just slobbing around like we normally do.

Last weekend, the student cinema put on an Allnighter, and we decided to go. But I was thinking about it one night, and realised that Allnighter begins with an A. This got me thinking about the alphabet dates, and how that might be a good way for us to spend our time together. It would give us more to get excited about on our visits. I told my boyfriend, and he immediately started thinking of things we could do for other letters, so I think that we are definitely going through with it!

A is for All-Nighter

Neither of us had ever been to an all-nighter before, so we were both pretty excited. After stocking up on loads of chocolate, sweets, fizzy drinks and biscuits to keep us awake, we headed down to the lecture theatre where the student cinema is held. We were given a running order on what was going to happen during the night, and then the first film started.

Ted - Ted is a film about a little boy called John, who wishes is teddy was real so he would have a friend. His wish comes true and the two grow up together. Years later, John and Ted are still best friends, but their friendship is tested when John has to choose between the vulgar teddy bear, or his girlfriend of 4 years.

I didn't think I was going to like Ted. It's done by the same guy who does Family Guy, which I cannot stand, but I actually quite enjoyed it. It was completely ridiculous and stupid, but there were some moments that I couldn't help laughing at. Mostly the bit at the end when they said the fat kid got a personal trainer and became Taylor Lautner... You probably have to see it to find that funny... Anyway, it was a good start to the evening.

Brave - Not wanting to be forced into marriage, the Scottish princess Merida falls out with her mother, the Queen, and finds a witch to cast a spell to make her change her mind. The spell goes horribly wrong (don't they always?) and Merida has to repair the bond that was broken before her mother is cursed to be a bear forever.

I had no idea what Brave was actually about. Disney has a way of making trailers entirely out of clips that aren't included in the movie, but I knew I really wanted to see it. And it didn't disappoint! I'll admit the strong Scottish accents made it a little hard to understand what they were saying sometimes, but it was funny, sad and heartwarming all at the same time. Also, the baby bears were the cutest damn things I've ever seen in my life.

Usual Suspects - (Summary from IMDB) A boat has been destroyed, criminals are dead, and the key to this mystery lies with the only survivor and his twisted, convoluted story beginning with five career crooks in a seemingly random police lineup.

I did watch this film, but I'm not sure I could really explain what happened. It was getting pretty late, and there was a lot of skipping between flashbacks and current events, I got kind of confused. I did enjoy it though, and would watch it again, maybe earlier in the day, so I could understand what goes on.

Mystery Film - This is where the night started to go wrong really. Up until this point we were having a really good time watching films, losing quizzes and not winning any prizes in the raffle (I know that sounds bad, but we were having fun!) Then it got to the mystery film. Before the night, we were told what 5 out of the 6 films were, leaving one film as a surprise for the night. I was quite excited to find out what it would be, but the reality was disappointing. The film was This is Spinal Tap. I'd never heard of it, but within 10 minutes I was bored and decided to have a nap. The boyfriend was moaning about how rubbish it was every time I woke up, but for some reason thought it would be a good idea to stay up and watch it anyway. So yeah, mystery film, not so good.

Bourne Legacy - I also slept through this one... I would have watched it if it was on earlier, but it was close to 4 in the morning, and I couldn't keep my eyes open. So I have no idea if this was any good or not.

Jaws - I love Jaws, and I woke up from my two-movie nap specifically so I could watch it. Unfortunately my boyfriend felt ill after too many sugary drinks and nearly 24 hours of being awake on top of the hour and a half drive to get here, so at this point (at 6.30 in the morning!) we decided to call it quits. To be fair, he had watched all five movies up to that point. I watched 3, and slept through 2, so he did more of an all nighter than me!

So that was it. It was kind of weird leaving the cinema in daylight when it was dark when we arrived. It was also weird getting ready for bed at nearly 7am, but we needed the sleep. We did spend the rest of the weekend slobbing around watching Criminal Minds, but I think we deserved the rest!

Being the brilliant photographer I am, I only have one photo of the entire night...

Highlight of the date: Brave was my favourite film of the night I think. Disney for the win!
Lowlight of the date: When I forgot to bring my ticket with me when I went for a toilet break. I think the guy only let me back in because I wasn't wearing any shoes...