I love movies, especially action movies. Gimme a good action movie -- Star Wars, Die Hard, The Matrix, any of dozens of others -- and I'll walk out of the theatre with the soundtrack playing in my head and with my shoulders squared and with all the cool confidence of the hero, striding confidently towards whatever awaits him.

Then I'll catch a glimpse of my reflection in a window and the music comes to a needle-dragging halt and my gut ballons out over my belt and my hairline receeds an inch or two and suddenly I'm an awkward geek again.

But, man, those few minutes are well worth eight bucks.