T-Mobile Have The Five Things To Make Your Film Night Zing For Just £5

By Simon Gallagher / June 25, 2011

Sounds impressive doesnt it? And a pretty bold claim by T-Mobile and promotional partners Blockbuster.

But with the new promotion, the pair are offering movie and gaming fans the fairly impressive opportunity to rent one film and one game (or two movies), as well as buying three items of snacky goodness to enjoy at the same time for two nights for only five pounds. For full details of the offer, follow this link to the T-Mobile site.

So anyway, we thought we would test the theory. Later this week- Friday the 4th of June to be precise- I will be staging my own T-Mobile inspired movie and game night (though in a slightly rule-bending development Ill be watching two films and playing a game, just to try out all possible combinations). But what should we rent?

Well now, there are certain rules for a movie/gaming night: rules that must be followed if you want to channel the unbridled awesomeness that is a successful entertainment gathering.:

Firstly you need a theme. After throwing out zombies and Westerns (too many girls in my group of friends), I settled on something a little more universally friendly. Next you need everyone to get fully behind the theme, which means they have to sacrifice part of themselves to the cause- my favourite part to make them sacrifice (and by far the most entertaining) is their dignity, so I'm calling for fancy dress. And it's mandatory. Guests have to be finally chosen (I favour a fight to the death scenario) from a wider group- best way is to imagine your ideal movie night companions (for me Mark Kermode, Stephen Fry, Simon Pegg, Kevin Smith and Ebert) and then choose the people who match them best from your group of friends and family. Chances are they will be very tenuous similarities, but at least you tried. Food's a must obviously- I personally dont think you can beat the usual cinema snacks as an accompaniment, and dont really care for the movie nights when someone goes to the extra effort of cooking- just give me a vaguely dangerous looking hotdog and popcorn with a bucket of E-Number heavy fizzy pop every time. Finally, the DVD choices come in: something to match the theme without compromising the need for good old fashioned entertainment. The choices have to take into account the needs of all of the group, cant be too engrossing to limit conversation (otherwise you might as well watch it alone) nor too incidental to encourage distractions.

So, with all of that in mind, time to announce my plans. The theme, the metaphorical glue to hold the whole occasion together will be the 80s, that wonderfully tacky decade of decadence and bad fashion, big mobile phones and back combed hair. Everyone will obviously have to come along dressed up as their favourite 80s character or stereotype, so Im expecting dayglo and legwarmers all round.

Film wise, I had toyed with the idea of American Psycho, but I fear that would be a step too far and may create entirely the wrong kind of atmosphere. Plus, I made a decision to rule out any film made outside of the decade that either imagined the 80s as a future (1984) or created a retrospective (Hot Tub Time Machine, American Psycho) to avoid cliches. And then it dawned on me- the films from the 80s that have had the most lasting effect on me have been the John Hughes duo of Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club (as well as unofficial third in the trilogy St Elmos' Fire), they offered me the stereotyped characters I would come to base all of my phases on, and they gave me an achievable philosophy for life.

So, it is The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles that I will be screening to my gaggle of 80s-clobbered friends. But what about a game?

The 80s theme offers limited choices, unless I went for a game actually released in the 80s on an old console, but that sort of defeats the point of having to be able to get it on the TMobile/Blockbusters promo deal-so XBox360 it is, with Rock Band ACDC, Guitar Hero Van Halen offering the most realistic options, aside from perhaps GTA: Vice City. But wait, what's that coming up onthe rails? Why, of course- Lips: I Love the 80s. Karaoke style games offer the added entertainment of watching your friends (possibly inebriated) try earnestly to hit the high notes of Erasure's "A Little Respect", so what could be better.

All set. Look out for a follow-up post, with embarrassing pictures no doubt, after the event. And until then, why not plan your own movie and games night with T-Mobile and Blockbuster's 5 for £5 Night In promotion? Text NIGHT IN to 3000 to get your voucher code.