If you thought your movie preparation consisted of trying to figure out which movie to see, which can be tough enough considering how many of you there are and trying to satisfy all tastes, you would be wrong. No movie is complete without the snack. Snack choices range from the simple to the complex and can go well beyond the standard choice of popcorn. Beyond that, there are a lot of factors to consider when choosing the right snack to plunk down the cash for before making your way down the long hallway to the darkened theater.

I don't know about you, but I love movie theater popcorn. There is nothing quite like the salty crunch of a fresh bag of popcorn at the local cineplex. Sure, you have to take out a loan to pay for it all, but you cannot tell me it isn't worth it. Still, as much as I enjoy that salty snack, there is no denying my sweet tooth, or my enjoyment of certain chocolate-based goodies. There is also the time when all that is needed is a tin of your favorite brand of mint. After selecting the snack, there is generally a requirement for a beverage, and there are choices there as well.

I have always wondered if there was a formula that could be applied to help select the perfect snack, but there is nothing scientific about it. There are many factors to consider, and after I weigh everything out in my head and make a decision, I have found, on occasion, I will change my mind at just the moment I get to the counter. Essentially, I have thrown out all of the careful consideration I had just gone through.

Okay, let's take a look at the factors that can affect the snack selection process. There is no order of importance; these can be weighed in any order, or you may find something else to factor in, or you may pick and choose which ones apply to any given cineplex journey.

• What did you have for lunch, if anything?
• How long is the movie?
• What is the proximity of the theater to the bathroom?
• What is predominant today? Salty crunch, or a sweet tooth?
• Are you planning a meal afterwards?
• What type of movie is it?
• Have you partaken in any movie-type snacks recently that you don't want again so soon?

All of this, and more, can affect which snacks you choose. For example, I have found that movies such as Ghost Rider almost always require the intake of popcorn, while a comedy like, say, Clerks II would be more suited to a sweet candy like Skittles. As a general rule, the longer the movie, the more I tend towards candy over popcorn.

When I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, the choice was Peanut M&M's, a candy that satisfies the need to crunch, but can also last a decent amount of time, depending on your personal eating style. Big dramatic films can go either way, so it generally comes down to length, the longer ones get the candy, while the shorter ones get the popcorn.