Why We Go to the Movies*

I don’t need to mention that I have been stressed. I have been doing a lot of work, but I won’t pretend that I haven’t been spending some time procrastinating; that is to be completely expected. But this is crunch time and I’m working through weekends and being grumpy as a result of that. I need to relax, I need some spontaneous, fun activities and this is why this blog has been written. As students, and as student leaders, we frequently talk about the stress culture at Bryn Mawr, we play about “misery poker” where we trade stories about our hardest classes and  the longest time spent without sleep. But as students we also need reminders that it’s alright – that it’s GOOD – to spend time off campus with friends, having a good time, and maybe watching a movie.

ALTERNATIVE TITLE FOR THIS ARTICLE: Various Reasons Why Blowing Off Work & Seeing a Movie with Friends Is a Good Idea.

This is the shortest and snappiest I could get it to be, which is why it is not this post’s real title.

maxresdefault

thanks bart.

Last night, my friends and I went to see the new Melissa McCarthy movie The Boss. It was a slightly ridiculous movie with lots of antics and gaffes and laughs. I had an excellent time. My friend NM and I were also drawn into the popcorn combo that provided us with two large drinks and a large popcorn and we were almost completely destroyed by it.

Ugh-had-a-bit-too-much-popcorn-penguins-of-madagascar-34470460-400-226

the amount of popcorn we “had” to eat was overwhelming

The popcorn was part of the problem. The drinks that made me leave to use the restroom twice were another issue.

I’m not saying The Boss was a perfect movie. Like I said, if you’re looking for an extensive and well-developed plot, it won’t be here. If you’re looking for a fun movie you can watch while chomping on a ridiculous amount of popcorn and laughing too loud, you’ll be in for a good time. This movie has a great amount of female roles, most certainly passes the Bechdel test, and made me choke on said popcorn (twice!) while watching it. So basically, I was laughing so hard I almost died. How is that for a compliment?

As convenient as it is to have the Bryn Mawr Film Institute so close to the school, most of the movies there are incredibly niche and indie. I’ve seen some great movies there (like a couple of weeks ago, Hello, My Name is Doris). But I am still grateful for the movie theatre in Wayne that provides the mainstream movies that the BMFI doesn’t provide, which is where I went to see The Boss.

And speaking of…

This movie viewing was a few weeks back now, but I saw this movie during a midweek lull. We had been working in a cafe in town almost all day, and so we ended our Bryn Mawr town venture (yeah, it’s a venture when you leave the dining halls) and decided to go to the Bryn Mawr Film Institute for a movie. And I’m glad to say that it was really good choice. Thanks to KV’s parents who recommended that we see it 😂. It’s a movie about growing up, and growing older, and it talks about mental illness and sisterhood and I don’t know, I’ve glad I got to see it with two great people. I think the experience of seeing these movies with people make them half the fun. The things we laugh at, the different jokes we catch, seeing your friend sneak in mango and sticky rice (???) into the theatre and try to eat it in the dark. Such good times.

A movie so good I saw it twice, once while on spring break in New Orleans and another time here at the Wayne cinema. I tried not to oversell it when I saw it the second time, but she liked it so it was all good. Also, my friend and I totally cried when we first saw it, just as fair warning. An animated movie that’s funny and thought-provoking and works for adults and for kids. How great is that? Also, the cast of Zootopia is incredible and Idris Elba is in it and Shakira is a singing Gazelle, so what are we all waiting for?

bunny

this is a bunny stampede, all eager to see Zootopia

 

This blog isn’t supposed to be a review of the movies I’ve seen, because I’m doing a bad job of reviewing it, and I don’t like reviewing things and please see the trailers and/or check the Rotten Tomatoes ratings? But I mostly wanted to write about the therapeutic act of realizing that you have work to do, and that you will get to them, but by setting a goal. I saw a movie last night, so I am currently working in a library today. I finished a reading response earlier, so now I am allowed to write this article. Reward yourself. But please don’t choke on your popcorn.

* – The title of this article is also a title of an article I’ve had to read for several of my film classes. It’s by Hugo Munsterberg and basically means that this title is an inside joke for me and the other film people. This is for YOU, you cheeky bunch!