Going to the movie theaters isn’t as popular as when we were kids. It takes a great story or spectacle of a movie to make us flock to the cinemas. Now that we’re in college, our lives are busier than they have ever been, so it’s easy to say going to the movies is not a top priority. But going to the movies is a great, easy escape and Montclair has 3 movie theaters all accessible by train or bus (and on Saturdays, there is one accessible in Clifton by way of the Shopper’s Shuttle!)
As much of an escape that it is, it’s also important to see movies in theaters so Hollywood knows what stories audiences want to see and what stories we’re sick of. If #OscarsSoWhite and the lack of strong female characters are an issue to us, we have to put our money where our mouth is and make an event out of going to the movies. So here are five movies, I’m going to take the time to see!
MOONLIGHT // IN THEATERS NOW
I saw this movie last weekend and to put it simply, it was lovely. Every film major, aspiring cinematographer and storyteller should check out this film. The title “MOONLIGHT” comes from the play In the Moonlight Black Boys Turn Blue . It’s a coming of age story about a black boy in Miami named Chiron and we watch him transform from a boy into man as he discovers how to “perform” masculinity, homosexuality and racial identity. Mahershala Ali (Remy from House of Cards) is Chiron’s mentor, Juan, and he has quite the internal conflict. If I had to describe this movie by using two other coming of age films, I’d say it’s a combination of Boyhood and Good Will Hunting. Boyhood because we all know the imprisoning isolation that adolescence brings and Good Will Hunting because eventually, we all have to deal with that pain that keeps us from living our lives completely.
LOVING // IN THEATERS NOW
I don’t watch a lot of movies that are blatant love stries, but this I will take the time to see. Richard and Mildred Loving got married in 1958 and were jailed in Virginia because their love was illegal. Interracial marriage wasn’t legal until 1967 and even then I am sure a lot of states still didn’t honor the law. How many of us owe our existence to the determination and resiliency of this couple? This movie narrates their fight to the right to love.
LA LA LAND // IN THEATERS DECEMBER 16TH
I love a musical that takes me to another land. The trailer for this movie is magical, ethereal and took me to another dimension. This movie is directed by Damien Chazelle, the writer/director of Whiplash. Starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling (remember how great their chemistry was in Crazy, Stupid Love?!), this movie is the story of a jazz pianist who falls for an aspiring actress. This movie looks like an instant classic with a modern appeal and I look forward to floating through the movie theater while watching this.
MISS SLOANE // IN THEATERS NOVEMBER 25TH
This season at the box office may be attack of the red-haired sirens because Amy Adams has two movies coming out within a month, followed by Emma Stone and Jessica Chastain with one movie each. I became a fan of Jessica Chastain after she proved how crazy she can be in Crimson Peak and how quiet yet powerful she can be in A Most Violent Year. In this thriller, she stars as a lobbyist who is up against gun lobbyists. We know how hard fought battle to mandate gun control in this country is; it’s going to take a large group of people to push for change and stand up to the bullies who use the Second Amendment as their ultimate weapon. I am curious to see what techniques and propaganda she uses to get other iron-fist lobbyists to listen to her and rally with her, not against her. I don’t usually go for political films, but maybe watching all those episodes of House of Cards and Veep has finally changed me.
ARRIVAL // IN THEATERS NOVEMBER 11TH
Now, I’m not the biggest science fiction fan, but ever since I watched Ex Machina, which asked the philosophical difference between having a conscience and being conscious, I have been intrigued. This movie could be entertaining in a similar style as 10 Cloverfield Lane by having me question what is real and what do only the character’s believe is real. This movie, starring Amy Adams as a linguist assigned to figure how aliens invading Earth communicate, may ask similar existential questions. One question raised in the trailer is would an alien invasion unite citizens of Earth or divide them further. I get the feeling this film will be conceptually breathtaking, so much so that people will leave the theater thinking about what they would do during an extraterrestrial invasion. What lengths will Dr. Louise Banks, the protagonist, go to in order to prove she is an expert in her field who is capable of handling and succeeding at this once in a lifetime experience?