The Joy of Going to the Movies
I'd say I'm a regular movie-goer now.
Happy October! I woke up thinking about how it’s the beginning of my favorite month and also the birthday of my late grandmother. Her name was Santos.
In the past year or so, I’ve made going to the movies a monthly ritual. I’ve always loved movies — but for some reason, I always found myself being the person that says No, I’ve never seen that! Let me add it to my list! How were people finding all this time to watch all these movies?!
I’m still nowhere caught up on the list of must-watch movies that lives in my head. But I’ve made significant progress. That’s because last year, I lived next to Nitehawk Cinema. I didn’t know that living near a movie theater was what I needed. It’s as if something unlocked inside of me. Going to the movies became one of my small pleasures. This time last year, I was putting on my trench coat, walking down two blocks of crunchy orange leaves, and sitting down at whatever spooky movie was playing at Nitehawk. I watched The Haunting, Seconds, and so many more. Regular movies were my new leisure activity.
When I reflect on movies, my most-watched movies growing up were Cinderella, a bootlegged VHS of Ratatouille, Scooby Doo: The Movie, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Tumblr introduced me to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and 500 Days of Summer. And in college, I took advantage of the free movie screenings and watched The Rocky Horror Picture Movie and whatever my film major friends would recommend. I also have memories of watching dubbed movies like Jaws and Anaconda on Telemundo as a kid. And Twilight movies, of course. As I grew up and talked to people about movies, I realized I had a ton to catch up on.
My idea of a perfect Friday night now consists of watching a movie. The Metrograph Labor Day Sale got me and now I’m a proud member. I also now have a Mubi membership. The free trial got me. Next on my list: becoming a Film Forum member. They always have the best documentaries — and I love whenever I get to have a West Village evening.
Watching a movie always felt like a big commitment to me. And it is! Slowly, but surely, I’ll get through the movies I’ve had saved for years, both old and new. I’d also really like to thank Delta for letting me see movies like When Harry Met Sally, Thirteen Going on Thirty, and You’ve Got Mail for the first time on my long plane rides. <3
Movies I’ve Loved Lately
Okay, these are actually just all the movies I watched these last couple of months. I loved them all! Beautiful stories with beautiful visuals.
L’Avventura (1960) — A stunning, summery, B&W movie set in Italy. Love, friendships, mystery. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear it referenced in an Emily in Paris episode in this recent season. Is this what it feels like to watch movies and know references?
La Belle Noiseuse (1991) — Four! Hours! Long! But this French movie is so worth it, especially if you love art, the creative process, and the pursuit of creating a masterpiece. It also has incredible interior design inspo. I’m still thinking about the colors in this movie. Speaking of, it’s going to be playing at The Metrograph later this month!
La Cienega (2001) — This Argentinian film felt hot and sticky and chaotic. It explored family dynamics and identity and left me in shock.
Boyhood (2014) — I finally watched this and I did cry almost the whole time. The fact that it was set in Texas felt so near and dear to my heart. It made me reflect so much on the passage of time. And it really did live up to the hype that I’ve heard over the years.
The Substance (2024) — You’ve probably seen this everywhere and I highly recommend it. Perfect body horror and disturbing and fascinating all at once. I also saw Coralie Fargeat’s short film Reality+ (2014) the other day, and I highly recommend watching it after you watch The Substance.
Small Pleasures Lately
Warm pastries on a chilly morning: I went to L’Appartament 4F during their Sézane popup with a friend and was reminded of how great their croissants are
Having friends over for dinner: I made sungold tomato pasta with probably the last of this season’s sungolds
Light jacket weather: My latest Depop find is this London Fog trench coat
Visiting Ronnybrook Farm last week: The most wholesome day and I came back home with maple milk and butter for DAYS (and cow poop on my jeans)
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This inspires me to really commit to watching all the films I have saved all over. Something about committing to opening ~3ish hours just watching something feels like a guilty pleasure (capitalism perhaps). But this post also makes it feel urgent to watch and enjoy.
This is inspiring me to get more into films! Also, when harry met sally and you've got mail are some of my all time favs - and it's their season!