We are nearing the end of the semester now, and I am sure that every ASU student will tell you the same thing: I am stressed as all hell.
Between final exams, papers and figuring out the upcoming semester, the world seems to be spinning and the days are going by especially quickly.
Furthermore, when we think about today we think about how digitized and secluded our lives have become. We can converse with our friends via text message or the Internet, get most of our holiday shopping done online and watch films from the comfort of our own homes.
Fortunately for us, the film industry has provided us with the perfect remedy for these stresses and societal pressures: Oscar season.
Oscar season is the best time of the year for film buffs like myself. The best of the blockbuster hits and the masterful craft of the premier art films start to hit theaters in anticipation of the awards festivals in January.
With upcoming films like the Coen brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis,” Spike Jonze’s “Her” and Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street,” we are almost guaranteed an amazing cinematic finish to the year.
Already this year has been great with movies like “Twelve Years a Slave.”
It’s times like these that the sanctuary of the movie theater is most valued.
The movie theater provides a space for people of all different backgrounds to come together and experience a piece of art. The shared experience and the communal environment the theater provides are unparalleled in today’s culture. And courtesy of Dan Harkins, the Phoenix area is blessed to have theaters such as Camelview 5 and the Valley Art that show amazing films that go largely unseen by the masses.
The theater, then, is one of the most powerful cultural institutions in the world.
And with great power comes great responsibility.
The movie theater calls for a communal etiquette in order to preserve the experience for fellow viewers. The slightest breaking of the theater’s social contract can tarnish the experience for any viewer.
For instance, recently I saw Steve McQueen’s heart-wrenchingly powerful film, “Twelve Years a Slave.” The film follows the capture of freeman Solomon Northup and his time as a slave.
Never before have I witnessed a piece of cinema that broached as tragic of subject as slavery in such a powerful way. Personally, I see Oscar nominations for the film’s director, lead actor Chiwetel Ejiofor and the picture itself.
Unfortunately, during my viewing, there were three men in the back that were jabbering the entire movie. Their chatter was unrelated to the movie, as I found afterward that they had merely decided to stop into the first movie they could after a few hours of shopping at Tempe Marketplace.
The unnecessary distraction in the background took away from the gravity of a few of the film’s scenes.
With the development of cell phone Internet capabilities and the overall theme of increased connection amongst today’s society, it’s easy for this type of distraction to occur.
Whether it be texting, a Lady Gaga ringtone going off or conversation, the message and beauty of the film is reduced.
Before I go further, I should clarify that I do not wish to limit the expression of the viewer. As someone who laughs, sighs and cries in films frequently, I can empathize with one’s need to have a cathartic moment after a powerful scene.
But the distraction and invasion of the outside world into the sanctuary of the theater is something that should not be done and should not be tolerated by others.
John Stuart Mill, a renowned philosopher on issues of liberty and utilitarianism, came up with the moral utility principle of: liberty, as long as it does not harm others.
This same thought process should be applied to the movie-going experience.
I encourage anyone reading this article to surrender themselves the film — especially this time of year, as some of the most historic and important pieces of cinema are being shown right before your eyes.
Reach the columnist at zjenning@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @humanzane
