After realizing that none of the movies I loved this year would get any love, I knew my heart wasn’t all the way in when we finally arrived at the Oscars 2025. Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot would both (and did) lose to a movie about a cat, and Wicked’s praise was likely going to come with the second part, hopefully. With that, I watched because I love awards shows and Conan was hosting. That being said, I’m glad I did because in the end, I walked away with a new appreciation for Sean Baker, the writer and director of Anora, the 5x Oscar-winning film.
The first time I saw a trailer for Anora was at the little independent theater down the street from my house in Columbus, Ohio. Shout out to The Drexel Theatre. I was worried when we moved away from Los Angeles that seeing movies like Anora in theaters would not be a possibility. LA has smaller theaters, and being a bigger city it is never skipped for limited releases. We missed out on a lot of movies in Virginia, but Columbus came through with The Drexel. I only mention this theater as a way to say thank you to Sean Baker for his speech about the beauty and necessity of the movie-going experience.
Movies were made to be watched on a big screen, and I understand if going to the theater is an expense that one cannot afford. That’s why I’d first like to say that we need more affordable theaters; nights families can take advantage of, discount nights for students, etc. Theaters need to work alongside studios to ensure that going to the movies will not break the bank because as it stands, it’s not a cheap experience.
Price aside, movies at the theater just hit differently. As Sean Baker said after winning Best Picture at the 97th Academy Awards, it’s a communal experience. For example, another Oscar-winner, Get Out just celebrated its eighth anniversary, and with that came a lot of people sharing memories. Many of those memories revolved around seeing the Jordan Peele movie in a group setting. It’s times like that that make the movie that much more memorable. Plus, you can’t sit on your phone the entire time you’re in the theater.
The first movie theater I ever went to, the one I spent my entire childhood falling in love with every release of the Disney Renaissance and Spice World, was small. Three screens was all it had and still has. A bigger theater was built not too far down the road, but during COVID when that theater was having issues – I broke into my piggy bank because it’s one thing to fall in love with movies at an AMC, it’s another to have that itty bitty spot that feels nostalgic, even in the moment. While you should go to theaters of any size, and support the movie-going experience, if you have a chance to support a small guy that’s local to you, please do.
With that, Sean Baker…I’ve not seen your work. I’m sorry I’ll have to stream Anora, but I promise the next time you’re in theaters, I will be at The Drexel in Bexley, OH with my popcorn in hand.
Crushgasm 