Summer Movie Nights at USC
By Vanessa Wilkins ‘15
One of the coolest things about going to USC is all of the awesome perks they have for their students, even in the summer! My favorite summer perk is the free movie screenings that the USC School of Cinematic Arts hosts throughout the year.
In the summer, the screenings are part of a series, called Outside the Box [Office], which is an ongoing, often-daily showcase of upcoming international, documentary and independent cinema. The School of Cinematic Arts shows a variety of movies at the Ray Stark Family Theatre inside the George Lucas Building for USC students, staff, alumni, members of the film industry and more, and everything is free! The screenings range from highly anticipated movies that have not yet been released in theaters to classic films that have been around for decades. Recently, my friend Carnissa and I went to a couple of the screenings.
The first film was the new independent film, Boyhood, which is out in theaters now. Boyhood is very unique because the entire movie was shot with the same actors over a 12-year period, so watching the movie was an experience in itself because you actually saw the characters grow up in front of your eyes. The movie is a major success and has already won many awards at multiple film festivals, so the theater was packed when we went to see it at the Ray Stark Theatre.
Luckily, Carnissa and I arrived early enough to get seats, but some people wanted to see it so badly they stood in the designated standing area for the whole two-and-a-half hours! Seeing how many people came out to the screening reminded me of how much access USC has to the movie industry, and made me grateful that I get to enjoy these perks as a student! Boyhood was both interesting and thought provoking, and I am happy that I got to see it before it came out in theaters because of this program.
The second movie that Carnissa and I saw together was A Long Way Down. This movie is actually a British film, but it co-stars Aaron Paul (Jesse from Breaking Bad), who is one of my celebrity crushes, so I had to go see it. A Long Way Down is a comedy about four strangers who become connected when they all attempt to jump off of the same roof on New Years Eve. I’m so glad the School of Cinematic Arts included it in their showcase because I am not sure if I would have ever even heard of the movie otherwise.
USC is always introducing me to new things, whether it is through my classes or through school clubs, and the USC School of Cinematic Arts is no exception. The weekly movies that they showcase expose me to different genres of films and topics that I know little about. I am excited to see what films will be showcased next, and for the rest of the summer! You can be sure I will be there for all of them. Check out the Outside the Box [Office] schedule here: http://cinema.usc.edu/events/event.cfm?id=14273
