Being a USC student, going out to the movies can be quite the struggle, mainly due to a lack of time and transportation options. However, it is awards season and the biggest ceremony of the year, the 88th Academy Awards (or “Oscars”) are coming up quick, Feb. 28th! I always make it a point to watch some of the nominated films beforehand so that I’m familiar with the contenders. This makes watching the awards more fun! If you need a break from school and you love movies as much as I do, the next two weeks is a great time to catch up on those nominations. The following is a list of the films with the most nominations. I recommend seeing these first to really prepare for the big show.
The Revenant (12 nominations)
Mad Max: Fury Road (10 nominations)
The Martian (7 nominations)
Carol (6 nominations)
Bridge of Spies (6 nominations)
Below are my two favorite spots to watch a movie in Los Angeles.
Regal Cinema LA LIVE
Photo by Eric Richardson on Flickr
This choice is made of convenience, but it’s also a really great place for a movie escape. The Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live is only about an 8 minute drive away. If you don’t have a car, Uber is a great option and relatively cheap. Cheaper yet, there’s a bus and a train that will get you here as well. The F Dash bus will drop you off right in front of L.A. Live, while the Expo Line light rail train station is only about two blocks away. Both modes will pick you up on the edge of campus and get you to the theater in about 15 minutes.
Even though I was born and raised in Los Angeles, I often feel like a stranger in my own city. As funny as this it might sound, I sometimes feel like tourists know more about Los Angeles than me, a native! This city is so large and has so many different sections that it seems like an impossible city to intimately know, especially for someone like me who tends to stick to her own backyard. So when my sister suggested that we go to one of Cinespia’s cemetery screenings, I decided to give it a go!
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Cinespia is an organization that hosts screenings of classic films at the famous Hollywood Forever cemetery. They project old (and some newer) classic movies onto a large wall that is surrounded by a huge grassy lawn for people to lay out and watch the films. Most people bring picnic-style food and drinks to enjoy while watching the movie. My sister and I came prepared with an endless array of snacks and drinks so that we could maximize our experience. We arrived at the cemetery about an hour and a half before the movie began but, understanding the popularity of this summer event, we weren’t surprised to see that a long line had formed and was already spilling out onto Santa Monica Blvd. It was all worth it though once we got to the front and were allowed onto the grounds of Hollywood Forever. The area of the cemetery in which the films are projected is somewhat toward the back of the grounds; you actually have to walk through a portion of the cemetery in order to get to the final destination. Along the walk, I was drawn in and fascinated by all the over-the-top marble tombstones and mausoleums; some had effigies (or drawn likenesses) etched into the stone so that you could see what the deceased looked like when they were alive.
