If there is one thing that everyone knows about me, it is that I am flatout obnoxious when it comes to my love of movies. When the pandemic forced me inside, I retreated to the depths of Netflix and other, less than legal, streaming services to watch as many classic movies as humanly possible. Months later, I emerged from quarantine a completely different viewer of film. My taste… immaculate; my knowledge of film takes up about 70% of my brain power.

When asked her thoughts on my movie opinions, Bri Callow, ‘25 says, “You are a very obnoxious moviegoer who will never give in to the Disney and Marvel capitalists like the rest of us. Enough criticism, enjoy Disney movies.” 

This love of cinema is at the heart of almost every single article I have written for The Carroll News. From movie reviews and Oscar coverage to genre compilations and deep dives, it may feel like the only thing I know how to write about is the movies.  

While it may seem that I have exhausted every possible perspective of the movies, I write this during a very dark time: I have only watched two movies this month (only one if you disregard the second being for my movie-centered internship.) 

In my head, I imagine that everyone reading this inadvertently gasped when they read that last paragraph. Yes. I, Grace Sally Sherban, have only watched two movies this month. 

My version of self care consists of being around friends, sleeping and watching movies. Most of the time when I am in the library with my friends, I sit and watch a movie instead of being proactive on homework and, not often, Carroll News articles. 

I’m not the type of person that needs a lot of alone time but, when I do, the first thing that I do is put on a film. There is nothing more relaxing than laying in bed and scrolling through the Criterion Channel while coffee brews and popcorn heats up in the microwave. 

So why have I entered this movie watching rut? When looking at my calendar for this past week, I noticed a common throughline: I just don’t have time. This semester, I have strategically packed my days with classes, work and extracurriculars because I honestly prefer being “on the move” for the majority of the day as opposed to taking a nap in the middle of the day. 

As I look through my planner, I can say with one hundred percent certainty that I am happy that I haven’t been able to watch a lot of movies because, to me, it means that I have been able to prioritize school and my relationships with others. 

This movie watching rut is a gift in disguise because it means that I have been creating lasting memories with my family and friends that can only take place at this point in my life. Going to Barrio with friends is temporary, meaning “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” can wait until later. 

Not to mention, these two aforementioned movies were both seen in the movie theater with friends by my side. It literally doesn’t get any better: friends and movies just pair up perfectly. Even though I will probably return to watching an exorbitant amount of movies at some point, I am glad that my time has been devoted to other things. In the end, a film can be more meaningful when it is watched in the company of people you care about.