Sabiya Kathiria Week 14: Movie Nights
Movie Nights
Buttery, slightly burnt, stale popcorn. White and blue throw blankets from Costco. The clock reads 1 am, and my little sister is snuggled up next to me. Of course, a movie is playing on our TV.
This is what a Saturday night looks like to me. It is filled with the genres of horror, chick flicks, romances, action, and raunchy comedies (which are NOT age-appropriate for my twelve-year-old sister). The titles of The Hunger Games, 10 Things I Hate About You, Legally Blonde, Scream, Avengers, and many others shine brightly on the television screen, holding my childhood in their stories.
I always end up rewatching these movies yearly. Like so many others, they hold lessons that you simply cannot learn from anything else. The Hunger Games, for example, shows the blight of dictatorship and economic disparity, drawing parallels with the real world. Legally Blonde taught me that femininity and unapologetic self-expression can be powerful. As a child, I aspired to be like the protagonist—I even set my sights on being a lawyer just like her—but I now aspire to be as self-assured and confident as she is. The Avengers movies taught me the complexities of heroes and villains, demonstrating power in a completely novel way. Scream provided great Halloween costume inspiration (not as important as the others, but still worth a mention lol). But honestly, who cares? Most importantly, these stories were the stories of my childhood, raising me just as those around me did.
Sometimes, my sister is a little less than cooperative in watching these amazing, monumental, life-changing films. Like, she literally cries to our parents, saying I’m forcing her to watch a movie—she would much rather play Roblox than watch Little Women or La La Land. I want to pass down these stories to her in the form of our movie nights so she can learn and adore them just as I do. But, I hope as we grow older and I go to college that these movies will take us back to the nights we spent together on that couch, surrounded by the faint smell of popcorn as a movie played quietly at 1 am.
Hey Sabiya! I love your blog this week because I feel as though I am physically present in the scene you're weaving; I can smell the buttery popcorn and the warm weight of the blankets while watching a movie. I also deeply relate to watching the same set of movies again and again because sometimes they contain lessons or themes that just can't be found anywhere else. You mentioned the Hunger Games, and I can see why because it would be difficult to find another movie/series that could match the unique revolutionary dystopia of the Hunger Games. Similar to how Legally Blonde inspired you, the TV show Gilmore Girls imparted a drive for success because of Paris Geller's unrestricted determination. I also relate viscerally to you trying to convince your sister to watch a specific movie. There are so, so many movies I want to show to my sister so she can appreciate how incredible they are, but she refuses point-blank. Overall, I enjoyed reading your post and look forward to seeing more!
ReplyDeleteHi Sabiya,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I want to say that all the movies you mention in your blog are movies that every girl has to see at least once in their life, so make sure that you get your sister to watch them. I have to say that I was late to the game. I probably only watched those movies during the COVID-19 pandemic, when I was around 12-13 years old, and I believe that is probably the best time to watch these movies, at least ones like Legally Blonde and The Hunger Games. This is because when you are at that age, you can really start to understand the feelings and emotions expressed by characters such as Elle Woods who feel the need to prove themselves to society, but in the process find their own identity, which is what all middle school aged girls are doing too. The phrase is that it takes a village to raise a child. But I believe it takes more than a village. When we grow up we get surrounded by all these movies and television shows that also play a huge part in our upbringing and the expansion of our perspectives.
Hey Sabiya! I agree with your sentiment that movies give us a lot of memories and even influence us in many more ways than we think. Considering that movies shoot an outsider's perspectives, it can provide us with ways to improve ourselves or even learn from the mistakes that can relate to a certain character. Just like you talked about liking "Legally Blonde," I do have to admit that it's one of my favorite movies too. Just the exposure and lesson of women being able to be capable of anything and everything helped brush up my stance on women's roles while also spreading awareness of it to others as well. Even though it may not be for all (like your sister), movies from one's childhood play a crucial part in dictating future interests and behaviors. Overall, such a great topic! I believe Caleb talked about something similar with movies holding significant power and I think the entertainment industry generally has so much to offer in which we are unconsciously affected. Super cool stuff; keep it up!
ReplyDeleteHi Sabiya! Movie nights have always been a big deal in my family, and I loved that someone chose to focus their blog on it! I love how almost every movie as some type of message at the end. I loved how so many of the movies you focused on with so interconnected with today's version of girlhood. Thank you so much for sharing!
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