What do UMBC students do for fun on campus? Especially during the weekend? UMBC’s Student Events Board, (seb), hosts free weekly movies for students to enjoy without ever leaving campus. The best part is that usually these movies are still playing in theaters, or have just been released within the month.
Some of the films shown in the past year were Maleficent, Fantastic Beasts and Girl on the Train. The movies are shown from Thursday to Saturday night starting at 9 p.m. This is partly due to the fact that most people have busy school lives, and after 9 p.m. is the most convenient time for the majority of the population.
This is a great opportunity for students on campus to have fun with friends without spending a dime. Usually there is free popcorn and other snacks provided to munch on during the movie as well. Last week’s movie was Sing, a quirky cartoon produced by Illumination Entertainment.
Sing tells the story of a koala bear who tries to keep his failing theater open by producing an impromptu singing competition with five contestants. Among these contestants are a pig, a mouse, a porcupine, an elephant and a gorilla. Hijinks ensue.
Though this movie is mainly targeted towards kids ranging from ages 5-12, it was fairly popular with the UMBC population. Lecture Hall 1 was crowded for a Friday night, with an estimated 40 people who turned out to watch the movie. That was a particularly good crowd for these movie showings.
Everyone was snacking on popcorn and cotton candy during the screening, and they seemed to be immersed in the film. The movie did not seem to have many dull moments, and there was certainly lots of laughter among the crowd for the whole two hours.
One student, Kidusan Negash, a junior studying biology, commented, “the movie was well-done! The animation style was probably my favorite, and the songs were good as well. Obviously I didn’t expect any major plot twists or anything since this is mostly a children’s film, but I didn’t mind. It’s one of those movies where you don’t have to over-think, and can just sit back and relax.”
Many of the movies shown by (seb) are either action or drama related, so many students felt relieved that this week’s movie was one that people could just relax with after a long school week.
Another student, Preeti Rao, a sophomore studying biology stated, “Sing was decent, but it could have also been better. For the most part, the movie kept my attention, but there were some scenes where I wished it would have moved at a faster pace. I have always loved animated kid’s movies, so I did have high expectations for Sing, so that could also be why I feel this way.”
Whether it’s an animated kids’ movie or an action thriller, these weekly movies help students relax after a long week, and the student response is generally possible.
