With COVID-19 restrictions, the

culture of cinema became displaced and ultimately vanished from American life — until now. With blockbuster movies like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” this past summer, gathering a group of friends or family to enjoy a film in theaters revives an essence of tradition, as movies serve as a relatable invitation to experience a new world.

This contrasting film duo reestablished for many the familiar routine of watching releases in person since the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon quickly shifted into the stimulus necessary to resolve the missing element in the film industry — attendance. Instead of leading the cultural conversation around seeing a movie, it molded a viral campaign centered on experiencing movies again.

However, for senior Arasto Sadeghi, he believed “Oppenheimer” was overhyped as he noticed many struggled to finish the film. His favorite film of 2023 “Killers of the Flower Moon” also held this same issue of length.

“I think just being interested in observing different fictional worlds and non-fictional worlds started my love of movies,” Sadeghi said. “’Killers of the Flower Moon’ is a true story of how the FBI began. Just watching and observing these stories is interesting to me.”

According to freshman Ella Daniel, the sights and sounds, intertw

ined with the atmosphere of a darkened movie theater produce a connective experience that’s strikingly different from that one at home. With the return of film cycles, “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Snakes and Songbirds,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Taylor Swift: The Eras T

our” and “Priscilla” sent all generations back into theaters.

Gallery • 2 Photos

Cody Israel

Popcorn is the most recognized American movie-theater snack. Panis focuses on films like "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Barbie" to showcase the trend cycle of movies.

“My parents introduced me to movies,” Daniel said. “That motivated me t

o watch them on my own and find my own taste.” In March, the 96th Academy Awards will honor the best films of 2023. However, both Sadeghi and Daniel found many nominations disappointing as standout stars failed to receive an opportunity for an award.

“DiCaprio is a very good actor, and for years he’s had trouble winning and being nominated for Oscars,” Sadeghi said. “In this movie [‘Killers of the Flower Moon’], he especially was snubbed, due to being able to display a great deal of emotion throughout the movie in various ways, whether it be small nuances with his head movements, but he did a very good job.”

For Daniel, it was Margot Robbie as “Barbie” due to both her quality of performance and commitment to wearing archived Barbie-inspired looks. Many also applauded fellow Barbie co-star America Ferrera for earning a nomination and opening up more diversity in the field.

“The scene where she and Margot Robbie talk about the pressure to have a perfect body connected with me,” Daniel said. “It proved everyone feels that way and just really hit me.”

Like Daniel, 52% of students believed Margot Robbie was snubbed and 15% found director Greta Gerwig snubbed, according to a survey of 148 students.

“Margot Robbie definitely should have been nominated,” Daniel said. “I loved Barbie and thought she was one of the strongest actors of the year.”

Sadeghi finds movies can offer space away from the repeating demands of everyday life or as a tool to study the craftsmanship of different directors.

Both Daniel and Sadeghi found this form of media to provide a space outside of reality to ignite their imagination and critical thinking skills.

“For ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,’ directed by Martin Scorsese, what makes a good director is someone who’s willing to go into great detail whether it be for any purpose,” Sadeghi said. “I think for myself I like to watch movies to relax and decompress after a long day.”