For movie buffs, watching the Oscars each year offers a chance to reflect on the previous year in cinema. What were the best films? Who delivered the most potent performances? And how does one’s personal taste compare to that of industry insiders?
The only thing better than watching the Academy Awards, then, might be watching the them in the company of similarly opinionated film fans.
Greater Columbus moviegoers have several opportunities to do just that this Oscar weekend. Four area movie theaters — the Drexel Theatre, the Gateway Film Center, Grandview Theater and Drafthouse and Studio 35 Cinema and Drafthouse — will be hosting watch parties during which audiences can soak in the Oscars on big screens on Sunday.
“Whether you’ve seen none of the nominated films or you are the type of person who has tried to see all of them, if you love the pageantry of the Oscars, if you love seeing these artists and storytellers rewarded and if you like to learn about films that you haven’t seen yet … it’s just a great chance to mingle with other film lovers,” said Chris Hamel, president and CEO of the Gateway Film Center. “This is not the year to watch the Oscars from home.”
What to expect at the Drexel
The Drexel Theatre, 2254 E. Main St., will begin its free watch party at 7 p.m. Registration is required for the event; Drexel members can munch on free popcorn and enjoy discounts on concession stand purchases.
Over the course of the evening, attendees can compare notes on the 10 films nominated for Best Picture: “Belfast,” “CODA,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Drive My Car,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story.”
Since the Drexel has shown all but two of the Best Picture nominees, theater director Jeremy Henthorn has a good sense of patrons’ favorites from the past year.
“Most people who saw ‘West Side Story’ loved ‘West Side Story,’” said Henthorn, adding that director Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” — a black-and-white drama set during “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland — snuck up on audiences.
“(Audiences) wanted to see it, they weren’t sure what they were going to see and they came out loving the movie,” Henthorn said.
