Lucas’ House? a Movie House.

By Lucas Cohen-d’Arbeloff

“We come to this place for magic,” she says.

These are the words of Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman. The “place” she refers to is none other than a dim AMC movie theater. I could probably recite this ad from beginning to end if you asked; I’ve watched it time and time again as my fellow audience members chuckle and cheer loudly whenever Nicole appears onscreen in her plush recliner.

However unapologetically cheesy Nicole’s words are, they mostly hold true. Whether AMC Theaters do indeed “make movies better” is up for debate, but seeing films in a movie theater is a unique experience that I’ve come to appreciate more and more over the years. Theaters allow us to embark on watching journeys together, united in a tranquil environment free of the constant phone notifications or doorbells that seem to define movie-watching at home. The only distractions we encounter in movie theaters are generally ones that enhance the experience and heighten the action: I know I speak for everyone else in the theater when I say that “M3GAN” just wouldn’t have been the same without Staff Writer Hannah Shahidi ’25 yelling out “Best movie ever!” in the middle of the gripping climax.

As schoolwork ramped up during parts of junior and senior year, movies became an escape for me, and AMC’s cool and controlled setting became a needed reprieve. Weekend showtimes with friends or family were quickly incorporated into my routine. Latin and calculus study sessions were punctuated by screenings of epic comedies like “Babylon,” thrilling mysteries like “Glass Onion” and classic musicals like “West Side Story.”

Even the worst movies (cough, cough...“TÁR”) provided moments of humor, inspiration or historical knowledge I could grasp onto.

So to my fellow graduating seniors and underclassmen alike: I urge you to set aside time in your busy schedules to visit your local movie theater. It doesn’t have to be AMC — Re gal and Cinemark can still probably provide that indescribable feel ing that Nicole de scribes. You will, in fact, find a place where stories are larger than life, where heartbreak can feel good and where, for just two hours, the only thing that matters is that big silver screen.

The unique makeup of next year’s staff means we have to be more thoughtful about the creation of HW Media, the Communications Department’s plan to unite journalism, yearbook, and broadcast, adding new leadership positions that will help coordinate between the staffs of each. We must ask tough questions and search for answers as opposed to automatically believing the worst (or best) is true. It is critical for The Chronicle to be strategic and thoughtful about how roles are distributed and not fall victim to bureaucratic bloat.

The presentation of HW Media has been unclear, with changing plans and vague descriptions of what things will look like next year, but I personally find it much less threatening than some of my peers do. From my conversations with Chronicle Advisor Billy Montgomery, I understand that the school is moving forward with HW Media to better connect the leaders of various communications arms — not so that one advisor or leader has control over the entire department. The titles of the editors within The Chroni-