Reeling theaters

CORONAVIRUS AND THE SILVER SCREEN T HE WHIFF OF STALE So while it may seem like six-feet social The culprit certainly wasn’t lackluspopcorn and $6 Coca-Colas, distancing is responsible for threatening a ter movies. 2017’s lineup included “Spithe sensation of spine-kickfatal blow to an otherwise healthy industry, der-Man: Homecoming,” “Wonder Woming and immersive surround in reality, the industry has been on a downan” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and chatter — uncherished experiences turned fond memories of a lost era. In our current uncertain commercial crossroads, one historic business looks poised to go under: your local movie theater.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, cinemas across the U.S. have been forced to shut ward trend for decades.

“There are fewer and fewer reasons to go to the theater nowadays, regardless of the whole corona situation,” Palo Alto High “ There are fewer and fewer reasons to go to the theater nowadays." — ADAM HASHMI, junior 2019 was a landmark year for film — including the movies “Joker,” “Parasite,” and “Avengers: Endgame.”

It is hard to imagine a world withpeople are going to the movies overall. Accal moviegoing, 2019 was a year without out the silver screen, cording to Statista.com, precedent in regards to the caliber of digespecially with box ofIt is hard to imagine the number of tickets ital features. Netflix received the most fice records being broken left and right. In a world without the sold in North America has been in steady Oscar nominations of any company (24) for films like directorial legend Martin 2019, “Joker” became silver screen. decline. An average Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and emerging the highest-grossing 18 million fewer ticktalent Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story”. R-rated film and “Avengers: Endgame” ets have been sold each year since 2002 “Why pay so much to go to the theater nearly doubled the previous record for — a marked decline of nearly 2% per when the newest, best films can be seen on-dethe highest-grossing opening weekyear. And the two lowest-selling years of mand, right in our homes?” Hashmi said. end — 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War.” the last two decades? 2017 and 2019. Along with taking away crucial talent from the traditional movie industry, through which theaters earn their cut of the distribution, streaming services can provide much cheaper options — $6 per month for thousands of films as opposed to $10 for one viewing. But that’s not to say movie tickets were always this expensive.

For the year their doors. In an attempt to stay afloat, School senior Adam Hashmi said. “Corona2019, specifically, the culprit is clear: Netflix. many theaters have turned to selling curbvirus might just be an unexpected catalyst.” While the National Association of side popcorn to-go, mirroring the struggles To start, even though a few blockTheater Owners has insisted the rise of of shuttered restaurants across the nation. busters are killing it at the theaters, fewer streaming only stimulates more theatri

According to The Numbers, ticket prices today are 109% higher than they were in 1995 — far outpacing inflation. Furthermore, the theatrical TEMPORARILY CLOSED — From outside its padlocked doors, downtown Palo Alto's Aquarius Theatre is a somber window — the perisight. With only one auditorium, the cozy theater is best known for showing independent and foreign flicks. od of time between

a movie’s release in theaters and when it is made available for home viewing or streaming — has decreased from five to six months in 1980 to three months as of 2019.

The skyrocketing price of tickets coupled with the shrinking theatrical window has made audiences more hesitant towards paying a premium for the big screen and more patient to wait to watch their films at home.

“I waited a few months to see ‘Little Women’ on Amazon,” Hashmi said. “It cost just a fraction of a movie ticket and I even popped my own one-dollar popcorn.”

Verde's movie picks

With self-quarantine upon us, Verde decided to offer some movie suggestions — streamable ones, for obvious reasons — that are available on Netflix.

To start, a classic: Sergio Leone’s 1966 spaghetti western, “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” This fable stars Clint Eastwood as ‘The Good,’ Lee Van Cleef as ‘The Bad’ and Eli Wallach as ‘The Ugly.’ It’s easy to chalk up each character to their on-screen monikers, but, as human morality often is, the truth is much more complex.

Next, we suggest Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver.” This 1976 neo-noir psychological thriller presents the viewer with the rare opportunity to experience life through the eyes of a lonely, hubristic man who has yet to find any meaning in his life. Travis Bickle, brilliantly played by Robert De Niro, serves as our existentialist vessel in exploring the gritty, grimy streets of New York City.

“There Will Be Blood” is a 2007 historical drama directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. In one of his best performances to date, Daniel Day-Lewis plays Daniel Plainview, a ruthless and ambitious oil prospector. Set during the 20th-century oil boom, the film follows Plainview as his lust for success drives him towards self-destruction, culminating in one of the deepest gut-punch endings in cinematic history.

“Her” is a 2013 science-fiction romantic drama directed by Spike Jonze. Left heartbroken after his marriage ends, Theodore, played by Joaquin Phoenix, becomes fascinated with a new operating

AN EMPTY PALACE — Designed and built in the 1920s as a movie palace styled in neoclassical Persian and Moorish architecture, Downtown Palo Alto's Stanford Theater is an iconic Palo Alto landmark. It is best known for showing silent films and black-and-white classics from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

system which reportedly develops a personality. At its core, “Her” is a love story — one that depicts the blossom and decay of a relationship not between two people, but between a person and a program.

The highly stylized 2017 slice-of-life drama, “The Florida Project,” directed by Sean Baker, stars William Dafoe and an astonishing child cast fronted by the then 7-year-old Brooklyn Prince. This tender and authentic tale of American children living in poverty glistens with youthful joy, as the camera never strays far from the childrens’ cherubic point of view. But like the vast majority of moving and enduring stories, “The Florida Project” slowly and painfully reveals itself to be a tragedy — a tragedy coated with the pastel-pink veneer of Disney World magic. v