HANNA CHU
Assistant A&E Editor
The “Movie in the Park” program is back on the big screen this semester in Alumni Park every Saturday night.
Student Programming Board officials said the movie program is better than ever.
The SPB event features the latest pre-released movies not yet available on DVD.
“A pre-release is a film that has already been released in theaters but has not been released to the public in home video format,” said Jonathan Patty, a senior telecommunications major and the SPB media and technology coordinator.
“The movie in the park has been a Pepperdine tradition for many years,” Patty said.
Movie in the Park offers students an inexpensive way to spend the night out in Malibu that won’t break the college student’s bank — the screenings are always free.
Last year, senior Kevin Granich took a date to the park.
“I’ve never been to a drive-in movie theater, and I wanted to do something like it,” Granich said.
Granich said he is going again to Saturday’s movie.
“I liked hanging out, so I’ll probably get a bunch of guys to go, or another date for round two,” he said.
Movie in the Park has also been a memorable Pepperdine event for senior Stephanie Nordstrom.
“I remember watching ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ last year on a foggy night at Alumni Park,” Nordstrom said. “We all dressed up as pirates and the Swashbuckler Society gave out free eye patches, and I wore it for the whole movie” she said.
The Student Programming Board played “Pirates of the Caribbean” again during NSO this year and had more than 600 of the 900 students on campus stay for the movie, Patty said.
“The average turnout is about 450 students,” he added.
With so many students attending Movie in the Park events, many said it is a great place to meet friends and socialize.
Freshman Emma Wnuk said the Movie at the Park during NSO was a great opportunity for her to socialize.
“It reminded me of something we would do at home in Navado, Calif.,” Wnuk said. “It reminded me of a big sleepover because you can bring blankets and pillows.”
Many cities have an outdoor variation of Movie in the Park, so the event serves as a reminder of home for many students.
Junior Tom Hulse said Movie in the Park reminded him of an event held in his hometown of Chicago.
“They have the same thing, but it’s in the middle of the city,” Hulse said. “I thought it’d be cool to check it out.”
Junior Ramzi Azar said the Movie in the Park reminds him of the classic movie screenings held in Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
“It’s really packed,” Azar said. “It’s a fun night out, and it’s cheap.”
In addition to affordability, being outdoors while watching movies gives college-age pranksters the chance to goof off.
Junior Seth Yonker said he and his friends had a great time at Movie in the Park, although they didn’t pay too much attention to the movie.
“My friend fell asleep,” Yonker said. “You don’t fall asleep or you’ll get messed with.”
Yonker and his friends covered his sleeping friend in grass ripped from the field.
“When he woke up, he was very angry,” Yonker said. “He started chasing us, and the movie ended, so we left.”
Another benefit of watching a movie outdoors is that “you can do somersaults in between interesting parts in the movie,” said sophomore Russell Sheets.
“I like it because you’re not all cramped up in the dark, and the ocean is right there,” Sheets said. “Plus, it doesn’t stink like a movie theater.”
Movie in the Park has become a favorite pastime for many Pepperdine students. Hulse said he advises students to get there early for good seats. Hulse said he once went to Alumni Park early to get a good spot and lay out a big blanket, but, as it got crowded, “some people wanted to get too close.”
Hulse said he and his and friend solved their predicament by “blocking them off with our shoes.”
“We just put a shoe barrier around our blanket,” he said.
Weather is another factor to consider when planning a visit to a Movie in the Park event.
“Typically weather is not so much of an issue,” Patty said. “Sometimes the wind can be a bit problematic. On an average day, the ocean breeze blowing up Alumni Park is about 65 percent of what the screen can take.”
But with the recent beautiful weather in Malibu, Saturday’s screening of
“War of the Worlds” in Alumni Park at 8 p.m. looks to be a successful kick-off for the first Movie in the Park of the school year.
09-29-2005
