By Julia Kelm
Guests began to gather into the Eureka Theater, showing up in their finest tuxedos and lavish furs to enjoy the 97th Oscars ceremony. Although the weather was less than pleasant, they were not deterred by the spectacle that was waiting behind the theater’s doors.
As guests strolled the red carpet into the historical theater, they had their photos taken by a professional photographer. Many of them posed as if they were about to win an Oscar of their own.
People filled the lobby, enjoying various types of hors d’oeuvres served by the Eureka Theater volunteers and ordering drinks from the bar.
Those who purchased a VIP ticket enjoyed a special lounge with a more private bar — in addition, they had access to the stunning vintage apartment fitted with mid-century modern style furniture and celebrity portraits.
The guests were also fed a respectable meal of sandwiches, meatballs, artichoke dip, and chocolate-covered strawberries as they sat down for the Oscars ceremony.
The main event of the night was full of more delights than disappointments, having practically no drama — outside of Adrian Brody’s undeserving win as Best Actor and substanceless five-minute speech.
Conan O’Brian was a fantastic host with plenty of funny bits, and he even called out Karla Sofía Gascón for her problematic tweets in his monologue, who was nominated for best actress for Emilia Pérez (2024).
Anora (2024) surprisingly swept most of the categories, taking home five Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture. Sean Baker, director of Anora, gave an incredible and important speech about the importance of going to your local theaters for movies.
“We’re all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies,” Baker said in his speech. “Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater.”
He went on to emphasize what many of us film buffs know; there is no better place to enjoy a film than at the movie theater, and there is no better place to watch a film than your unique local theater.
“Right now, the theater-going experience is under threat,” Baker said. “Movie theaters, especially independently owned theaters, are struggling…We lost nearly 1,000 screens in the US, and we continue to lose them regularly. If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture.”
This felt so impactful and almost brought me to tears. I was literally sitting in one of those historical independent theaters that are so important to global society and culture and still in desperate need of public support.
If you love movies, go to your local theater, whether it be the Eureka Theater, the Minor, or your hometown Regal or AMC. Theaters are what keep film alive, and the home experience can never quite reach that magical feeling you get when you’re in a room full of strangers sharing the same screen.
Julia is a journalism major at Cal Poly Humboldt. She loves film and is a regular on Letterboxd. To quote Robin Williams in her all-time favorite movie, Dead Poets Society, “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?”
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