Over the past two months, several incredible movies have been released. On Christmas day, people flocked to the theaters to see “Marty Supreme,” a movie about a professional table tennis player, starring Timothée Chalamet. After months of advertising with “Marty Supreme” jackets and an orange blimp, audiences were highly anticipating this movie.

While several movies have been released recently, some viewers prefer to wait until they’re available on streaming services to watch them, rather than going to the theaters. However, going to the theaters is extremely important for both viewers and the industry, especially with the recent sale of the American film studio, Warner Bros., to the massive streaming platform, Netflix. As a result, more and more people choose to wait to watch at home.

Scott McLaughlin, the Art of Film teacher at Huntington Beach High School (HBHS), said, “It’s hard not to think it’s like one more nail in the coffin for theaters, because Netflix has almost zero interest in the theatrical experience…those guys at Netflix, as much as they have a great business model, are not artist-friendly. They just care about content.”

Not only can going to the theaters relieve stress, but it can also connect people in local communities. Watching movies in theaters offers an intellectually stimulating escape that can help reduce everyday stress. People can even experience cathartic emotions while watching together, fostering emotional connections.

Moreover, a majority of box office sales are distributed to studios, enabling them to continue producing extraordinary films. Box office sales also benefit the theaters, keeping them alive while supporting the local community’s economy. To those who think there aren’t any good movies in theaters right now, here are just a few that have recently been released. 

This film focuses on a young Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), building a career as a professional table tennis player, while facing challenges like financial struggles and relationship issues. The film began as a classic underdog sports movie, but quickly spiraled into chaos. Marty goes to great lengths to finance his trip to Japan for the World Table Tennis Championships, leaving his morals behind in the process. In doing so, he must make sacrifices that contribute to the central theme that great sacrifices are necessary to achieve greatness.

Lyra Piccinino, HBHS junior and movie-lover, said, “The story is so intriguing, past the point of ping pong, because it is a story of determination and [having] genuine love for something.”

Chalamet delivers an incredible performance that separates the actor from the character. With some A-list actors, it can be difficult to see the movie character apart from their public image, but Chalamet’s execution is so great that viewers just see Marty on the screen, not Chalamet.

“I definitely believe that Timothée has the potential and is already showing that he can be one of the greats. He’s rather young and has already been in countless beloved films; he’s shown that he grasps what acting is and not in a superficial way,” said Piccinino.

The beautiful title card of “Wicked: For Good” lights up a crowded theater. (Alicia Katter)

After the release of “Wicked” on Nov. 22, 2024, the world waited a whole year for part 2, and it didn’t disappoint. In fact, several scenes throughout the film brought viewers to tears. The deep chemistry between lead actresses Ariana Grande (Glinda) and Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba) was evident on screen. In addition to their chemistry, their unbelievably beautiful voices blessed audiences’ ears. 

McLaughlin recalled the most emotional parts of the film, and seemed to prove that the music stood out the most.  He said, “Anytime [Erivo and Grande] would sing together.”

Boq was another notable performance in the movie, played by Ethan Slater. Slater is a prime example of why casting theatrical actors is so important. His acting made Boq frightening, contrary to the lovable, awkward character the audience was introduced to in part one. Many fans worried about the delivery of the iconic line, “I have a score to settle with Elph-, with the witch!”

Christopher Fitzgerald, who originally held the role of Boq on Broadway, had an incredibly intense delivery in the original stage production. Slater’s version definitely measures up and helps show how much talent he possesses. 

As good as this film was, the two additional songs (not original to the Broadway score), “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble,” slowed down the movie’s pace and seemed unnecessary. Although the songs were good, many feel they were not placed in the movie correctly.

Another light-hearted film that covers deep topics is “Eternity,” starring Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller and Callum Turner. Going into this movie, people expected it to be a cute rom-com and while it was indeed cute, some viewers walked out in tears. 

When Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) dies, she finds her husband, Larry (Miles Teller), in the afterlife, who died a week earlier. However, she also finds her first husband, Luke (Callum Turner), who died in the Korean War, and has waited 67 years to spend eternity with her. As Joan ventures through different eternities in order to decide which husband she wants to spend the afterlife with, she discovers what love really is. Throughout her journey, the audience is left questioning the meaning of life and the memories along the way. 

“I left this movie with a feeling of true love being depicted, a feeling of giddiness. The way love was illustrated in this film was really beautiful and realistic. The idea that real love is not this perfect ‘what if’ but something that actually makes you work and fight for it,” said Piccinino.

Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is once again solving a murder, but this time, he is tasked with solving an impossible crime that carries a hint of religious mystique. The narrator of the film is Father Jud (Josh O’Connor), a priest with a violent past who assists Blanc with his detective work. O’Connor brought great charisma to his character and demonstrated fun chemistry with Craig. Both characters try to solve the mystery of who murdered Monsignor Wicks (Josh Brolin), a corrupt man who preached to a small circle of Catholics, all of whom are suspects. Additionally, the film explores the corruption of the church versus genuine faith and the goodness that accompanies it.

Piccinino said, “To be honest, this one has to be the best [‘Knives Out’ films] I have seen yet. The twist was again incredible, and I remember thinking, ‘Who comes up with these?’ because it was so well done. The representation of the Church was also really well done, showing the corruption of the Church with Monsignor, but also the beauty and love that the Church can provide with Father Jud.”

With this film being the third installment in the “Knives Out” series, many would expect it to be repetitive. However, viewers are kept on the edge of their seats throughout the whole movie, and even at the end, the film throws a twist at the audience that no one suspects. While it is a bit obvious who the killer is, many people think the fun part of these movies is finding out how the murder was done, and this film does a great job at revealing it.

“My favorite part of these films, by far, has to be not exactly the reveal of the complex mystery, but instead the mystery itself completely laid out. It’s sort of that moment after the entire plot has been discovered, where you are sitting with these checkers and this new information that I really love about these films, and it’s what makes them so very good,” Piccinino said.

Keanu Reeves charmed the audience once again in this fun, lighthearted film. He plays an angel named Gabriel who is assigned to help Arj (Aziz Ansari), a poor man in Los Angeles trying to earn a living. Gabriel switches Arj’s life with Jeff’s (Seth Rogen), a billionaire living a lavish lifestyle.

Although this is a goofy movie, it addresses issues of class difference and the struggles faced by individuals from low and middle-class backgrounds. Along with this, the movie critiques the problematic use of AI to take over jobs that used to belong to humans. Overall, this film effectively addresses social issues while maintaining a comedic tone.

Going to the movies can help de-escalate stress from finals week. Here are a few movies that are currently in theaters or coming out soon: “Is This Thing On,” “The Moment,” “Dracula,” “Scream Seven” and “Wuthering Heights.”