As Trinity’s newest batch of students begin their first year, they will be bombarded with countless new opportunities and experiences that will fill them with happiness and joy. This class will also be faced with the unfortunate reality that they, at one time or another, will have a couple hours of unfilled leisure time on their hands, or a day where everyone is busy and they have nothing to do or they just have no drive whatsoever to remove their body from their bed. In these instances, they can then take advantage of the countless entertainment options that the 21st century and Trinity offer.
Trinity has blessed its students with free HBO, which is quite possibly the greatest source of excellent TV and movies ever made. This is made possible by the subscription that all students have to Philo. HBO is like Netflix Mach 11, with more blood, F-bombs and dragons. The sign-up process is very simple and takes less than two minutes, from which students can choose from “Game of Thrones,” “True Detective,” “The Newsroom,” “John Oliver,” “Westworld“ and “The Wire.” Each of these shows are timeless, fascinating and well worth the many hours of content they have to offer. HBO also has tons of movies that cycle each month. While some are garbage and not even worth watching, others are Oscar winners and eternal classics. Here is a top-five list of some of the best movies HBO has to offer right now:
1: “The Dark Knight”: The second installment in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” trilogy. Lead by Heath Ledger’s stunning performance and featuring a haunting soundtrack, it’s a movie well worth its two hour plus runtime.
2: “The Big Lebowski”: A Coen brothers masterpiece about The Dude and his adventures. Creative, quirky and funny, it’s a great comedy and a well-made film.
3: “The English Patient”: A large and sweeping epic, its cinematography and stellar performances place the film in the highest levels of regard.
4: “9”: A CGI adventure about life, death and survival. An oldie, but a goldie nonetheless.
5: “The Brothers Bloom”: A lesser-known film, but one with a fantastic cast and a gripping ending. A suspenseful drama that grips the viewer from beginning to end.
If HBO isn’t floating the boat, then Netflix (if you have it) also holds a treasure trove of shows and movies. Here is a top five of some great shows to either rewatch or discover:
1: “Parks and Recreation”: A funny and light comedy drama with Amy Poehler as the forever peppy and lovable Leslie Knope, director of parks and recreation of Pawnee, Indiana. She and her team of miscellaneous misfits can eat up hours and hours of time.
2: “Friends”: A classic, 10-season-long comedy about six friends who live in New York City and the fun and crazy lives they live.
3: “Stranger Things”: If you haven’t seen this, don’t go to class until you have. It’s worth it.
4: “Friday Night Lights”: With the permanently handsome and manly Kyle Chandler as Coach Taylor, this show is easy to be sucked into and hard not to adore.
5: “House of Cards”: Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright’s chemistry and raw acting ability make this show a must for bingeing this fall.
Additionally, Benjamin Stevens, visiting assistant professor of classical studies, hosts a movie night for his course, Afterlives of Antiquity, on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Richardson Communications Center room 311. He provides expert insight into amazing movies and sometimes brings free snacks. It’s a great way to meet fellow movie buffs and get that group movie experience without having to spend eight thousand dollars on movie tickets.
There are also concerts by multiple musical groups across campus, art shows spaced throughout the year and guest speakers every two weeks or so. The university really does provide many options for everyone to take a break from the constant deluge of homework and, for a couple hours, enjoy art, music and film.
College can be stressful and exhausting and everyone needs some time to relax. This time is precious and shouldn’t be polluted by “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and “Fast and Furious 8″. With HBO, Netflix and Benjamin Stevens’ Thursday movie nights, quality entertainment is right at everyone’s fingertips.
