Tag Archives: The Lion King

Let’s Go to the Movies: A Review and Cheap Viewing Guide (And more!)

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Let’s Go to the Movies: A Review and Cheap Viewing Guide (And more!)

     When most students are asked if they want to go to the movies, their first thought is about price. In most cases, Community College of Philadelphia students tend to not worry too much about price, but it is still a major factor in their entertainment choices. Well, listen closely, movie lovers! CCP has the solution to your entertainment financial issues! Most students don’t realize it, but in the Winnett Student Life building in room S1-19, they can purchase a variety of tickets at an extremely discounted price. From movie tickets and passes to museums and an Aquarium to SEPTA Monthly Transpasses.

     As we all know, money is a big issue for us students. We have to pay for classes. Then we have to pay for books. A monthly upkeep on transportation, or gas for the lucky few who drive everyday, becomes a major hassle in the financial department. Waiting for loan and grant disbursements just so we can get a bite to eat on-campus every once in a while becomes more stress-inducing than than our classes. But in S1-19, entertainment becomes less of an issue. A student, using their Colonial Card (CCP Student ID), can purchase a transpass for $81 every month. A pass to the Aquarium (Adult and Child) for $18 or $12, respectively. Want to go to the Franklin Institute or Please Touch Museum? $12! How about a trip to the Philadelphia Zoo? Instead of paying an arm and leg at the front gate, we can purchase a ticket at school for only $15.

     When it comes to going to the movies, we all want to see the next big blockbuster film hitting theaters as soon as possible. So why wait for it to show up on DVD or Netflix? At CCP, using our Colonial Card, we can purchase tickets at extremely discounted prices ahead of time. For just $7, a CCP Student can purchase movie tickets for Pearl, Rave, AMC, and Regal Cinemas. If that isn’t a great deal, then I don’t know what is. Additionally, the Student Programming Board hosts free movie nights once a month. In September, they held a screening of the new Godzilla film. Last month, in the spirit of Halloween, they showed Occulus (Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, and Katee Sackoff.) This month, and the focus of the review portion of this article, they are showing Disney’s Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie.


(Potential Spoilers Ahead!)

       Maleficent is Disney’s story about a young fairy who is wronged by mankind and seeks justice. Seriously. It’s as simple as that. Ok, so maybe it isn’t. As anyone who’s anyone knows, Maleficent is the main antagonist of the Sleeping Beauty series. You know, the evil witch who turns into the big, fire-breathing, black and green dragon? Yeah. They made a movie about her, from her point of view. Written by Disney Alum Linda Woolverton (Dennis the Menace, 1986; Beauty and the Beast, 1991; The Lion King, 1994), the story whips around in a fairly linear fashion.

      Full of action and romance, heart and soul, Maleficent spins a magical web of confusion as the story of Sleeping Beauty is told through the eyes of the villain. Who, by the way, isn’t the villain at all. When wronged by the first human she ever comes in contact with, Maleficent directs herself on a warpath of vengeance and justice as she becomes what humans fear the most. She rises to power in the land of the fairies, as the man who betrayed her rises to be king.

     Angelina Jolie’s perfomance as the title character is outstanding and, quite possibly, one of her best roles to date. The emotion she conveys as Maleficent is entrancing as she deals with the physical pain of having her wings removed to the emotional pain of discovering the betrayal at the hands of the man she loved. Elle Fanning as Princess Aurora, however, is fairly bland and viewers may not feel for the character as much as they do Angelina Jolie’s.

     CCP Students can see Maleficent for free on November 21, 2014 in S2-03.

     I hope that these tips will serve you well in your future as a student, and you utilize them to their fullest extent during your two (or more, in some cases) years as a student at CCP. I’ll see you on the 21st!