Spring Break
Students delight in bad films
Kip Mooney
Issue date: 10/30/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE
Late Friday nights, darkness and laughter fill the Clark Hall TV room, the only light coming from the television screen.
But the residents are not watching a comedy. Every Friday, they watch some of the worst films ever made.
"It's an idea that I came up with at the beginning of this academic year," said Joel Morales, a radio, television and film junior and Clark Hall resident assistant. "It's just something that I like to do and put on in order to get residents to hang out and relax."
Morales developed this unofficial program to keep students on campus over the weekend.
"We are a big commuter school, and one of the big difficulties about that is a lot of people leave on the weekends, and when you don't have a lot of people on weekends, it's hard to build up community that way," he said.
The concept started when Morales attended high school in San Antonio.
"My friends and I were really into video game movies," he said. "It started off with 'Mortal Kombat II,' and we started watching it, and it was hilarious."
Fittingly, Morales chose the same film to inaugurate the series at NT.
"There aren't any rules to Bad Movie Friday," Morales said, "but three general guidelines are: The movie can't have received any sort of recognition - no Oscars or anything like that. If it is a movie based on a video game, it is guaranteed to be on the list for Bad Movie Friday. And, the more serious and awesome a film strives to be, generally the more hilarious it'll be."
Morales said 10 to 15 residents show up each night, and the participation keeps them coming back.
"It was really just an easy idea to create community in the dorm," he said. "It's an interactive thing, too. People like to participate and give me ideas for what they think we should watch."
The participation and community keep photography freshman Ashley Smith coming back.
"I go because it's a good way to socialize," Smith said. "You get to discuss movies and see old movies you haven't seen before, like stuff from the '80s and early '90s."
Morales said he does not plan out the screenings more than a week in advance, but no week has stumped him yet, and the list continually grows.
Morales said that sometimes, the worst movies tend to be ones cherished in younger years.
"It's funny 'cause it's movies that you watched when you're little, and you were like, 'These are really cool,'" he said. "And they are absolutely abysmal. It's so disgusting to watch, but you can't take your eyes off it because it's almost beautiful in its own way."
While Morales admits that "film geeks" would enjoy the program, he said it remains an event for all.
Bad Movie Fridays play at 10 p.m. Fridays in the Clark TV Room.
But the residents are not watching a comedy. Every Friday, they watch some of the worst films ever made.
"It's an idea that I came up with at the beginning of this academic year," said Joel Morales, a radio, television and film junior and Clark Hall resident assistant. "It's just something that I like to do and put on in order to get residents to hang out and relax."
Morales developed this unofficial program to keep students on campus over the weekend.
"We are a big commuter school, and one of the big difficulties about that is a lot of people leave on the weekends, and when you don't have a lot of people on weekends, it's hard to build up community that way," he said.
The concept started when Morales attended high school in San Antonio.
"My friends and I were really into video game movies," he said. "It started off with 'Mortal Kombat II,' and we started watching it, and it was hilarious."
Fittingly, Morales chose the same film to inaugurate the series at NT.
"There aren't any rules to Bad Movie Friday," Morales said, "but three general guidelines are: The movie can't have received any sort of recognition - no Oscars or anything like that. If it is a movie based on a video game, it is guaranteed to be on the list for Bad Movie Friday. And, the more serious and awesome a film strives to be, generally the more hilarious it'll be."
Morales said 10 to 15 residents show up each night, and the participation keeps them coming back.
"It was really just an easy idea to create community in the dorm," he said. "It's an interactive thing, too. People like to participate and give me ideas for what they think we should watch."
The participation and community keep photography freshman Ashley Smith coming back.
"I go because it's a good way to socialize," Smith said. "You get to discuss movies and see old movies you haven't seen before, like stuff from the '80s and early '90s."
Morales said he does not plan out the screenings more than a week in advance, but no week has stumped him yet, and the list continually grows.
Morales said that sometimes, the worst movies tend to be ones cherished in younger years.
"It's funny 'cause it's movies that you watched when you're little, and you were like, 'These are really cool,'" he said. "And they are absolutely abysmal. It's so disgusting to watch, but you can't take your eyes off it because it's almost beautiful in its own way."
While Morales admits that "film geeks" would enjoy the program, he said it remains an event for all.
Bad Movie Fridays play at 10 p.m. Fridays in the Clark TV Room.
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