I’m surrounded by my favorites, the best place to be. Graphic by Tori Satchwell.
TORI SATCHWELL | MARKETING MANAGER | tsatchwell@butler.edu
Whenever anyone asks, “What are you doing this weekend, Tori?” I always reply, “Going to the movies.” It’s my habit, my ritual, my love. Watching movies makes me feel whole, a necessary reset to ensure I have a good week. Without movies, I just wouldn’t be me.
It doesn’t feel right to say goodbye to The Butler Collegian without mentioning my weird obsession with movies. I started as a member of the now-ancient Business Team, then wrote for the Culture section and now serve as the Collegian’s marketing manager.
However, my favorite accomplishment is helping start Film Fanatics. It started as a way for me to channel my love in a productive way. Now, I feel a sense of pride when watching movies, knowing that I get to help others in formulating their own Letterboxd one-liners.
Film Fanatics is the reason I secured internships, strengthened my writing abilities and found my own sense of community with people who believe Friday nights are best spent at the movies.
To best pay homage to the column that built my future, I want to shout out movies I’ve seen that have made me me.
“Tangled”
When posed with the decision of watching “Megamind” or “Tangled” in theaters, I knew what I had to do. I wanted to watch “Megamind”, of course. Except my little cousin Leona — at the ripe age of five — wanted to watch “Tangled”. Ew, gross. That was a girlie movie, and being the epitome of a tomboy, I didn’t want to associate myself with those kinds of movies.
However, my parents forced me to watch “Tangled”. I kicked, screamed and pleaded, but the decision was final. Within the first five minutes, I was hooked. Wanted criminals and knife play? Count me in. I later went on to watch “Tangled” twice more in theaters and tried to rent it every night from our local Family Video.
“Tangled” sparked my love for movies; it’s the first movie I remember watching in theaters. I can still quote it word for word, and trust, the village score will be played at my wedding.
“The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride”
Not only is Kovu hot, but this movie has had a chokehold on me since childhood. One time, I rented “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” from our local Family Video, and I watched it easily six times in one day on my portable DVD player.
Walmart trip? Watching “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride”. Long car ride? Watching “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride”. Funeral? Weirdly enough, I was watching “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride”. I knew this movie better than I knew my family members. Kovu and Kiara’s forbidden love was the source of ten-year-old me’s entertainment.
While this movie isn’t considered by some to be a cinematic masterpiece, it is in my eyes. “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” introduced me to fanfiction; for the record, please do not look up “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” fanfiction. However, it made me realize I could write whatever I wanted. This movie taught me to love what you love and not feel embarrassed by it.
“X”
For the longest time, I hated horror movies, favoring musicals and comedies over gore and guts. I was honestly just scared. One day, I thought, “Today’s the day. You’re going to watch a horror movie.” I wanted to start with a bang. I drove myself to our local RedBox — the Family Video had been long out of business — and rented “X”.
I made sure to watch it on a random Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. If I were going to have nightmares, it would accompany my afternoon nap, not my beauty rest. I watched it, and I remember not being scared at all. I actually felt the opposite; I felt exhilarated. I wanted more.
Horror is now probably my favorite movie genre, and I will watch any horror movie thrown my way, especially slashers. As silly as it seems, “X” reminded me to get out of my comfort zone. It’s okay to try new things, and I will now watch any genre of film.
Even as this scene of my life ends, I’m excited to see what movies will be released in the coming years. And I guess what comes next. However, the only thing more important than the movies is who you see them with, so thank you to Alexis, Lily, Natalie, Miranda, Reece, John, Jack, Andon, Aidan, Violet, Katie, Caroline, my mom and dad, my grandma and so many others for making my college experience the best.
And with that, I’ll see you at the local AMC Theatres.
