Alex Conte
Staff Writer
On the evening of September 5, the Merrimack Office of Student Involvement hosted its third movie night of the fall 2020 semester. In the spotlight was the hit 2018 movie A Star is Born featuring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. The movie is about two musicians who meet each other and eventually go on tour together. Bradley Cooper’s character, Jackson Maine, is a popular country singer but Lady Gaga’s character gets more famous over time.
The event was held at the spacious Duane Stadium on the east side of campus. Students gathered on the turf with their friends in small groups, staying socially distant. Even though social distancing rules were in effect, students were still able to do this fun activity.
“It was well organized,” said freshman Gabby Heroux. “I like that they put the screen in the middle of the end zone rather than at the side of the field. It was way easier to see and I felt like it was easier to to find a place and sit and be able to see everything.”
There was also popcorn and water for students to enjoy, giving it the feel of a true movie night. The Office of Student Involvement does a great job putting together events for students even during a global pandemic. They take into consideration what students like to do but at the same time they prioritize everyone’s safety.
About 30-40 students made the trek down to the field on Saturday night. Even though most students headed home for the weekend, there was still something fun to do for the students still on campus. And on top of that, the movie received its fair share of criticism.
“Overall it was pretty good,” said Heroux. “I had never seen it before. The soundtrack is amazing though.”
A Star is Born was nominated for 24 awards, winning three of them. They won best original song at the Academy Awards, best original music from the 2019 British Academy of Film and television Arts, and best original song at the 2019 Golden Globes. The song taking home these trophies? Shallow, of course.
The ballad owned a top spot on the Billboard top 100 songs at #1, and was on the chart for 45 weeks straight. It was also ranked #8 on another Billboard list specific to Lady Gaga as one of her best songs even though it was a duet with Bradley Cooper.
The fourth movie night will be held on Saturday, September 12, at 8:00 p.m. at Duane Stadium. The movie being shown has not been announced yet.
Other events coming up that are hosted by the Merrimack Office of Student Involvement include Merrimack trivia, free throw shootout, craft Tuesdays, and Wellness Wednesdays.
