Tia Chong Kee, 22 years old, is the founder and president of Movie Club that started in Spring 2018 in which around 30 people are currently signed up. There are no dues to joining the club, to join the club simply stop by one of their meetings. The next meeting will be on Tuesday.
During these meetings, located in Lama 116 every second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 3 to 4:30 p.m., they watch movies and critique, discuss plots, and even comment on recent advances of computer-generated imagery (also known as CGI). Kee said that the club is open to those that love stories, regardless of the platform. The members even take the time to watch television series when members suggest certain ones or discuss how books or comics differ from their screen counterpart.
“I just wanted to make a club that people could meet and enjoy themselves in and watching movies is fun,” Kee said.
While the club doesn’t bring in books and comics for you to sample, you can bring in DVDs to watch if you want to enjoy a particular one. Members, typically eight to 10 people show up for each meeting, can also sign into their Netflix account to watch shows. Kee also tries to show trailers of movies that will be coming out soon so that the members are up to date on the latest screenplays.
Due to school rules, the Movie Club cannot announce what kind of movie will be shown and can only show movies rated G through PG-13, though it still shows movies of all genres. Club meetings are typically an hour and a half so it has stuck to watching shows that fit within that timeframe or split it up between two meetings. Members are free to come and go as they please during the meeting times. Kee is also working to have guest speakers for the club, from animators to writers, but there are concerns of if students would show up to the events and Kee is trying to team up with other clubs to make her goal a reality.
The Movie Club is also collecting donations for the non-profit Waikīkī Health Center’s PATH Clinic until Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14. The PATH, or Providing Access to Healthcare, Clinic is a place where women’s health services are provided. The club is accepting anything like gently used clothes, housewares, feminine products, and toys. You can drop off donations during any of their meetings.