I don’t know about you all, but I love movies and I miss going to the movies. While I understand the need to social distance and that going to movie theaters just is not a good idea right now, I still miss getting excited for a new movie and chatting about it with others! That’s why I was pumped when I learned about online movie clubs! My friend invited me to join her movie club that meets via Zoom. They started before the pandemic, but since COVID-19 happened, they have been meeting more regularly. The way it works is that one person shows a movie on their computer and shares their screen via Zoom. Other people in the Zoom meeting are able to see the movie and everyone is able to chat about the movie in the chat box during the movie so that there is a real-time conversation.
I do not like watching movies on my laptop. So, we got an HDMI cable and connected my laptop to my TV to allow the image to go onto the television. We can watch the movie on the TV and it makes the experience even better! Then, when the movie is over, everyone can turn on their cameras if they want to, and we can all chat about the movie and what we thought about it. It’s not exactly the same as going to the movies, but it’s really nice to have this sense of community and have a new, COVID-19-friendly movie watching option. The group that my friend invited me to be a part of has people from all over New York State in it so I have been able to meet a ton of new people, all while staying inside my home!
I also love this option because the group votes on what movies to watch together. This is great for me, because when I am alone, I can never decide what to watch. I just scroll through Netflix and there are so many options that I often give up before I ever actually decide on anything. With the group voting on movies, we always actually end up watching something, and many times we watch movies that I would have never picked myself but I end up really enjoying. It’s a cool way to expose myself to new and different things.
If joining an online movie club sounds like a bit too much for you, you can try putting together a Netflix watch party with a few of your friends. This does not require Zoom. This just requires that you and your friends all have a Netflix account and you can download the tools you need online by googling “Netflix watch party.” It allows you all to watch the same movie at the same time and chat with each other about the movie.
Give it a try! While we’re all still trying to stay distant to stop the spread of COVID-19, we can still find ways to get together to watch movies!
About Stephanie Woodward: Stephanie is a brand ambassador for Quantum Rehab® and works as a disability rights activist. She has received many awards for helping communities become more accessible, as well as for her actions in fighting for the rights of disabled individuals as it relates to Medicaid and other support services. Click here to learn more about Stephanie.