By Victoria White
Staff Writer
At 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 9, he Magic Lantern Film Society of Cameron University hosted a movie night in the Shepler Ballroom. Those in attendance watched the 1997 movie “Good Will Hunting,” starring and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
English professor and faculty advisor Dr. John Morris was impressed with the event’s attendance. “It was better than the biggest turnout we had last year,” Morris said.
“I found out two people from Wichita Falls came for it.”
Magic Lantern puts on screenings approximately once per month, ranging from September of the fall semester to April of the spring semester each year.
This was the first of their series this year, and the second will be the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke,” which will be shown on Friday, September 30.
Morris and Magic Lantern strive to find movies to appeal to different audiences. “We try to show movies of different genres, different eras,” Morris said.
Cameron student and Upward Bound advisor Shiloh Coates has been attending the events since high
school, and they are looking forward to the upcoming lineup for this year.“I know ‘Cool Hand Luke’ is coming – I love that movie,” Coates said. “I will be coming for ‘Psycho,’ most definitely.” “Psycho” will be Magic Lantern’s showing for Halloween, on Friday, October 28.
Prior to the movie’s start, Morris spoke about the movie’s background and drew raffle tickets to present two randomly selected audience members with gift cards.
This is a regular occurrence for each showing, with no purchase necessary.
Concessions were also offered at no cost to the audience, with donations being encouraged but not
required. Popcorn, drinks, candy, and cookies were all available at the concessions stand.
Morris and Magic Lantern do this to provide students, faculty, alumni, and the general public a comfortable and non-costly movie watching experience.
“Seeing movies with an audience is different from watching them on your TV or streaming,” Morris said.
“We like to think we’re one of the best bargains around.”
A brief summary of “Good Will Hunting”: Will Hunting (Matt Damon) is a janitor working at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.).
He is more than happy to spend his days with his friends getting into fights, and he tries not to
take life too seriously.
When an M.I.T. professor challenges his students to solve a complex proof and it is solved seemingly overnight, Will is thrust into a world with which he is unfamiliar and uncomfortable. With the help of Dr. Sean Maguire (Robin Williams), Will must examine who he is and whether or not the life of an academic is part of his path.
For more information on upcoming showings, check out the Magic Lantern posters displayed throughout
campus or the website: https://www.cameron.edu/magiclantern.
