As we adjust to life during the pandemic, catching the latest summer blockbuster at the local movie theatre might require some adjustments. That doesn’t mean that movie night is canceled. Below is a just a small sample of Hollywood productions you can stream from the comfort of your home that have a Pomona College connection.
Here are eight Hollywood films in no particular order that Pomona alumni and faculty have had a hand in, from writing, directing, producing or acting. This list just touches the tip of the iceberg of the College’s impact in Hollywood.
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Available to rent or buy Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and YouTube. Available on Hulu with Showtime add-on subscription.
Rated PG: One of the most popular romantic comedies of all time, Sleepless in Seattle stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as a widower and a reporter who fall in love.
Pomona connection: Lynda Obst ’72 is an executive director and David Ward ’67 is a screenwriter.
Lady Bird (2017)
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube.
Rated R: A comedy that revolves around a high school student and her relationship with her mother.
Pomona connection: Allison Jones ’77 is the casting director.
Stomp the Yard (2007)
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and YouTube. Available on Hulu with Showtime add-on subscription.
Rated PG-13: At a historically Black university, DJ falls for a young woman on the first day of college who tutors him. DJ, a dancer, gets involved in a dance competition between two fraternities as a big secret from his past is revealed.
Pomona connection: Directed by Sylvain White ’98.
The Martian (2015)
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and YouTube. Available on Hulu with Live TV subscription.
Rated PG-13: In this science fiction film, Matt Damon stars as an astronaut stranded on Mars.
Pomona connection: Aditya Sood ’97 is a producer.
Zoot Suit (1981)
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and YouTube. Available on Sling TV and Hulu with Starz add-on subscription.
Rated R: Set in a Los Angeles barrio in the early 1940s with the Zoot Suit Riots and World War II serving as the cultural backdrop, the film follows Henry Reyna and other young Chicano men accused of a murder they did not commit.
Pomona connection: Rose Portillo ’75, Pomona College lecturer in theatre and dance, plays the role of Della Barrios.
Motherless Brooklyn (2019)
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu and YouTube.
Rated R: A private detective in 1950s New York sets out to uncover the mystery surrounding the murder of his only friend while uncovering a web of dark secrets.
Pomona connection: The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Jonathan Lethem, the Pomona College Roy Edward Disney ’51 Professor of Creative Writing and Professor of English.
Interstellar (2014)
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and YouTube. Available to stream on Hulu with Live TV subscription.
Rated PG-13: Matthew McConaughey stars in this science fiction film, leading a pioneering expedition into space.
Pomona connection: Lynda Obst ’72 is a producer.
Chinatown (1974)
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and YouTube. Available on Hulu with Starz add-on subscription.
Rated R: Jack Nicholson stars as a private eye in 1930s Los Angeles who is investigating a murder case that becomes more tangled and complicated than he initially thought.
Pomona connection: Robert Towne ’56 won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Chinatown.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017)
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu and YouTube. Available on HBO Now with subscription.
Rated TV-MA: Based on a true story, this television movie stars Oprah Winfrey as Deborah Lacks who is looking for answers about her mother Henrietta Lacks.
Pomona connection: Written and directed by George C. Wolfe ’76.