Cinema Treasures

Free Movie Mondays at OCPAC kick off July 13

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:45:57 GMT

COSTA MESA, CA -- The Orange County Performing Arts Center�s Free for All series continues this summer with its immensely popular free Movie Mondays on the community plaza. July 13 � "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" �with media sponsor KCRW 89.9 July 20 - "Annie" July 27 - "Footloose" August 3 - "Mamma Mia!"

Joplin Fox still going

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:40:48 GMT

JOPLIN, MO -- Locals remember past days of glory for their local movie palaces, especially the Fox Theatre.

Several other movie theaters from that era still exist throughout the area today. Ongoing renovation projects at some of those have been undertaken to restore them to their former glory. But in the 1930s, there was no place bigger or better in Joplin to go see a movie than the Fox Theatre. It took 300 men working simultaneously and $500,000 to build the Fox in seven months, said Joplin Mayor Gary Shaw.

Read the full story in the Joplin Globe.

WANTED: Looking for a bronze or brass early 20th c. theatre poster marquee

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:30:36 GMT

I need a marquee for a client similar to the one pictured here. Any help would be appreciated!! Please contact me at markmen@yahoo.com Example of a similar marquee (sorry about the poor lighting in the pictures)...I need one like this (cut and paste in browser): www.geocities.com/markmen/serra-1548.jpg www.geocities.com/markmen/serra-1547.jpg Thank you!

Regency Cinema demolished

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:45:58 GMT

RACINE, WI -- Demolition began on Monday, July 6th, 2009 of the Regency Value Cinemas.

The movie screen had been torn down, the seats were empty and the ruins were real -- the handiwork of a yellow Caterpillar 235C there on Monday to begin demolishing the theater at 5230 Durand Ave., which closed in mid-April. Azarian Wrecking is in charge of the demolition, and is expected to be there until the end of next week. Randy Jansen, 44, looked on with a camera around his neck. "If I'd have known the seats were in there I'd have said "I'll buy a row,"' said Jansen, there to take pictures for his wife Melissa, who worked at the theater for 15 years.

Read the full story in the Journal Times.

Cinema Orange film series at the Orange County Museum of Art

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:45:15 GMT

NEWPORT BEACH, CA -- Celebrating its fifth year, the Cinema Orange film series spotlights the cinematic works of independent filmmakers from around the world. Co-presented by the Orange County Museum of Art and the Newport Beach Film Festival, this season�s films explore art, architecture and design. July 30 � "Art & Copy" directed by Doug Prey August 27 � "Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight" directed by Wendy Keys September 24 � "Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman" directed by Eric Bricker October 29 � "Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner" directed by Murray Grigor

Happy 20th anniversary, Batman!!!

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:35:00 GMT

On June 23, 1989, Warner Bros released Tim Burton's version of one of the most famous comic book characters in American history, Batman. I was about six when it first came out, so I was too young to see it before it came out on video. The movie broke box office records and made money for the director, who would go on to direct a sequel that was as good as the first one.

July 8 Appear to support the Boyd Theatre

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:15:48 GMT

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- At this sidewalk gathering tomorrow, show support for the restoration and reopening of the Boyd Theatre, hear a short report by Friends of the Boyd president Howard B. Haas on the status of Philadelphia's sole surviving premiere movie palace, and "meet and greet" Theatre Historical Society of America (THSA) members in Philadelphia. THSA is the only organization in the U.S. which exclusively records, preserves and celebrates the rich architectural, cultural and social history of America's theatres. The prestigious organization selected Philadelphia for their annual pilgrimage to historic theaters. FREE event, no registration needed. 4:15 PM on the sidewalk in front of the Boyd Theatre, 1908 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. (Thanks to Friends of the Boyd for providing the photo.)

State Theatre up for sale

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:54:48 GMT

SOUTH BEND, IN -- The Blackstone/State Theatre is on the bidding block! Listed on the National Historic Registry in 1985, the theater has had an interesting past, hosting presidents, celebrities and more throughout its 88-year history. To learn more about this historic theatre, visit www.PublicEnemies.us or call 1-800-876-5503 and register to bid. The auction runs July 16th-30th, 2009. Blackstone-State Theater National Historic Register Building #85001204 Address: 212 S. Michigan, South Bend Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event Architect, builder, or engineer: Harry Newhouse Architectural Style: Classical Revival Period of Significance: 1900-1924

The 400 Theater is back

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 14:41:14 GMT

CHICAGO, IL -- The Rogers Park institution last known as the Village North reopened as the 400 Theater.

That old movie theater staple of North Sheridan Road and the Loyola area -- renamed for years the Village North before closing in January -- reopened Wednesday night as the New 400 Theater. It's still configured with its four subdivided auditoriums, but administrator Jennifer Chan said a $700,000 renovation added some (though not all) new seats, new carpeting, new screens, new audio-visual equipment, new curtains, a new concessions area and -- this is a biggie for patrons of the theater's previous incarnation -- a new air-conditioning/heating system.

Smaller theaters struggle to keep pace in recession

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:50:09 GMT

CHAPEL HILL,NC -- With the closing of the smaller independently operated and owned art house cinemas recently, this may not be a unique case among art houses and independent movie theatres across the country. With the case of the now closed Varsity Theatre in Downtown Chapel Hill, other independently owned and operated moviehouses such as the Chelsea Theatre (a three screen cinema located off Weaver Dairy Road in North Chapel Hill), and the Carolina Theatre (located in Downtown Durham), and the owned and operated theatres in the area such as the Galaxy Cinemas in Cary, the Colony Theatres in Raleigh, and the Rialto Theatre in Raleigh, theaters that showcase independent and foreign films have faced a lot of difficulty recently. Read more in the Daily Tarheel.

The Wollaston Theater has been sold

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:45:25 GMT

QUINCY, MA -- A nonprofit organization is trying to save the Wollaston Theater. The 83-year-old theater has been closed since 2003 and is in need of major repairs.

The single-screen movie theater, known to locals as "The Wolly," has been closed since 2003, and is in need of major repairs. Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch requested that Street-Works purchase the aging building so it could be preserved, according to the mayor�s office. Koch said the deal will give some time for a nonprofit organization to raise money and secure grants to restore the theater.

Here's the full story in The Boston Globe.

Local moviegoer's views on movies

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:36:17 GMT

In this article from Baristanet, a local NJ moviegoer has posted 10-minute reviews of movies he's seen at local North Jersey cinemas.

Since Vinnie Travisano is a local movie critic, we thought it was relevant to ask where he likes to watch the pictures. "I've been going to the Garden State Plaza lately," he said "Best screens and the best sound and the best seats." Otherwise, it's either Clifton Commons or Essex Green. What about the Clairidge? "It's everything a movie experience shouldn't be," he said, complaining of inadequate leg room and a screen size just slightly bigger than his home TV. "I saw 'Milk' there and it was literally on a 45 degree angle. That theater is atrocious. So is the Bellevue."

Read the link here...

Preservationists win partial victory in battle to save Metro Theater

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:45:10 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- According to this article, the developer who wants to repurpose the Metro Theater on Union Street has agreed to preserve at least some of the historic interior:

The deadlock between historic preservationists and developers who want to renovate the old Metro movie theater on Union Street loosened Monday when both sides agreed to compromise. The Board of Supervisors Land Use and Economic Development Committee supported landmark status for the exterior of the 1924 theater, and the developer extended a commitment to preserve some of the historic features inside, including a series of Heinsbergen murals, Ionic columns, grills and urns on the stage.

Read the full story in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Laie Theater reopening as Palms Cinemas

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:40:33 GMT

LAIE, HI -- A much loved local cinema is reopening as the Palms Cinemas under new ownership.

The Laie community and BYUH students have shown great enthusiasm about the reopening of the Laie movie theater. Since the theater closed in early 2008, Don and Alicen Nielsen, who recently moved to Laie from the Central Coast of California, have decided to reopen the theater as an independent theater called Laie Palms Cinemas. The Nielsens arrived for the Fall 2008 semester. Alicen was accepted to BYUH to complete her IDS degree in Art and Anthropology. Don had been looking for a job. Despite his previous experience in finance business and having worked at a bank in California, he was not successful in finding a job. Alicen saw a letter from a community member posted on campus that said that if the community had known Laie Cinemas was going to go out of business they would have gladly paid more. Alicen felt like something should be done and talked with her husband about starting a family business. Alicen believed they were lucky and blessed with the timing of everything.

Read the full story in Ke Alaka'i.

Favoring the ticket kiosk

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:34:19 GMT

Christopher Campbell blogs about his love for the simple ticket kiosks and how they're still overlooked often.

Expect long lines at your local box office this week thanks to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Public Enemies, and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. But remember you can always avoid the long line at the ticket booth by buying your tickets at a ticket kiosk instead. No, you don't have to have already purchased your tickets online. As long as you have a debit or credit card, you can just walk up to a kiosk and get your tickets easily and quickly. Plus, you avoid at least one impolite theater employee. Certainly this isn't a new concept, and you're probably reading this and wanting to comment with something like, "how is this news?" But I find it surprising how many times I go to the theater and see people lined up down the block while the kiosks inside sit mostly unused. The lack of traffic to these ticket machines may have something to do with the fact that they're so quick -- those who use them are probably already in the theater, because it only took them a few seconds to get their movie ticket.

Read the full post at the Weekly Moviegoer.

Remembering Cinerama (Part 34: Nanuet/Rockland County)

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:55:50 GMT

REMEMBERING CINERAMA Part 34: Nanuet/Rockland County The following is Part Thirty-Four in a series of retrospectives on Cinerama, the legendary motion picture process that kicked off the widescreen revolution. The series focuses on providing a market-by-market historical record of when and where Cinerama and its multi-panel clones were exhibited. The easy-to-reference articles serve to provide nostalgia to those who experienced the Cinerama presentations when they were new and to highlight the movie palaces in which the memorable events took place. Part 1: New York City Part 2: Chicago Part 3: San Francisco Part 4: Houston Part 5: Washington, DC Part 6: Los Angeles Part 7: Atlanta Part 8: San Diego Part 9: Dallas Part 10: Oklahoma City Part 11: Syracuse Part 12: Toronto Part 13: Columbus Part 14: Montreal Part 15: Northern New Jersey Part 16: Charlotte Part 17: Vancouver Part 18: Salt Lake City Part 19: Boston Part 20: Philadelphia Part 21: Fresno Part 22: Detroit Part 23: Minneapolis Part 24: Albuquerque Part 25: El Paso Part 26: Des Moines Part 27: Miami Part 28: Orange County Part 29: Pittsburgh Part 30: Baltimore Part 31: Long Island Part 32: Kansas City Part 33: Milwaukee And now... Part 34: Cinerama Presentations in Nanuet/Rockland County, New York!

Laserium takes over Hollywood's Vine Theatre

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:40:59 GMT

HOLLYWOOD, CA -- The movies have ended at the 1937 theater originally known as the Admiral, later the Vine. Yet there are several screens set up in the theater just off the world-famous corner of Hollywood & Vine. Laserium, which enjoyed a nearly 30-year run at the Griffith Observatory, has taken over the Hollywood movie house, which for years had played second-run double features to audiences that often numbered in the single digits. Will Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and Led Zep set to lasers be enough to lure a serious tourist crowd and not just nostalgic L.A. stoners? I wrote about the rebirth of Laserium, and the theater's unusual adaptive reuse, in this L.A. Times story.

Walk into the Vine Theatre's auditorium and you may be shocked at how much it still looks like the second-run movie house it was until late 2007. About 200 seats were removed to make way for a stage area and control panels in the rear -- but the 424 that remain are the same funky orange seats that moviegoers of a few years ago will recall. They don't recline like the Observatory's chairs, but they don't need to: Producers insist the days of chiropractor-friendly neck-craning have come to an end, because all the action is at panoramic eye level. Each show starts with animations projected on the former movie screen, then expands the action to three semi-transparent scrims closer to the audience, two additional screens on the side walls, mirrors, and -- new to the Laserium experience, surprisingly enough -- real mid-air effects. "We weren't allowed to put haze in the planetarium to light up laser beams," explains Dryer, "so we really couldn't do beam effects very well there, which always frustrated us"

Read the full post at the Los Angeles Times.

Varsity Theatre closes its doors forever

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:35:16 GMT

CHAPEL HILL,NC -- After initially reporting the possibility, as of Friday, June 26,2009....the only movie theatre located in Downtown Chapel Hill, the Varsity Theatre, closed its doors forever.

The Varsity, whose theater marquee is the icon of Franklin Street, is closing according to its owner Bruce Stone. Despite rumors and blogs that said the theater was going to close, it wasn't official until Stone made the announcement on Thursday, June 25, 2009. The theater has been in business for 80 years and it is considered to be a Chapel Hill landmark serving not only the residents and patrons, but also serving the entire communities of Orange County, including nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The last two picture shows that played at the Varsity were "The Hangover", and "The Brothers Bloom".

More on this at the Herald Sun(reg rqr'd).

Classic Film Theaters in New Jersey and New York?

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:49:01 GMT

It seems that showing "classic" films in theaters today can often be a hit-or-miss project. I've attended classic film programs at the great Loews Jersey, the Lafayette, Suffern, New York, Film Forum and the Cedar Lane Cinema in Teaneck, NJ....... are there any other venues in the New Jersey/New York area that show classic and independent films on a regular basis?

Morningside Theatre info

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:45:33 GMT

NEW YORK, NY -- The following is a request for a new member, Marya Pollack, looking for information regarding the Morningside Theatre, once run by her family: My great-grandmother ran it from about 1908-1915 and I believe other family members before her. I have a copy of the theatre license but can you help me track down any paperwork they might have filed? My great aunt used to play the piano for the movies there. I have some pictures of actors but I don't know if they were part of this theatre. For over a decade all I had was Amalia Steinberg's calling card with a fragment of the theatre name. The license gives the exact address 2135-8 8th Ave as well as another theatre at 1217 Prospect Ave. I'd love to find out who actually filled out the request for the license as there are no first names on it. Amalia's maiden name was Weissman (Wiseman, Weisman) and she married a Bernard Steinberg, who ran several restaurants but she is listed in the NYC Directory as "theatre owner" after he died in 1908. Much of the two families were reportedly in theatre and early film in Manhattan and "amusements" in Coney Island, but it has been a huge struggle to find anything out. Another relative, Samuel Weisman is listed as working at "Philum's Motion Picture Studio." Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

How to cope with sensory integration at the movie theater for your special need kids

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:42:14 GMT

This article discusses issues that may arise from taking a special needs child to the movies.

Do your children with special needs enjoy going to the movies? It is often a somewhat traumatic experience, yet the joys of modern day entertainment on the big screen are enough to entice you kids into the theater. Here are common reasons a child will have trouble in a modern day movie theater. Sound levels - With the new digital sound offered in many theaters, the film's noise level is worthy of a good pair of ear plugs for even those of who hear normally. But, for someone with super sensitive hearing, that noise level is enough to hurt them or drive them insane in a really short amount of time.

Read the full story in the Examiner.

Drive-in in danger of closing

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:45:57 GMT

GLEN DALE, WV -- The Glen Dale Drive-in might close due to poor business.

The Glendale Drive-In Theater, located in Marshall County, is in jeopardy of closing unless more movie goers start showing up, 7 News learned. The owners say they're doing all they can to keep the drive-in open. Friday night they're bringing in a live band to begin at 7p.m. and play up until the movie starts and then the band will begin performing again during the intermission between the two movies.

Read the full story in the State Journal.

RealD achieves 100% growth worldwide

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:45:32 GMT

More and more theaters are equipping themselves for RealD as the company makes huge gains.

RealD announced today that it has doubled its installation base of RealD 3D equipped cinema screens worldwide and notched 400% growth in Europe in the first half of 2009. Far and away the world's largest 3D cinema platform, RealD's network of theatres is expanding at a breathtaking clip, nearly doubling the number of 3D cinema installations of all other 3D providers combined. The RealD 3D platform now accounts for over 8,700 screens under contract and over 3,200 screens installed in more than 45 countries with over 200 exhibition partners.

Cinemark makes deal with T.I.

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:40:22 GMT

Trying to keep up with Sony, Texas Instruments announces a deal with Cinemark along with mentioning they will be rolling out 4K projectors next year.

Current leader Texas Instruments has revealed that during 2010 it aims to incorporate 4K resolution as part of its next-gen projection technology platform, which will be offered in projectors from its licensees Barco, Christie Digital and NEC. Meanwhile, Barco inked a significant deal with Cinemark to deploy the developing 4K technology exclusively on all Cinemark screens.

Rialto Theater for sale

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:50:15 GMT

KENEDY, TX -- The Rialto Theater is for sale. Selling for what we have invested, $10,000. We need to sell it to help family with medical issues. It needs a complete rehab. The beginnings of rehab were started. The marque glass was removed and replaced with plastic. Some of the original pink tinted marque glass and holders are inside the building. The interior has been gutted including walls. There is a balcony but the floor was stripped out and the boards are scattered in several areas. There was water damage due to a leak along the length of the building. A temporary patch was placed to prevent further damage. There are no seats in this theater. There is some kind of speaker box on the stage. In the projector room are 3 carbon rod projectors and a power unit. Don't know if it works. On the walls are a couple of murals made of cloth.