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July 13, 2009
Jackson memorial brings crowd to local theaters
Movie theaters around the world last week provided public viewing of the Michael Jackson memorial service.
They were miles from Staples Center, but those who filled the seats at the Krikorian Theatre in Monrovia acted as if they too were at Michael Jackson’s memorial.
Watching the live screening while munching on popcorn and sipping on soda, audience members laughed at Smokey Robinson’s joke-filled tribute, sniffled through Brooke Shield’s emotional eulogy, cheered during the Rev. Al Sharpton’s speech, and clapped along to the performance of “We Are the World.”
But for the most part, the crowd of more than 150 was somber, quietly taking in the star-studded performances. While the attire was casual — flip-flops, jeans, T-shirts and shorts — people treated the screening as the memorial.
Read more at the Los Angeles Times.
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July 6, 2009
Smaller theaters struggle to keep pace in recession
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.
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Local moviegoer’s views on movies
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…
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July 3, 2009
Favoring the ticket kiosk
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.
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July 1, 2009
How to cope with sensory integration at the movie theater for your special need kids
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.
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June 29, 2009
Theater operators upbeat at Cinema Expo
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS — At the annual Cinema Expo, exhibitors were upbeat about the year in film and upcoming technologies.
The credit crunch has stalled many digital screen conversions. But exhibs came away pleased with sneak peeks of films screened throughout the week, and most believe d-cinema and 3-D projection will spread through the marketplace eventually, further bolstering business.
“It’s been a really great week, with many exciting movies and exciting lineups,” said Peter Janovsky of Hollywood Megaplex, which operates 48 screens in five Austrian theaters. “In 2009, we have had a very good year — the best in three years — and the future looks positive.”
Read more at the Hollywood Reporter.
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June 26, 2009
Oscars expanding to 10 best picture nominees
The Motion Picture Academy has decided to return to their old system of ten Best Picture nominees instead of five. There will still be only one winner.
The mind boggles as to how they will find ten worthy nominees when even five was often pushing it.
Decades ago, the Oscars had up to 10 best picture nominees for several years. “Gone With the Wind” famously beat a number of great films for best picture in 1939, including “Stagecoach,” “Goodbye, Mr. Chips,” “Ninotchka,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”
But in the mid-1940s, the system changed to its present five films, and five films it’s been ever since. That’s led to any number of crowd-pleasing but not “Oscar-worthy” (as the Academy believes) films not making the cut. Just last year, there were howls of protest for the failure of “The Dark Knight” to crack the Academy’s top five.
Read more at CNN Blogs.
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June 25, 2009
The Future beyond the movie theater
A piece atSalon.com discusses the steps we’re taking to get closer to feature films being primarily released online.
But online distribution remains an insignificant factor in the film economy (if anything, movie theaters are thriving in the current recession), and it represents a tiny proportion of the video watched on computer screens. One could argue, in fact, that feature films and the Internet are mismatched forms of media; the former demands long stretches of undivided attention while the latter thrives on multitasking, rapid response time and brief info-bursts. When was the last time you spent 90 minutes or more sitting at your computer and looking at the same thing?</blockquote.
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“Radical Civility” for movie manners
John Kelly of the Washington Post details some of his thoughts on approaching the issue of dealing with bad movie theater behavior.
We hold this truth to be self-evident: People ought to be able to go to the movies without being disturbed by the behavior of others. Increasingly, that behavior includes texting during the film. The bright light of the screen is distracting, taking us out of our reverie. It ought not happen. We are determined to address it.
We start from the assumption that most movie texters are clueless, not evil. They just haven’t thought about what they’re doing.
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June 24, 2009
Hidden gem: American Movie Palace Museum
ELMHURST, IL — My Suburban Blogs looks at the Theatre Historical Society of America’s American Movie Palace Museum.
The 40-year-old society that collects information on theater architecture oversees the American Movie Palace Museum and the American Theatre Architecture Archives on the second floor of the York Theatre in downtown Elmhurst.
Konrad Schiecke, a society member since 1991, has used the archives to write two books: “Historic Movie Theatres in Illinois, 1883-1960” and “Historic Movie Theatres of Wisconsin: Nineteenth Century Opera Houses through 1950s Playhouses, Town by Town.”