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Memories
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February 10, 2010
Back issue trade magazines online?
Aside from issuu.com, what other websites have back issues of exhibition magazines online please? And how do you access all issues of Boxoffice magazine in issuu.com?
When searching, it only shows 3 pages of back issues, yet on this site, many others have been posted such as the issue with the former Paramus, Route 4 Theater. How do you access all Boxoffice back issues on Issuu.com please?
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February 9, 2010
Buffalo theater website
This is a website that has 32 pics of mostly former movie theaters from Buffalo, NY. The website is here. Enjoy!
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February 1, 2010
Writer laments death of revival houses and other sources of classic cinema experiences
NEWARK, NJ — In an essay that recently appeared on NJ.com, writer Stephen Witty looks at the decline of repertory theaters and other changes that have altered the access to and information about classic films, such as the development of the inexpensive home video market, the reduction of the number of cable channels truly dedicated to the presentation of film history, and the loss of a large number of magazines related to cinema.
The first victims of modern-movie progress were the repertory theaters. When I went to film school in New York in the late ‘70s, there were several fleapits within walking distance, showing Bette Davis weepies or double bills of “Candy” and “The Magic Christian.” The truly adventurous went to Chinatown for kung-fu triple features, or to 42nd Street, where grind houses ran all-night programs of gory action films.
Then came the much-vaunted “home video revolution.” For less than the price of a ticket, you could be your own movie programmer, watching whatever you wanted at home.
Of course, most of the revival houses couldn’t compete with that (or pay their own rising rents). Those set up as not-for-profit arts groups held on. The rest eventually closed their doors, and to any real film buff, the list of names — the Bleecker Street Cinema, Theatre 80 St. Marks — is an elegy to vanished picture palaces.
The whole article can be read here.
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January 21, 2010
Remembering Cinerama (Part 47: Phoenix)
REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 47: PhoenixThe following is Part Forty-Seven 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 screenings 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
Part 34: Nanuet/Rockland County
Part 35: Denver
Part 36: Worcester
Part 37: Toledo
Part 38: St. Louis
Part 39: Tampa
Part 40: Calgary
Part 41: Hartford
Part 42: Albany
Part 43: New Haven
Part 44: Sacramento
Part 45: Las Vegas
Part 46: SeattleAnd now…Part 47: Cinerama Presentations in Phoenix, Arizona!
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Photographer captures haunting images of departed drive-ins
NEW YORK, NY — Photographer Carl Weese took his first B&W picture of an abandoned drive-in theater over a decade ago in Connecticut. Since then, he has been taking pictures of drive-ins in over 25 states, most of them now closed and decaying. He sees the drive-in theater as a “stealthily strong feature of American history.” A recent article in the New York Times spotlights his work and includes a slideshow of his pictures.
From the middle of the field, Mr. Weese could see the screen of an abandoned drive-in movie theater at the foot of a nearby hillside. It was half-covered in a thicket of overgrown trees. The image of the derelict screen blending into the surrounding landscape intrigued him.
The following morning he got up early. At dawn he photographed the drive-in, just as the day’s first shafts of light fell upon the white screen and illuminated it.
It was Mr. Weese’s first photograph of a drive-in theater. Over the years, he has produced hundreds more. “Drive-ins are this stealthily strong feature of American history,” said Mr. Weese, who takes a sociological approach to much of his photography.
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January 19, 2010
On its 70th anniversary, former manager shares memories of Houston’s River Oaks
HOUSTON, TX — Former manager and regular patron since she was very young, Sarah Gish shares her memories of the the River Oaks which soldiers on, even though threatened with demolition in a city not known for the preservation of its classic movie theaters.
The River Oaks Theatre turned 70 a couple of months ago and we celebrated with cake and drinks. The party reminded me how special that cool historic building is to me —– and how it’s more than just a movie theater. It’s a touchstone in my life.
I went there as a kid when it was a repertory theater and I got to see exciting new worlds in movies like Nicholas and Alexandra, although I didn’t get to stay to the end as I have a vague memory of my parents whisking me out because of some disgusting food scene. Later, as an adult, I loved going there not only for the wonderful art films, but also for the camaraderie, the delicious herbal tea and foreign chocolate bars.
Read more at culturemap.com.
(Thanks to cybertoad for providing the photo.)
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January 8, 2010
Remembering Cinerama (Part 46: Seattle)
REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 46: SeattleThe following is Part Forty-Six 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 screenings 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
Part 34: Nanuet/Rockland County
Part 35: Denver
Part 36: Worcester
Part 37: Toledo
Part 38: St. Louis
Part 39: Tampa
Part 40: Calgary
Part 41: Hartford
Part 42: Albany
Part 43: New Haven
Part 44: Sacramento
Part 45: Las VegasAnd now…Part 46a: Cinerama Presentations in Seattle, Washington!
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January 6, 2010
Happy 30th anniversary, “Empire Strikes Back”!!!
30 years ago this year, George Lucas and 20th Century Fox once again joined forces to release “The Empire Strikes Back”, the sequel to the smash hit “Star Wars”. This time, Lucas was in control of his destiny, since he controlled the profits from the movie’s release after the first one provided much needed cash to Fox. The film was at the time one of the largest 70mm releases ever and provided moviegoers with a surprising cliffhanger that was resolved three years later with “Return of the Jedi”, which chronologically is the last “Star Wars” film in the canon.
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January 5, 2010
Havana’s old movie houses offer escape
HAVANA, CUBA — When Fidel Castro seized control of Cuba 50 years ago, time stopped for Havana’s movie theaters. Castro nationalized all 130 and today only about 40 cinemas remain open. They are the classic big-screen movie theaters of a bygone era.
Listen to the 4:54 story on National Public Radio.
Type “Havana’s Movie Houses” in search
Two theaters mentioned
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December 30, 2009
Best movie of the decade?
Here’s a list that totals the other lists. What’s your favorite?
Which movie is the best of the decade? The Onion’s A.V. Club has anointed Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Time Out New York liked Spotless Mind, too, ranking it third, but gave its No. 1 spot to David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive. The New Yorker’s Richard Brody didn’t put either of these movies on his heady list. He gives the brass ring to Jean-Luc Godard’s Eloge de l'amour (In Praise of Love). Long live the Nouvelle Vague!
So the question remains: Which movie is the best of the decade? Is there any consensus among the accumulating lists? To find out, we collected all of the rankings we could find and synthesized the results using a simple scoring system: Movies got 50 points for being the No. 1 pick on a list, 49 points for a No. 2 nod, and so on, down to one point for a No. 50 slot. (Brody, who only chose 26 movies, still received 50 points for his top pick.)