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The latest movie theater news and updates
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November 20, 2007
Plaza Twin opening under new management/name
PORT ORCHARD, WA — I am part of a group that’s reopening the Plaza Twin Cinema. We are renaming it The Orchard Theater and are shooting for a mid-December opening. The theater will show art/independent, foreign and classic films.
Set to open in early December, the Historic Orchard Theatre, as it will be renamed, is the eighth cinema acquired by Far Away since 1997.
In Kitsap County, the company also owns the Historic Lynwood Theatre, first opened in 1936, Bainbridge Cinemas and Olympic Cinemas, formerly the Redwood Plaza. Its other properties are in Oak Harbor, Anacortes and Ocean Shores.
Here is a link to the full article in the Kitsap Sun about the opening…
Hope to see you there!
Thanks
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Carmike to close Cinema 5
STATE COLLEGE, PA — Another representative of the quickly disappearing post single-screen era, the Cinema 5, is set to close.
The only Carmike Cinema remaining in the borough is expected to close its doors within months.
Building owner Sid Friedman plans to convert Cinema 5, a five-screen operation at 116 Hiester St., into a five-tenant commercial and retail complex, according to plans submitted to the borough.
A cinema has occupied the downtown site for more than three decades. If it were to remain in business, the Fraser Centre complex planned for the 100 block of South Fraser Street would introduce substantial new competition.
Read more in the Centre Daily.
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Things to consider when purchasing a home theatre
Here are some tips from Gizmodo on building that home theatre.
Despite how “affordable” they make this sound, I’m pretty sure the only theatre I’ll be visiting anytime soon will be the one I have to drive to.
What makes home theater projectors so sexy, so compelling and so different from a regular old TV set with its LCD or plasma screen? We’re going to break it down for you, and let you know why it just might be worth it to consider putting together a dedicated home theater room—a temple devoted to the holy projector that makes watching a regular TV show feel just like a trip to a movie theater. The best news is, a ticket to your own home theater is getting to be surprisingly affordable.
Read the full list here at Gizmodo.
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November 19, 2007
ATF investigating Columbia Fire
PORTSMOUTH, OH — You can see cranes and other heavy equipment outside the brick wall of what was the Columbia Music Hall. The historic theatre burned early Sunday morning. With the federal investigators methodically removing debris, no one will venture even a remote cause of the inferno.
“The entire Fourth Street parking lot is covered with [cars and equipment from ] the state fire marshal, ATF, Portsmouth Fire Department, Portsmouth Police Department and numerous other crews working on investigation and clean up,” said Claudette Ferguson, the now former sound engineer of the Music Hall. “They are removing any and all burned metal [and debris] from the shell of the Columbia by way of the crane and the huge bucket.”
On Wednesday, November 14, Ferguson was visited by members of the ATF. They interviewed her for about two hours. As confirmed by prior ATF fire investigations, Ferguson said, “they will be here until they find out the cause and if the cause is arson, they will continue to stay until they find the individual responsible.”
As the investigation continues, “the owners and the town are hopeful for a healing and rebuilding of the area and of the Columbia,” Ferguson said. “It’s so nice to know that there are other who care as much about our little theatre as we do.”
You can read more info on the Columbia fire at Huntington News.
UPDATE 11/20: Huntington News lists arson as cause of fire.
Photo courtesy of Claudette Ferguson
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Varsity Theater to be donated to city
CARBONDALE, IL — The Varsity Theater will soon have a new owner, and a new purpose.
According to the Southern Illinoisan, Kerosotes Theaters has agreed to donate the theater to the City of Carbondale.
Mayor Brad Cole announced Tuesday that Kerasotes Theatres is going to donate the Varsity Theater at 418 S. Illinois Avenue “to the community,” and the building “will be available to become the permanent home of The Stage Company and likely other not-for-profit organizations such as Carbondale Community Arts.”
Cole said the theater closed in June 2003, a few months after he began serving his first mayoral term, and “there was much discussion about what could then go into that building to preserve its place in Carbondale, particularly its place in Carbondale’s downtown history.”
The theater will be renovated and used as a performance venue for local theater groups. The theater was closed in 2003 when a new multiplex opened at a nearby mall.
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NCG Trillium Cinemas' IMAX Theatre opens
GRAND BLANC, MI — The NGC Trillum Cinemas opened its 350-seat IMAX Theatre at midnight Thursday with the new 3D feature “Beowulf” as its inaugural movie on its 50' x 65' screen.
Tickets for IMAX movies are $2 more than for other shows at the megaplex. The IMAX Trillum Theatre will show documentaries on Mondays and Wednesdays beginning with “Bugs: A Rainforest Adventure.”
Additional info from the Flint Journal.
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November 16, 2007
What are the ten most endangered theaters?
As this year draws to a close, Cinema Treasures is putting together a list of the ten most endangered theaters.
The purpose of this list is to publicize the plight of theaters at risk, alert local and national media, and keep our focus on saving these theaters before it’s too late.
We’ve taken a first stab at the list, but we really want to get your feedback before making it official.
- National Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
- Boyd Theatre (Philadelphia, PA)
- Wayne Theatre (Wayne, MI)
- Port Theatre (Corona Del Mar, CA)
- Isle Theatre (Cumberland, WI)
- Uptown Theatre (Chicago, IL)
- Trylon Theater (Rego Park, Queens, NY)
- NuWilshire (Santa Monica, CA)
If you’d like to nominate another theater, please add your theater in the comments below. Please make sure to include the theater’s full name, location, theater page link (if available), and why the theater is endangered.
This is an invaluable opportunity for everyone to make their voices heard and help us shape this important list of the most endangered Cinema Treasures in America.
(We’re also working on a separate list of theaters in the United Kingdom that will be published next Friday. Additional lists from Canada, France, China, etc. are welcome too.)
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Bay Area Horror Host writes again
John Stanley, long-time TV host of “Creature Features” in the Bay Area has released another book, “I Was a TV Horror Host.” If you are familiar with Mr. Stanley’s various editions of his “Creature Features” movie review books, then you already know know that he tackles his subject with talent, love and humor.
With the holidays fast approaching, this reasonably-priced book ($20 + $4 P/H) might make a terrific gift or stocking stuffer. Go to Stanley Books for more information and also to check out photos and comments by Ray Bradbury, Gene Roddenberry, Christopher Lee, Ray Harryhausen and many more. Mention you learned about this on Cinema Treasures and ask if he’d autograph your copy.
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Broadway West?
A Wall Street Journal article(link to close to non-subscribers soon) discusses the hopes for Los Angeles' Broadway.
Along Broadway in downtown Los Angeles, the Tower Theater helped usher in the era of “talking pictures” in 1927, and the Los Angeles Theatre hosted the 1931 premiere of Charlie Chaplin’s classic film “City Lights.” Albert Einstein accompanied the star to the gala, while Great Depression victims stood in line for bread across the street.
But unlike the Broadway of New York City, where — when stagehands aren’t on strike — throngs arrive in tour buses to see “Mamma Mia” or “A Chorus Line,” the 12 theaters in L.A.’s version of the Great White Way have long been neglected and sit mostly unused.
The baroque and gothic venues, built between 1910 and 1931 for vaudeville acts and movies, line a six-block stretch that today is a melange of retail marts, check-cashing outlets and bridal shops. Two theaters serve as churches, and another has become a flea market. This street teems with activity by day but largely empties at dusk.
For the first time in decades, though, there is hope that the city’s faded theater district can be revived — as a broader renaissance of downtown Los Angeles takes hold.
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Spokane Fox Restoration