I doubt the screen was larger than 40'. Of course, the nostalgia of moviegoing remains, I’d still think twice about venturing out into that neighborhood given the lack of parking and crime. It would have to be something truly special if I’m going to travel into town from MD.
Ron, I am like you when it came to reading Variety, but being a big younger, it was the early 80s that I started. I enjoyed reading the local (Washington DC) area section for movie grosses. Sadly, they stopped that around..and I’m guessing at this, the late 80s to early 90s? It was especially interesting to note the seating capacities of the various venues, too. It wasn’t hard to figure out tickets sold by doing some simple math.
One thing about current advertising that I absolutely detest is the way they will have an ad for a movie but no longer list where the movie is showing. You have to call a number or check the internet. I remember back, in the day, when they had format listings; Dolby Digital, DTS, DLP and even a 70mm marqueed box to denote those extra special presentations.
Who’d care about seeing Vertigo in HI DEF TV? I can do that at home..almost. :) It was recently restored and shown in glorious 70mm DTS. I vividly remember seeing it at the Uptown, in Washington DC, several years back. The picture was magnificent as if it were something shot recently and not 50 or so years ago. I wonder if the other Hitch films were also restored. Not sure but I thought there was an ongoing project to clean up and rerelease the films.
Gimick or not, Digital 3D is the future. My only complaint is that the auditoriums they have are about 40' tops, not including your IMAX-lite installs at the AMCs. If you don’t have the bigger screen, you’re not really immersed into the movie. While many of the Digital 3D releases may have lacked somewhat, I think James Cameron’s Avatar will change people’s minds about the format. :) Who knows, it may be another Titanic-hit.
There is a retail center, not a ‘strip’, per se of an eclectic group of stores ranging from a gourmet grocery store to your typical Starbucks and a few restaurants (Thai, Pizza and I think an Irish karakoke bar). Last year, they opened up an extremely expensive gourmet restaurant that barely lasted the year. To me, it seemed to be all decor and pretty looking food.
Now, down about a block there is a bar, where I’ve seen riff raff hang out but I wouldn’t consider the neighborhood “unsafe.” When you’re talking about any area, especially urban business centers, there will always be some element or risk of some crime, but its not the wild, wild west.
If you arrive early, I like to park closest to the theater so its easier to avoid the traffic of cars that park at the Staples.
Hoooray! Whether its a losing business for-profit, or break-even non-for-profit, its good the theater will stay open. I’m looking forward to watching movie blockbusters and other fare there this summer season.
Dark Knight wasn’t all that great of a movie to me, either, but like the Chris' I enjoy watching movies in the best format possible. And, yes, there are movies, smaller movies out there which have more to say and have greater depth than this movie and who deserve Oscar recognition.
i googled the news section for this venue and nothing comes up except for the fact Batman Returns was reissued for another run in the IMAX and IMAX-lite-DLP theaters like this one. Perhaps it was just an electrical fire and did not effect the theaters but still requires an entire shut down to effect repairs. Hopefully, it’ll be up and running soon. Someone should post news on its reopening when possible.
So Longisland, or anyone else, what is your prescription in 100 words or less to curing the Senator’s woes given these facts; Balto city is one in decline with the depressed local economy; competition from the nearby independently owned and runned, 6 screen Charles and recently opened Landmark Harbour, with-state-of-the-art digital projection?
Being that I live closer to the theater than the rest of you (I’m assuming), I think I’m a little more up to date on things going on around here. Longisland, the Senator isn’t like your theater, with its six screens and non-competition. You have the ability to book more films and move them around to give people more choices. If you want to talk about programming, the Senator did try with booking Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm but it did not bring in people to see it. As much as people talk on this site about classics and theaters and how much we miss them it was a disappointing, money-losing engagement. The owner, himself, blogged about it in response to booking more 70mm at the Senator. I’ll include myself as one of the hypocrites, but my excuse is I’m not a big Lawrence fan. I’ve seen it a the AFI Silver and, yes, its a glorious film to look at but it doesn’t tug at my heart the way it does with others.
John, I do remember the 70s and the gas lines and the Carter era. Heck, I remember even cheering the impeachment of Nixon on live tv only because they preempted my favorite block of shows as a kid. I even remember when man landed on the moon, too, as all programming was preempted for that momentous occasion. Now, much before that is a blur…. :) All I’m saying and most would agree, you are probably not one of them, that these are one of the worst economic times if you want to believe the news being reported.
In any case, if the Senator needs yet another bail out, I’m ready. I may not be able to be as generous as I was the first time, but $50 may make up for some of the missed presentation from the previous year. :)
Its easy to criticize but lets look at some facts. We are currently in one of the worst recessions in history so a single screen venue like the Senator may have some difficulty getting the support it needs to stay afloat. People just aren’t spending money nowadays, to include movies. For me, making that 80 mi round trip to the venue was difficult back when gas was $4/gallon.
If you’ve been following news since the fund drive, they have been exploring ways of increasing revenue streams other than motion picture exhibition that are just now coming on board. Also, the recent opening last year of the Landmark plex at the harbor makes competition all that much more intense with many of their offerings are going after the same customer as the Senator and its other independent competitor the Charles.
Okay, Justin, you can chill now. No IMAX at the Rockaway. None. Zippo, zilch. DLP sounds good though. At least you’ll have ONE auditorium that will show a bright, scratch free, colorful presentation all the time, every time. Too bad its not THX certified. I guess you can’t get it all…. ;)
Competition is good. AMC dominates the DC market now, for better or worse. Babette’s post may be conjecture, at best. Then again, if they open a Cinema deLuxe-style plex with IMAX, a REAL IMAX and not AMC’s IMAX-lite-type auditorium, what better experience would that be to watch movies. Maybe the food court offerings will be better, too, Cheesecake Factory, Maggianos maybe, instead of Sbarros? :) And, yes, I’d be willing to drive across the bridge and pay $13.50 to see a decent IMAX, a real IMAX movie if that is the case.
The plex, itself, isn’t totally bad. The building needs some repair and the auditoriums, at least the two largest ones on the left as you walk in were THX certified once upon a time. Why build a whole totally new complex? Sounds like a waste of money to me and a big gamble in these dark economic times and with the recent opening of the superior AMC Tysons 16. Unless, the plans are to go Cinema Deluxe with an IMAX install to compete with AMC? Hmmm.
OMG, my virtual ears are ringing from these incessant posts about IMAX!! :)
I’ve had the privilege of experiencing many ‘IMAX’-lite presentations at the AMC installs in the DC area and let me tell you its nothing to write home about. For one things its not true IMAX with the multi story high screens. The immersion aspect of drawing you into the movie is barely there and if only you sit at the back row, of the first tier of seats.
You all rattle on like its the second coming or something, or as if motion pictures just discovered sound. Its not all that. And you’ll probably be disappointed. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you… :)
When this was a single screen theater, I believe I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as a double feature (late ‘84) either here or at the now closed Carrollton (not the AMC Carrollton 6). The theater was huge, of course, but don’t recall if it had stereo of any sort. Sightlines were good as the seating arrangement was somewhat raked.
As I sometimes drive through Riverdale Rd to go home, I still see the place sitting high at the top of the shopping center there. As Jack’s pictures show, it looks like its ready to show movies anytime someone opens the doors.
Tonight was not a good night at the Harbour 9, particularly the Frost/Nixon showing in #6. The picture was shown outside of the screen and the surround sound went out towards the end. I would have complained but the movie was somewhat of a schnoozer anyway.
The Christmas day showing of Doubt in #2 was better..perfect, in fact. :) I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come with uneven showmanship.
We saw “Slumdog Millionaire” in the Historic Auditorium to a decent crowd. Excellent presentation and sound. The curtains were drawn after the slide show, which by the way FINALLY, after five years, has decent promos for all things AFI. They should have done this when they first opened. Its good advertising for the place and helps keep funds going in.
Unfortunately, they still don’t carry my favorite stuffed pretzels. After talking with the attendant, she says they changed vendors and haven’t had those for quite a long time. Another patron could be heard requesting the same thing as they advertise the availability of ‘gourmet pretzels.’ All they have now are the plain, yucky Costco-type frozen gup. No thanks. They do have single sized ‘gourmet pizza.’ I had the plain cheese one that was barely cooked in the middle even though the cheese on the outer edges was a little burned. Given all this, I may have to resort to sneaking in food from either next door’s Panera or one of the eateries close by. Shame on you, AFI. You can do better.
Regal Theaters had a program where card members can hold a beeper (and receive an extra 100 points) to alert management of rude and/or otherwise bad behavior. Not sure if they have it in your market, or at any Clearview venue, but if they do, or could start, this could be a good way of getting a manager or someone with authority to kick out the offending patrons in a quiet way.
Since I live in the suburbs and rarely go to the downtown theaters, I rarely encounter people such as the ones you’ve mentioned, Bill. Yes, once in awhile, there’s an immature person who reacts inappropriately but its not enough to detract my enjoyment of a movie.
As I’ve said before on this thread, the Ziegfeld has one of the best DP presentations I can recall..from Revenge of the Sith to last year’s Blade Runner. It was worth the drive up :)
Mpol, as far as your statements, I’ll agree with A, B and C. The newer plexes that have been built by AMC in the last several years are much better than we’ve had from Regal. The AMC theaters have larger, wider screens, more comfortable seats and, yes, do charge slightly more but then again, most here charge around $10-11 for adult evening admissions.
Since I live and patron theaters in the Washington DC Metro area, I can only speak for myself and the general area. As I’ve said on different news stories about digital vs. film, on CT, film projection sucks. Why? You have multiplexes that run automated systems that don’t pay attention to proper light levels, sound, picture placement, etc. As such, I’ll take DP movie over film any day, anytime in this CURRENT market and the way things are NOW.
I doubt the screen was larger than 40'. Of course, the nostalgia of moviegoing remains, I’d still think twice about venturing out into that neighborhood given the lack of parking and crime. It would have to be something truly special if I’m going to travel into town from MD.
Ron, I am like you when it came to reading Variety, but being a big younger, it was the early 80s that I started. I enjoyed reading the local (Washington DC) area section for movie grosses. Sadly, they stopped that around..and I’m guessing at this, the late 80s to early 90s? It was especially interesting to note the seating capacities of the various venues, too. It wasn’t hard to figure out tickets sold by doing some simple math.
One thing about current advertising that I absolutely detest is the way they will have an ad for a movie but no longer list where the movie is showing. You have to call a number or check the internet. I remember back, in the day, when they had format listings; Dolby Digital, DTS, DLP and even a 70mm marqueed box to denote those extra special presentations.
Who’d care about seeing Vertigo in HI DEF TV? I can do that at home..almost. :) It was recently restored and shown in glorious 70mm DTS. I vividly remember seeing it at the Uptown, in Washington DC, several years back. The picture was magnificent as if it were something shot recently and not 50 or so years ago. I wonder if the other Hitch films were also restored. Not sure but I thought there was an ongoing project to clean up and rerelease the films.
Gimick or not, Digital 3D is the future. My only complaint is that the auditoriums they have are about 40' tops, not including your IMAX-lite installs at the AMCs. If you don’t have the bigger screen, you’re not really immersed into the movie. While many of the Digital 3D releases may have lacked somewhat, I think James Cameron’s Avatar will change people’s minds about the format. :) Who knows, it may be another Titanic-hit.
There is a retail center, not a ‘strip’, per se of an eclectic group of stores ranging from a gourmet grocery store to your typical Starbucks and a few restaurants (Thai, Pizza and I think an Irish karakoke bar). Last year, they opened up an extremely expensive gourmet restaurant that barely lasted the year. To me, it seemed to be all decor and pretty looking food.
Now, down about a block there is a bar, where I’ve seen riff raff hang out but I wouldn’t consider the neighborhood “unsafe.” When you’re talking about any area, especially urban business centers, there will always be some element or risk of some crime, but its not the wild, wild west.
If you arrive early, I like to park closest to the theater so its easier to avoid the traffic of cars that park at the Staples.
Hoooray! Whether its a losing business for-profit, or break-even non-for-profit, its good the theater will stay open. I’m looking forward to watching movie blockbusters and other fare there this summer season.
Dark Knight wasn’t all that great of a movie to me, either, but like the Chris' I enjoy watching movies in the best format possible. And, yes, there are movies, smaller movies out there which have more to say and have greater depth than this movie and who deserve Oscar recognition.
:P :)
i googled the news section for this venue and nothing comes up except for the fact Batman Returns was reissued for another run in the IMAX and IMAX-lite-DLP theaters like this one. Perhaps it was just an electrical fire and did not effect the theaters but still requires an entire shut down to effect repairs. Hopefully, it’ll be up and running soon. Someone should post news on its reopening when possible.
Oops, I hit the button to soon..
So Longisland, or anyone else, what is your prescription in 100 words or less to curing the Senator’s woes given these facts; Balto city is one in decline with the depressed local economy; competition from the nearby independently owned and runned, 6 screen Charles and recently opened Landmark Harbour, with-state-of-the-art digital projection?
Being that I live closer to the theater than the rest of you (I’m assuming), I think I’m a little more up to date on things going on around here. Longisland, the Senator isn’t like your theater, with its six screens and non-competition. You have the ability to book more films and move them around to give people more choices. If you want to talk about programming, the Senator did try with booking Lawrence of Arabia in 70mm but it did not bring in people to see it. As much as people talk on this site about classics and theaters and how much we miss them it was a disappointing, money-losing engagement. The owner, himself, blogged about it in response to booking more 70mm at the Senator. I’ll include myself as one of the hypocrites, but my excuse is I’m not a big Lawrence fan. I’ve seen it a the AFI Silver and, yes, its a glorious film to look at but it doesn’t tug at my heart the way it does with others.
John, I do remember the 70s and the gas lines and the Carter era. Heck, I remember even cheering the impeachment of Nixon on live tv only because they preempted my favorite block of shows as a kid. I even remember when man landed on the moon, too, as all programming was preempted for that momentous occasion. Now, much before that is a blur…. :) All I’m saying and most would agree, you are probably not one of them, that these are one of the worst economic times if you want to believe the news being reported.
In any case, if the Senator needs yet another bail out, I’m ready. I may not be able to be as generous as I was the first time, but $50 may make up for some of the missed presentation from the previous year. :)
Its easy to criticize but lets look at some facts. We are currently in one of the worst recessions in history so a single screen venue like the Senator may have some difficulty getting the support it needs to stay afloat. People just aren’t spending money nowadays, to include movies. For me, making that 80 mi round trip to the venue was difficult back when gas was $4/gallon.
If you’ve been following news since the fund drive, they have been exploring ways of increasing revenue streams other than motion picture exhibition that are just now coming on board. Also, the recent opening last year of the Landmark plex at the harbor makes competition all that much more intense with many of their offerings are going after the same customer as the Senator and its other independent competitor the Charles.
What happened, MovieTix86? It sounds like they had to shut down the theater or cancel a showing.
Okay, Justin, you can chill now. No IMAX at the Rockaway. None. Zippo, zilch. DLP sounds good though. At least you’ll have ONE auditorium that will show a bright, scratch free, colorful presentation all the time, every time. Too bad its not THX certified. I guess you can’t get it all…. ;)
Competition is good. AMC dominates the DC market now, for better or worse. Babette’s post may be conjecture, at best. Then again, if they open a Cinema deLuxe-style plex with IMAX, a REAL IMAX and not AMC’s IMAX-lite-type auditorium, what better experience would that be to watch movies. Maybe the food court offerings will be better, too, Cheesecake Factory, Maggianos maybe, instead of Sbarros? :) And, yes, I’d be willing to drive across the bridge and pay $13.50 to see a decent IMAX, a real IMAX movie if that is the case.
The plex, itself, isn’t totally bad. The building needs some repair and the auditoriums, at least the two largest ones on the left as you walk in were THX certified once upon a time. Why build a whole totally new complex? Sounds like a waste of money to me and a big gamble in these dark economic times and with the recent opening of the superior AMC Tysons 16. Unless, the plans are to go Cinema Deluxe with an IMAX install to compete with AMC? Hmmm.
With all the gazillions he has earned, he could channel a few millions to save the theater, don’t you think? :)
OMG, my virtual ears are ringing from these incessant posts about IMAX!! :)
I’ve had the privilege of experiencing many ‘IMAX’-lite presentations at the AMC installs in the DC area and let me tell you its nothing to write home about. For one things its not true IMAX with the multi story high screens. The immersion aspect of drawing you into the movie is barely there and if only you sit at the back row, of the first tier of seats.
You all rattle on like its the second coming or something, or as if motion pictures just discovered sound. Its not all that. And you’ll probably be disappointed. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you… :)
What? No Digital Projection or THX Certification???? ;) Congratulations! May your theater live long and prosper.
I’ll stop by on my way back from the gym. I just remember seeing ads in the mall about the cinema drafthouse. I’ll update ASAP.
This theater has reopened now as a cinema drafthouse. As such, its status should be changed to open.
When this was a single screen theater, I believe I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as a double feature (late ‘84) either here or at the now closed Carrollton (not the AMC Carrollton 6). The theater was huge, of course, but don’t recall if it had stereo of any sort. Sightlines were good as the seating arrangement was somewhat raked.
As I sometimes drive through Riverdale Rd to go home, I still see the place sitting high at the top of the shopping center there. As Jack’s pictures show, it looks like its ready to show movies anytime someone opens the doors.
Tonight was not a good night at the Harbour 9, particularly the Frost/Nixon showing in #6. The picture was shown outside of the screen and the surround sound went out towards the end. I would have complained but the movie was somewhat of a schnoozer anyway.
The Christmas day showing of Doubt in #2 was better..perfect, in fact. :) I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come with uneven showmanship.
We saw “Slumdog Millionaire” in the Historic Auditorium to a decent crowd. Excellent presentation and sound. The curtains were drawn after the slide show, which by the way FINALLY, after five years, has decent promos for all things AFI. They should have done this when they first opened. Its good advertising for the place and helps keep funds going in.
Unfortunately, they still don’t carry my favorite stuffed pretzels. After talking with the attendant, she says they changed vendors and haven’t had those for quite a long time. Another patron could be heard requesting the same thing as they advertise the availability of ‘gourmet pretzels.’ All they have now are the plain, yucky Costco-type frozen gup. No thanks. They do have single sized ‘gourmet pizza.’ I had the plain cheese one that was barely cooked in the middle even though the cheese on the outer edges was a little burned. Given all this, I may have to resort to sneaking in food from either next door’s Panera or one of the eateries close by. Shame on you, AFI. You can do better.
Regal Theaters had a program where card members can hold a beeper (and receive an extra 100 points) to alert management of rude and/or otherwise bad behavior. Not sure if they have it in your market, or at any Clearview venue, but if they do, or could start, this could be a good way of getting a manager or someone with authority to kick out the offending patrons in a quiet way.
Since I live in the suburbs and rarely go to the downtown theaters, I rarely encounter people such as the ones you’ve mentioned, Bill. Yes, once in awhile, there’s an immature person who reacts inappropriately but its not enough to detract my enjoyment of a movie.
As I’ve said before on this thread, the Ziegfeld has one of the best DP presentations I can recall..from Revenge of the Sith to last year’s Blade Runner. It was worth the drive up :)
Mpol, as far as your statements, I’ll agree with A, B and C. The newer plexes that have been built by AMC in the last several years are much better than we’ve had from Regal. The AMC theaters have larger, wider screens, more comfortable seats and, yes, do charge slightly more but then again, most here charge around $10-11 for adult evening admissions.
Since I live and patron theaters in the Washington DC Metro area, I can only speak for myself and the general area. As I’ve said on different news stories about digital vs. film, on CT, film projection sucks. Why? You have multiplexes that run automated systems that don’t pay attention to proper light levels, sound, picture placement, etc. As such, I’ll take DP movie over film any day, anytime in this CURRENT market and the way things are NOW.