Was in the National a few weeks ago for Brokeback Mountain, and man, (or should I say Mann), has this place seen better days. The auditorium was pretty run down looking, seriously in need of refurbishment. Moreover, they made a huge mistake with the seats here, putting after-market plastic cupholders on them instead of buying new, a move I could see for a dollar-house but not in a theatre with this prestige. I have never seen this done successfully in a way that retains the comfort of the seat, it takes away about an inch or so on either side of the patron, and if you have a few extra inches on your behind as many of us do you are in for an uncomfortable few hours. The projection and sound was still very good, though.
I’d be very sorry to see this go. It would be great to see some money thrown at this wonderful and historic screen, with some work it could be the pride of Westwood film-going, but I suppose the bean counters will out. Hell, let the guy who bought the Crest take it, he’s doing a bang-up job over there.
Just don’t mess with the Village or the Bruin, that’s all I ask.
There is a sign on the front door of this theatre that says “the showing of movies at this location has been suspended until further noticeâ€. I’ll just bet.
This was a pretty ramshackle operation in its latter years, but it had a great funky quality, plus that wonderful popcorn oil/disinfectant/mildew smell that I get so nostalgic about. The thing I will always remember is that whether from laziness or lack of letters, the marquee always featured drastic truncations of movie titles, often just one key word. The best one was While You Were Sleeping, which on the marquee was reduced to just “While (PG)â€. That’s it!
Nice pictures, fellas, but wrong theatre. This thread is for the Beverly Center multi-plex, which is in the Beverly Center Mall at the corner of Beverly and La Cienega.
Stevebob: I absolutely remember the plastic mold machine; it sat on the extreme right of the forecourt (facing towards the entrance) next to the entrance of the gift shop. I last saw it in the early 1990s, but it has gone now. How I wish I had actually made one of the little pagodas on one of my many visits, now the opportunity is lost.
There’s something else that’s missing from the forecourt. Many years ago (in the 1940s, maybe), the theatre held a contest that would allow the winner, just any average Joe, to place his name and prints in cement just like the celebs did. The deal was that the cement slab would remain there forever, just like all the others. Eventually, of course, the slab was moved to an out-of-the-way spot waaaayyyy to the right, not far from the plastic machine mentioned above. I remember seeing it there at the same time I last saw the mold machine. Now, it has gone too. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the winner who was so immortalized, but I remember the words ‘contest winner’ were on the same slab with his prints.
The Angelica is nothing short of a disgrace to independent cinema, I won’t see a movie there unless there is no other option (fortunately, films shown here are often co-booked with Dan Talbot’s far superior Lincoln Plaza Cinemas). It has, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the sloppiest projection in town. Last year I went to a showing of the film “CQ†the day after it opened, and it ALREADY had an emulsion scratch the entire length of the film after a handful of runs. In fact, I don’t recall EVER seeing a film here that didn’t have projection issues. And don’t get me started on the auditoriums. Long live the Sunshine, a bright spot for film going in NYC!
Truth be told, Charles, the 8th Street Playhouse wasn’t replaced by condos. The building that housed the theatre is now the NYC outpost of TLA Video, a video rental company specializes in obscure, cult and offbeat titles. It’s probably the best video rental in NY, next to Kim’s Underground. This dosn’t excuse the loss of a great theatre (the first theatre I made a beeline for when I moved here), but it least something movie related took it’s place.
Was in the National a few weeks ago for Brokeback Mountain, and man, (or should I say Mann), has this place seen better days. The auditorium was pretty run down looking, seriously in need of refurbishment. Moreover, they made a huge mistake with the seats here, putting after-market plastic cupholders on them instead of buying new, a move I could see for a dollar-house but not in a theatre with this prestige. I have never seen this done successfully in a way that retains the comfort of the seat, it takes away about an inch or so on either side of the patron, and if you have a few extra inches on your behind as many of us do you are in for an uncomfortable few hours. The projection and sound was still very good, though.
I’d be very sorry to see this go. It would be great to see some money thrown at this wonderful and historic screen, with some work it could be the pride of Westwood film-going, but I suppose the bean counters will out. Hell, let the guy who bought the Crest take it, he’s doing a bang-up job over there.
Just don’t mess with the Village or the Bruin, that’s all I ask.
There is a sign on the front door of this theatre that says “the showing of movies at this location has been suspended until further noticeâ€. I’ll just bet.
This was a pretty ramshackle operation in its latter years, but it had a great funky quality, plus that wonderful popcorn oil/disinfectant/mildew smell that I get so nostalgic about. The thing I will always remember is that whether from laziness or lack of letters, the marquee always featured drastic truncations of movie titles, often just one key word. The best one was While You Were Sleeping, which on the marquee was reduced to just “While (PG)â€. That’s it!
Nighttime shot
Another shot that I took over the summer.
Still the best bet for movies in L.A.
Nice pictures, fellas, but wrong theatre. This thread is for the Beverly Center multi-plex, which is in the Beverly Center Mall at the corner of Beverly and La Cienega.
Stevebob: I absolutely remember the plastic mold machine; it sat on the extreme right of the forecourt (facing towards the entrance) next to the entrance of the gift shop. I last saw it in the early 1990s, but it has gone now. How I wish I had actually made one of the little pagodas on one of my many visits, now the opportunity is lost.
There’s something else that’s missing from the forecourt. Many years ago (in the 1940s, maybe), the theatre held a contest that would allow the winner, just any average Joe, to place his name and prints in cement just like the celebs did. The deal was that the cement slab would remain there forever, just like all the others. Eventually, of course, the slab was moved to an out-of-the-way spot waaaayyyy to the right, not far from the plastic machine mentioned above. I remember seeing it there at the same time I last saw the mold machine. Now, it has gone too. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the winner who was so immortalized, but I remember the words ‘contest winner’ were on the same slab with his prints.
The Angelica is nothing short of a disgrace to independent cinema, I won’t see a movie there unless there is no other option (fortunately, films shown here are often co-booked with Dan Talbot’s far superior Lincoln Plaza Cinemas). It has, beyond the shadow of a doubt, the sloppiest projection in town. Last year I went to a showing of the film “CQ†the day after it opened, and it ALREADY had an emulsion scratch the entire length of the film after a handful of runs. In fact, I don’t recall EVER seeing a film here that didn’t have projection issues. And don’t get me started on the auditoriums. Long live the Sunshine, a bright spot for film going in NYC!
Truth be told, Charles, the 8th Street Playhouse wasn’t replaced by condos. The building that housed the theatre is now the NYC outpost of TLA Video, a video rental company specializes in obscure, cult and offbeat titles. It’s probably the best video rental in NY, next to Kim’s Underground. This dosn’t excuse the loss of a great theatre (the first theatre I made a beeline for when I moved here), but it least something movie related took it’s place.