I hated, absolutely hated, BROKEN FLOWERS. Given all the accolades it was received with at Cannes, I had high expectatins, but they were quickly dashed. I’m apparently in the minority though because A.O. Scott in The Times (on the front page of the Weekend Arts Section, praised it. Murray’s ennui did not work with Jarmusch’s ennui. Combine the two and not too much happens.
What was interesting was the crowd reaction because there was lots of laughter through the first two-thirds of the film and then no more laughter as the film kind of got serious. I didn’t notice much difference between the first two-thirds/“laughing” part of the film and the last third/“serious” part of the film, but the audience reacted differently.
I attended 10 of the 14 films screened in this series that ended a week and a half ago or so and it didn’t draw all that well for the most part.
They had the President of the Bing Crosby Fan Club introducing many of the films and he had a hand in organizing the retro and used his contacts to get some good and from what I understand rare prints.
HIGH TOR, which was a print from Crosby’s widow, kind of melted on screen. The films got tangled and made that “melting look” on the screen you seen once in a while
And the print for THE EMPEROR’S WALTZ was terrific, but some sloppy projection. We would see the “leader” of the end of the reel/beginning of the reels. Kind of sloppy.
I was at the DGA Theatre last night for an advanced screening oF BROKEN FLOWERS. It looks like the DGA is sprucing up the theatre. They seemed to have pulled some seats out in the front and added some in the back or did something to the back of the theatre. That snack bar in the basement is also gone. It was circular and free standing.
I agree that there is something intangible about seeing a film at the Paris. You almost feel like you are entering a cathedral. I was there for the first time in awhile Friday night for BALZAC AND THE LITTLE SEAMSTRESS and there is an ambiance. I may be imagining it, but the theatre seems almost circular.
Isn’t it ironic that a cinema that was set up to program “family fare” ended up showing pornography?
I did grow up in Rhode Island and do remember when those “Jerry Lewis Cinemas” opened (late 60’s I think) and remember attending films there. I was a kid, but didn’t the Jerry Lewis Cinemas show exclusively family fare? I also remember when the whole concept imploded. They didn’t seem to be open for all that long before reverting to other, I assume, individual owners.
My memory may be playing tricks on me as it often does but it seemed that the Johnston Cinema went from Jerry Lewis/family fare to porno over night.
I have never read anything about the whole Jerry Lewis Cinema concept and why it didn’t work. I would like to know more.
Well, it looks like the IFC is taking some more flack from the pro-union folks. John Sayles, who is very pro-union (see MATEWAN)asked to be removed from the IFC’s Board of Advisors if the IFC doesn’t start talking with the union. The union made the letter public and the “Voice” published in this week’s issue.
Some of the other Board of Advisors members — Tim Robbins & Ethan Hawke — also plan to speak to management.
I know I’m not comfortable patronizing the place and will go out of my way to see films elsewhere.
We are looking for smart, friendly people who are passionate about the films we show and are dedicated to making the Angelika and City Cinemas the most dynamic and comfortable theaters in New York City. Here’s a list of jobs that are available:
ASSISTANT MANAGER, Angelika Film Center
The Assistant Manager will support the Managing Director and play a key role in the overall operation of the cinema complex. Qualified candidates will be expected to run the cinema with or without the presence of the Managing Director. Due to the nature of our business, a weekend and holiday work schedule is required. Duties include:
– Oversee cinema operation
– Oversee projection booth operation and maintenance
– Commitment to superior customer service and outstanding film presentation
– Strong emphasis on staff training and development
– Ability to work as a team
– Maintain a clean and safe environment
– Excellent verbal and written communication skills
– Computer skills including familiarity with spreadsheets and word processing
– Cash handling
– Crowd control
– Create weekly team member work schedule
– Weekly and daily concession inventories
– Weekly and daily payroll management
– Ability to operate and trouble shoot projection and sound equipment (will train if necessary)
– Ability to handle pressure and work long hours when necessary
Qualified candidates should have previous management experience, or experience that demonstrates ability to perform above listed duties. Please email your resume to:
Attn: Adam McAree
SERVICE ASSOCIATES, Angelika Film Center & East 86th Street Cinemas
We are looking for team members who love the films we show and are dedicated to making every guest’s visit to our theaters an enjoyable one. Duties include:
Provide individualized and friendly service to each guest
Strong interpersonal and customer service skills
Commitment to a clean and safe environment
Coffee Bar experience welcomed
Previous retail experience is a plus, however we are willing to train candidates who display an attitude and desire to provide our customers with the best service. Due to the nature of our business, a weekend and holiday work schedule is required.
To apply, please stop by your preferred location and speak to a manager:
Angelika Film Center
18 W. Houston (& Mercer)
New York, NY 10012
East 86th Street Cinemas
210 E. 86th Street (& 3rd Ave)
New York, NY 10028
As I expected the Bing Crosby series has been under-attended. I’ve attended seven of the screenings and the only ones that have been well attended have been ANYTHING GOES, the ‘36 version, and the obscure HIGH TOR, which the program notes said was the first made for tv film.
Well, after practically living down on East Houston Street to see all those obscure Paramount Pre-Code films (many not even listed in the “Maltin Guide”) the Summer/Fall schedule doesn’t really float my boat. The big retro is a Samurai series, heavy on Kurosawa films. Not my cup of tea.
As I predicted, the Bing Crosby retro isn’t drawing flies. The prints so far have been excellent. Less people than the just completed Louis Malle retro, which did ok I guess. As I wrote before, I was surprised Malle wasn’t a tougher ticket given how well other French series have done at the WR.
I wonder what the genesis of the Crosby retro is? It is only running for a week or so and it includes only 14 films so it is not comprehensive like the Malle retro. Some guy is there introducing the films and he’s written a book about Crosby. Maybe the book is new and the retro is tied into publication of the tome.
On the other hand, virtually every screening I took in at the Film Forum for the Paramount Pre-code series was jammed, with the FF about 90% filled.
The one thing that make the Angelika special is the ground floor/second floor “cafe.” Without that, it is just another subterranean multiplex a la the defunct Worldwide.
I remember when the Avignon Film Festival was booked into the Angelika 57 Jerome Rudes, who runs the AFF, interviewed Joe Saleh and it was interesting listening to him talk about the Angelika. He said everyone told him he should use the cafe space for “more screens.” He didn’t listen and Angelika became a real destination.
I also remember that the Angelika got off to a rocky start when it first opened back in 1990 or so. The opening kept getting delayed due to “plumbing problems” and there were also the problems with United Artists, which was originally contracted to run the place (but never did).
My first film there was HIDDEN AGENDA by Ken Loach.
I remember when he sold the Angelika to City Cinemas. I heard/read he was going through a divorce. Since then both City Cinemas and the Angelika have seemed to lose their way.
Too bad. I lived in New Haven from ‘80 to '82 when I was right out of college. In fact, I lived a short walk from the cinema on Linwood Place. I remember seeing WOLFEN here and having it scare the bejesus out of me. And I remember taking a date to see THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN at this cinema.
All my memories of New Haven are fading. Macy’s, where I moonlighted, is gone; Malley’s is long gone; the 99-cent cinema in Hamden is now an apartment complex is gone; now the York Square Cinema.
Anyone remember a little sandwich place that was downtown, on one of those small streets across the street from the Chapel Square Mall. Last time I was in New Haven, fall of ‘01, I looked for it and couldn’t find it. And I remember once going into an Italian restaurant around Sherman Avenue. It was on Whalley Ave. I believe. I remember watching Michael Spinks on tv in a boxing max there one Saturday afternoon. I remember the restaurant had the coolest beer tap I had ever seen. It was the only beer tap I had ever seen that looked like this where at the top of tap it had these glass globes where you could see the beer. I tried to find the place years ago but I think it was leveled. And wasn’t there a downtown restaurant where the hamburger was supposedly invented? I couldn’t find that place last time I was there either.
Now that the Weinstein brothers are parting company with Miramax/Disney they have been cleaning out the closets at Miramax and releasing the backlog of films the Weinstein’s acquired, but didn’t release.
The Miramax/Angelika connection is evidenced by THE WARRIOR, which also opened at AMC, yesterday. I wonder how long that one will be around? It actually received a pretty good review in yesterday’s Times.
Well, I would rather see a projectionist get paid a livable wage, even $54 an hour, than see the money go into the rapacious Dolan/Cablevision’s pockets.
And the money they are saving by not paying union wages for projectionists is not reflected in the ticket prices, a hefty $10.75, which as far as I know is the highest in the city.
I know the people who run the Film Forum have nothing but contempt for their counterparts at the Walter Reade. No doubt the FF folks are envious of the greater resources the WR has at its disposal for being part of the Lincoln Center complex, but the FF people feel the WR folks are lazy and don’t use their resources.
I know that it is very rare for the Film Forum to advertise a film then have to announce that they canceled the film because they couldn’t get a print. On the other hand, that is a common occurrence at the WR. They are constantly re-juggling their schedules and often screening inferior 16 mm prints or even video.
In the latest Malle retro they already screwed up THIEF OF PARIS as highlighted above and another one of the Malle docs being screening is a beta copy. I know at the Losey retro they had to cancel several screenings because they couldn’t get prints. And I remember at the Dwan retrospective they screened several 16MM prints.
I could go on and on. I remember when they had those discount matinees underwritten by the Times that were geared for families they screened a TV print of THE GREAT RACE. The film was about an hour short of the advertised running time. And I went to another screening of BETWEEN THE LINES and they projected video; I left.
If AMC and Loews do merge, look for the combined company to divest itself of this turkey. That is if they can find anyone to take it off their hands. Like the decision of Regal to put up that ‘plex in Battery Park City, putting a theatre at this location was a dunderheaded move. What were they thinking?
I am on the e-mail list for this theatre and they now are marketing a singles night at this theatre. For FANTASTIC FOUR they held a screening “just for singles.”
I know Richard Brown, who teaches of those film classes affiliated with the New School or NYU, held his classes at the State. I don’t know if he still does.
I thought AMC was doing well. I thought I read somewhere that the AMC ‘plex in Times Square was that chain’s highest grossing theatre, though that doesn’t necessarily equate to profits.
And I am surprised that the Worldwide Cinema’s rents were so steep. I mean that cinema was underground. What else, besides the boiler room, could they put there?
I noticed it last week as well and this theatre is clearly on its last legs. I remember how delighted Sony was when they opened this theatre and they talked about how they were sorry they didn’t build more screens.
People don’t remember, but it was still a fairly risky proposition for the Virgin Store to open that store on Times Square when they did. The store did much better that Virgin expected and I think they actually stayed open later than they planned.
I wonder how the State feels now.
DARK WATER opened there today and three what are no doubt Bollywood films are playing there, DUS, PAHELI and SARKAR. No display ads for the latter three. And DARK WATER is also playing nearby at the E-Walk and it is not often that there is duplication between those two sister cinemas.
And PAHELI is also playing at ImaginAsian. Talk about cutting each other’s throat.
I can’t imagine those Bollywood flicks are drawing unless whoever is programming those theatres is doing intensive outreach to the communities that patronize Bollywood fare.
I found it interesting that THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY has opened at the AMC and at the Quad. AMC must be desperate for product to fill all those screensif they are booking a movie that is also playing at the Quad.
On the other hand, given all the screens downtown, Angelika, Landmark and IFC, I am surprised that the Quad was able to get TBC. I would have thought that Sony Pictures Classics, which is distributing TBC, would have had the clout with those other, more high-profile downtown art houses to place TBC there.
CRONICOS is also opening at AMC, but it is opening downtown at the Angelika.
I noticed that Ingmar Bergman’s SARABAND, which opened today, is booked at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and at the Film Forum. I can’t remember another film that opened at the Film Forum and at a commercial cinema simultaneously. Sometimes films open at FF and then slide into a commercial cinema.
I was under the impression that Film Forum was only supposed to screen films that wouldn’t get a commercial screening elsewhere. I can’t believe that IFC, the Angelika or the Landmark wouldn’t have liked to have that Bergman film considering the junk they have been booking lately.
I don’t know how much the FF impacts the Angelika since it is a non-profit theatre and is chartered to only screen films that would not get screened in commercial theatres, but I think the Landmark has had a huge impact on Angelika and now the IFC Center looms. Landmark is a more modern multi-plex with bigger theatres and modern amenities such as stadium seating. Landmark also is a national chain and a deep pocketed owner (Mark Cuban) while the Angelica is owned by a fading company, City Cinemas. Most of those films playing at the Landmark would have played at the Angelika.
Many of the films that would have screened at the Quad, Cinema Village or City Cinemas Village East now pop up in the Angelika where they last for a week or two before sliding over to The Village East. Junk like THE TALENT GIVEN US, MODIGLIANI and WILD SIDE have been featured at the Angelika in recent weeks.
I am not into non-narrative film making so I don’t go here all that often, though I was there Fourth of July weekend to take another look at Herzog’s haunting “Lessons of Darkness” documentary.
I have seen many films here. For a brief time Fabio Canosa, a film programmer who also worked at the Public and Symphony Space among other venues, was affiliated with AFA and I remember going there more often when he was associated with Anthology. I know he wanted Anthology to install a marquee and to get the MTA to leave the subway entrance at Houston & Second Avenue open after 9 p.m.
What is funny is how the neighborhood around AFA is rapidly gentrifying. There is luxury housing literally going up across the street. CBGB, the legendary punk bar, one block east is now surrounded by luxury apartments and trendy restaurants. Amazing how NYC changes.
I can’t remember, but I did notice that the display ads for SUMMER OF LOVE and HEIGHTS did not list the Kew Gardens Cinema. I saw both of those films yesterday for $5.50 each, which is a terrific bargain. In fact, I have the Times in front of me now and there is a display ad for HEIGHTS and it lists only the Paris and UA 14th St. as the theatres where it is playing.
I paid $10.75 to see ME AND YOU & EVERYONE WE KNOW at IFC and that is coming out to KG, where I could have seen it for $5.50. And I know City Cinemas Village East charges $10.75. Until I found this site I would have never patronized the Kew Gardens Cinemas. I am going to wait — there is usually a lag between the time art films open in Manhattan and make their way to Kew Gardens — to see these films to take advantage of the low ticket prices at KG. $5.50 is a steal.
I am surprised to learn that this theatre was a porno house since this is such as upscale neighborhood. I was walking down some of the side streets back and forth to the subway and there are some beautiful single-family homes.
I hated, absolutely hated, BROKEN FLOWERS. Given all the accolades it was received with at Cannes, I had high expectatins, but they were quickly dashed. I’m apparently in the minority though because A.O. Scott in The Times (on the front page of the Weekend Arts Section, praised it. Murray’s ennui did not work with Jarmusch’s ennui. Combine the two and not too much happens.
What was interesting was the crowd reaction because there was lots of laughter through the first two-thirds of the film and then no more laughter as the film kind of got serious. I didn’t notice much difference between the first two-thirds/“laughing” part of the film and the last third/“serious” part of the film, but the audience reacted differently.
I attended 10 of the 14 films screened in this series that ended a week and a half ago or so and it didn’t draw all that well for the most part.
They had the President of the Bing Crosby Fan Club introducing many of the films and he had a hand in organizing the retro and used his contacts to get some good and from what I understand rare prints.
HIGH TOR, which was a print from Crosby’s widow, kind of melted on screen. The films got tangled and made that “melting look” on the screen you seen once in a while
And the print for THE EMPEROR’S WALTZ was terrific, but some sloppy projection. We would see the “leader” of the end of the reel/beginning of the reels. Kind of sloppy.
I was at the DGA Theatre last night for an advanced screening oF BROKEN FLOWERS. It looks like the DGA is sprucing up the theatre. They seemed to have pulled some seats out in the front and added some in the back or did something to the back of the theatre. That snack bar in the basement is also gone. It was circular and free standing.
I agree that there is something intangible about seeing a film at the Paris. You almost feel like you are entering a cathedral. I was there for the first time in awhile Friday night for BALZAC AND THE LITTLE SEAMSTRESS and there is an ambiance. I may be imagining it, but the theatre seems almost circular.
Isn’t it ironic that a cinema that was set up to program “family fare” ended up showing pornography?
I did grow up in Rhode Island and do remember when those “Jerry Lewis Cinemas” opened (late 60’s I think) and remember attending films there. I was a kid, but didn’t the Jerry Lewis Cinemas show exclusively family fare? I also remember when the whole concept imploded. They didn’t seem to be open for all that long before reverting to other, I assume, individual owners.
My memory may be playing tricks on me as it often does but it seemed that the Johnston Cinema went from Jerry Lewis/family fare to porno over night.
I have never read anything about the whole Jerry Lewis Cinema concept and why it didn’t work. I would like to know more.
Well, it looks like the IFC is taking some more flack from the pro-union folks. John Sayles, who is very pro-union (see MATEWAN)asked to be removed from the IFC’s Board of Advisors if the IFC doesn’t start talking with the union. The union made the letter public and the “Voice” published in this week’s issue.
Some of the other Board of Advisors members — Tim Robbins & Ethan Hawke — also plan to speak to management.
I know I’m not comfortable patronizing the place and will go out of my way to see films elsewhere.
A nice gig if you can get it:
We are looking for smart, friendly people who are passionate about the films we show and are dedicated to making the Angelika and City Cinemas the most dynamic and comfortable theaters in New York City. Here’s a list of jobs that are available:
ASSISTANT MANAGER, Angelika Film Center
The Assistant Manager will support the Managing Director and play a key role in the overall operation of the cinema complex. Qualified candidates will be expected to run the cinema with or without the presence of the Managing Director. Due to the nature of our business, a weekend and holiday work schedule is required. Duties include:
– Oversee cinema operation
– Oversee projection booth operation and maintenance
– Commitment to superior customer service and outstanding film presentation
– Strong emphasis on staff training and development
– Ability to work as a team
– Maintain a clean and safe environment
– Excellent verbal and written communication skills
– Computer skills including familiarity with spreadsheets and word processing
– Cash handling
– Crowd control
– Create weekly team member work schedule
– Weekly and daily concession inventories
– Weekly and daily payroll management
– Ability to operate and trouble shoot projection and sound equipment (will train if necessary)
– Ability to handle pressure and work long hours when necessary
Qualified candidates should have previous management experience, or experience that demonstrates ability to perform above listed duties. Please email your resume to:
Attn: Adam McAree
SERVICE ASSOCIATES, Angelika Film Center & East 86th Street Cinemas
We are looking for team members who love the films we show and are dedicated to making every guest’s visit to our theaters an enjoyable one. Duties include:
Previous retail experience is a plus, however we are willing to train candidates who display an attitude and desire to provide our customers with the best service. Due to the nature of our business, a weekend and holiday work schedule is required.
To apply, please stop by your preferred location and speak to a manager:
Angelika Film Center
18 W. Houston (& Mercer)
New York, NY 10012
East 86th Street Cinemas
210 E. 86th Street (& 3rd Ave)
New York, NY 10028
City Cinemas is an equal opportunity employer.
As I expected the Bing Crosby series has been under-attended. I’ve attended seven of the screenings and the only ones that have been well attended have been ANYTHING GOES, the ‘36 version, and the obscure HIGH TOR, which the program notes said was the first made for tv film.
Also some weird people at the screenings.
Well, after practically living down on East Houston Street to see all those obscure Paramount Pre-Code films (many not even listed in the “Maltin Guide”) the Summer/Fall schedule doesn’t really float my boat. The big retro is a Samurai series, heavy on Kurosawa films. Not my cup of tea.
The battle for downtown continues. This week four “big” art films opened:
Landmark got NOVEMBER and one with the most buzz, Gus Van Sant’s Kurt Cobain “biopic” LAST DAYS.
IFC got THE EDUKATORS.
And the Angelika got 9 SONGS, where it is playing exclusively.
In the “old days” I bet all four of those films would have screened at the Angelika.
As I predicted, the Bing Crosby retro isn’t drawing flies. The prints so far have been excellent. Less people than the just completed Louis Malle retro, which did ok I guess. As I wrote before, I was surprised Malle wasn’t a tougher ticket given how well other French series have done at the WR.
I wonder what the genesis of the Crosby retro is? It is only running for a week or so and it includes only 14 films so it is not comprehensive like the Malle retro. Some guy is there introducing the films and he’s written a book about Crosby. Maybe the book is new and the retro is tied into publication of the tome.
On the other hand, virtually every screening I took in at the Film Forum for the Paramount Pre-code series was jammed, with the FF about 90% filled.
The one thing that make the Angelika special is the ground floor/second floor “cafe.” Without that, it is just another subterranean multiplex a la the defunct Worldwide.
I remember when the Avignon Film Festival was booked into the Angelika 57 Jerome Rudes, who runs the AFF, interviewed Joe Saleh and it was interesting listening to him talk about the Angelika. He said everyone told him he should use the cafe space for “more screens.” He didn’t listen and Angelika became a real destination.
I also remember that the Angelika got off to a rocky start when it first opened back in 1990 or so. The opening kept getting delayed due to “plumbing problems” and there were also the problems with United Artists, which was originally contracted to run the place (but never did).
My first film there was HIDDEN AGENDA by Ken Loach.
I remember when he sold the Angelika to City Cinemas. I heard/read he was going through a divorce. Since then both City Cinemas and the Angelika have seemed to lose their way.
Too bad. I lived in New Haven from ‘80 to '82 when I was right out of college. In fact, I lived a short walk from the cinema on Linwood Place. I remember seeing WOLFEN here and having it scare the bejesus out of me. And I remember taking a date to see THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMAN at this cinema.
All my memories of New Haven are fading. Macy’s, where I moonlighted, is gone; Malley’s is long gone; the 99-cent cinema in Hamden is now an apartment complex is gone; now the York Square Cinema.
Anyone remember a little sandwich place that was downtown, on one of those small streets across the street from the Chapel Square Mall. Last time I was in New Haven, fall of ‘01, I looked for it and couldn’t find it. And I remember once going into an Italian restaurant around Sherman Avenue. It was on Whalley Ave. I believe. I remember watching Michael Spinks on tv in a boxing max there one Saturday afternoon. I remember the restaurant had the coolest beer tap I had ever seen. It was the only beer tap I had ever seen that looked like this where at the top of tap it had these glass globes where you could see the beer. I tried to find the place years ago but I think it was leveled. And wasn’t there a downtown restaurant where the hamburger was supposedly invented? I couldn’t find that place last time I was there either.
Now that the Weinstein brothers are parting company with Miramax/Disney they have been cleaning out the closets at Miramax and releasing the backlog of films the Weinstein’s acquired, but didn’t release.
The Miramax/Angelika connection is evidenced by THE WARRIOR, which also opened at AMC, yesterday. I wonder how long that one will be around? It actually received a pretty good review in yesterday’s Times.
Well, I would rather see a projectionist get paid a livable wage, even $54 an hour, than see the money go into the rapacious Dolan/Cablevision’s pockets.
And the money they are saving by not paying union wages for projectionists is not reflected in the ticket prices, a hefty $10.75, which as far as I know is the highest in the city.
I know the people who run the Film Forum have nothing but contempt for their counterparts at the Walter Reade. No doubt the FF folks are envious of the greater resources the WR has at its disposal for being part of the Lincoln Center complex, but the FF people feel the WR folks are lazy and don’t use their resources.
I know that it is very rare for the Film Forum to advertise a film then have to announce that they canceled the film because they couldn’t get a print. On the other hand, that is a common occurrence at the WR. They are constantly re-juggling their schedules and often screening inferior 16 mm prints or even video.
In the latest Malle retro they already screwed up THIEF OF PARIS as highlighted above and another one of the Malle docs being screening is a beta copy. I know at the Losey retro they had to cancel several screenings because they couldn’t get prints. And I remember at the Dwan retrospective they screened several 16MM prints.
I could go on and on. I remember when they had those discount matinees underwritten by the Times that were geared for families they screened a TV print of THE GREAT RACE. The film was about an hour short of the advertised running time. And I went to another screening of BETWEEN THE LINES and they projected video; I left.
If AMC and Loews do merge, look for the combined company to divest itself of this turkey. That is if they can find anyone to take it off their hands. Like the decision of Regal to put up that ‘plex in Battery Park City, putting a theatre at this location was a dunderheaded move. What were they thinking?
I am on the e-mail list for this theatre and they now are marketing a singles night at this theatre. For FANTASTIC FOUR they held a screening “just for singles.”
I know Richard Brown, who teaches of those film classes affiliated with the New School or NYU, held his classes at the State. I don’t know if he still does.
I thought AMC was doing well. I thought I read somewhere that the AMC ‘plex in Times Square was that chain’s highest grossing theatre, though that doesn’t necessarily equate to profits.
And I am surprised that the Worldwide Cinema’s rents were so steep. I mean that cinema was underground. What else, besides the boiler room, could they put there?
I noticed it last week as well and this theatre is clearly on its last legs. I remember how delighted Sony was when they opened this theatre and they talked about how they were sorry they didn’t build more screens.
People don’t remember, but it was still a fairly risky proposition for the Virgin Store to open that store on Times Square when they did. The store did much better that Virgin expected and I think they actually stayed open later than they planned.
I wonder how the State feels now.
DARK WATER opened there today and three what are no doubt Bollywood films are playing there, DUS, PAHELI and SARKAR. No display ads for the latter three. And DARK WATER is also playing nearby at the E-Walk and it is not often that there is duplication between those two sister cinemas.
And PAHELI is also playing at ImaginAsian. Talk about cutting each other’s throat.
I can’t imagine those Bollywood flicks are drawing unless whoever is programming those theatres is doing intensive outreach to the communities that patronize Bollywood fare.
I found it interesting that THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY has opened at the AMC and at the Quad. AMC must be desperate for product to fill all those screensif they are booking a movie that is also playing at the Quad.
On the other hand, given all the screens downtown, Angelika, Landmark and IFC, I am surprised that the Quad was able to get TBC. I would have thought that Sony Pictures Classics, which is distributing TBC, would have had the clout with those other, more high-profile downtown art houses to place TBC there.
CRONICOS is also opening at AMC, but it is opening downtown at the Angelika.
I noticed that Ingmar Bergman’s SARABAND, which opened today, is booked at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and at the Film Forum. I can’t remember another film that opened at the Film Forum and at a commercial cinema simultaneously. Sometimes films open at FF and then slide into a commercial cinema.
I was under the impression that Film Forum was only supposed to screen films that wouldn’t get a commercial screening elsewhere. I can’t believe that IFC, the Angelika or the Landmark wouldn’t have liked to have that Bergman film considering the junk they have been booking lately.
I don’t know how much the FF impacts the Angelika since it is a non-profit theatre and is chartered to only screen films that would not get screened in commercial theatres, but I think the Landmark has had a huge impact on Angelika and now the IFC Center looms. Landmark is a more modern multi-plex with bigger theatres and modern amenities such as stadium seating. Landmark also is a national chain and a deep pocketed owner (Mark Cuban) while the Angelica is owned by a fading company, City Cinemas. Most of those films playing at the Landmark would have played at the Angelika.
Many of the films that would have screened at the Quad, Cinema Village or City Cinemas Village East now pop up in the Angelika where they last for a week or two before sliding over to The Village East. Junk like THE TALENT GIVEN US, MODIGLIANI and WILD SIDE have been featured at the Angelika in recent weeks.
I am not into non-narrative film making so I don’t go here all that often, though I was there Fourth of July weekend to take another look at Herzog’s haunting “Lessons of Darkness” documentary.
I have seen many films here. For a brief time Fabio Canosa, a film programmer who also worked at the Public and Symphony Space among other venues, was affiliated with AFA and I remember going there more often when he was associated with Anthology. I know he wanted Anthology to install a marquee and to get the MTA to leave the subway entrance at Houston & Second Avenue open after 9 p.m.
What is funny is how the neighborhood around AFA is rapidly gentrifying. There is luxury housing literally going up across the street. CBGB, the legendary punk bar, one block east is now surrounded by luxury apartments and trendy restaurants. Amazing how NYC changes.
I can’t remember, but I did notice that the display ads for SUMMER OF LOVE and HEIGHTS did not list the Kew Gardens Cinema. I saw both of those films yesterday for $5.50 each, which is a terrific bargain. In fact, I have the Times in front of me now and there is a display ad for HEIGHTS and it lists only the Paris and UA 14th St. as the theatres where it is playing.
I paid $10.75 to see ME AND YOU & EVERYONE WE KNOW at IFC and that is coming out to KG, where I could have seen it for $5.50. And I know City Cinemas Village East charges $10.75. Until I found this site I would have never patronized the Kew Gardens Cinemas. I am going to wait — there is usually a lag between the time art films open in Manhattan and make their way to Kew Gardens — to see these films to take advantage of the low ticket prices at KG. $5.50 is a steal.
I am surprised to learn that this theatre was a porno house since this is such as upscale neighborhood. I was walking down some of the side streets back and forth to the subway and there are some beautiful single-family homes.