When I go to the theatre, I like to sit in the center, or 2/3 to ¾ to the back of the theatre, yet as close to the aisle as possible so that if I need to make a pit stop( get the drift?), it’ll be easy for me to do without having to impose on the people sitting near me.
Hey, fellow cinematreasurers and West Side Story fans (if you’re out there!):
I attended the 50th-year Anniversary TCM West Side Story movie Event here in Boston with a friend, and we loved every minute of it!
I also went solo to the screening of the film West Side Story at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, which they showed as the final part of their annual Big Screen Classic series, and loved every minute of that, too.
When I first saw the film West Side Story 43 years ago, as a high school Senior, little did I know that this was the beginning of a 40-some-odd year love affair with a great classic movie. Since then, I’ve seen the film West Side Story more times than I’m able or willing to count, in theatres, on TV, and even on DVD and video, and I’m still keeping my ears and eyes out for the next screening of WSS!
But don’t people with disabilities of some sort or other have the right to enjoy the same things (including movies) that people without disabilities do? That’s one of the purposes of the ADA. Making movie theatres handicapped-accessible, as well as having closed-captions is important.
Thanks for the interesting piece of info, DEFG. A friend of mine and I attended the West Side Story event the other night, to a mostly-filled movie theatre, and we both had lots of fun. My friend, who’s several years older than me, hadn’t seen it since it came out 50 years ago, so it was a treat for her, as well as I, who’s seen West Side Story more times than I’m able and/or willing to count at this point, and continues, as my mother would say, to be a creature of habit, as West Side Story’s a hard film for me to resist.
The fact that the SCOTUS, under the Reagan Administration, voted, by one vote, to allow movies to be taped on video, is what ultimately led to the decline of cinema, and yet, there are other things that’ve come into play, as well.
Parents often work long hours, and don’t have the time or money to take the family/friends to movies, and to spend seeing movies in movie theatres.
City and Town officials have all too often allowed movie theatres to fall into disrepair, so that people no longer find them attractive to go to.
Parking and commuting, whether by car or public transportation to movie theatres, can be and all too often is a problem.
The overall quality of movies being produced today has declined considerably.
Rude and inconsiderate people in the audience, who often text, talk on their cellphones, and talk loudly among themselves during the movies, as well as people throwing their trash on the floor and leaving it there have also contributed to less movie theatre going than in the past.
I also believe, however, that there’ll still be people like myself who prefer to go to the movies and see great films as they’re meant to be seen, rather than stay home and watch them on Blu-Ray/DVD or whatever.
I agree that more money has to be spent on education, but what’s wrong with renovating and re-opening a movie theatre for people’s enjoyment? There are far too few things to enjoy these days! Our tax dollars still go into building weapons of war and fighting illicit, stupid, wrongheaded and unnecessary wars abroad, destroying countries and killing, sickening and maiming their people.
If not for that, there’s be far more money to spend on education and on things for people to enjoy here at home.
Yay! For the longest time, I’ve been hoping and wishing that a big 50th-year Anniversary national re-release of West Side Story into the movie theatres nationwide would take place, and now it’s finally happening! I’m looking forward to it, and I’ll be there, come hell or high water!
:)
The fact that West Side Story is also due to be release on Blu-Ray DVD is worrisome to me for the following reasons:
A) West Side Story is a magificent classic film that won ten well-earned awards and deserves to be shown on a great big, wide movie screen, in a real movie theatre with the lights down low…the way it’s meant to be seen.
B) The release of so many movies on Blu-Ray sounds like a forced take-over, because not everybody is willing or able to change over to Blu-Ray, and they’ll be deprived of seeing desireable films such as WSS as a result.
C) Blu-Ray DVD’s don’t work if one doesn’t have a special Blu-Ray DVD player, and a decent one can be prohibitively expensive.
D) Will West Side Story’s release on Blu-Ray mean the end of this magificent classic movie ever playing again in real movie theatres? I certainly hope not, because there are plenty of people (myself included, who don’t wish to be deprived of the right to see a great classic film like West Side Story as it’s really MEANT to be viewed; on a great big, wide movie theatre screen, in a real movie theatre, with the lights down low.
I also might add that you all may be interested to know that I’ve purchased tickets for both special West Side Story events….well in advance and printed them out at home, so I now have them both ready at hand!
Yeahhhhh! I’m sooooooo happy that West Side Story is having a 50th-year Anniversary re-release. I’ll be attending the big WSS event here in Boston, at Regal Fenway, on November 9th, and another screening of West Side Story at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, which’ll be the final part of their Big Screen Classic Series for this year, on November 14th! Woo-hoo…I’m happy, happy, happy…and excited!!
Sorry to hear about the prints of some of the films for the scheduled “HorrorThon” at the Lafayette Theatre, Peter, Jeff, Marcel and ChasSmith. That sounds like a real drag, and it’s unfortunate that MGM never bothered to make newer, better prints of “Hounds of the Baskervilles” and “Madhouse”. That must’ve put a stain on the whole program. Sorry to hear and read about that.
Double features can be exciting, especially if they’re good, 2 for 1. Not that long ago, in a movie theatre not far from where I live, a double feature of “Goodfellas”, which I liked, and “Casinos”, which I didn’t like (I walked out of it after ten minutes), played. Oh well.
Back to the Lafayette Theatre; I hope the community around that theatre continues to have and enjoy that theatre for many, many years to come. It looks like a beautiful theatre, both inside and out!
Ahhhhh… yes! “The Monster That Challenged The World”!! I remember that movie! I saw it when it first came out (as a pre-teen, of course) and enjoyed it a great deal.
Oh, no! Really? I think that the reason that rodents end up in movie theatres is because people drop their food on the floor, which attracts them. I did see the 70th Anniversary screening of The Wizard of Oz in the Fenway Cinema a couple of years ago, and it was quite good.
The Orson Welles Cinema…..ahhhhh, yes! Memory lane! I didn’t go to film school, but I remember frequenting the Orson Welles quite a bit as a student, and for many years after that, especially when I lived right around the corner from that cinema! I saw many a great movie at the Orson Welles Cinema, including my all time favorite, West Side Story. Those days were grand…and…gone…for.ever! (sniff, sniff).
Thanks, Peter. Glad the Lafayette Theatre made it through the storm.
Everything in our area, including the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Brattle Theatre was closed down, at least in part due to the shut-down of the MBTA.
Cool!! Thanks for posting this video!
“Cinema Paradiso” sounds like a wonderful film. I’d love to see it if it ever comes around again.
Cool!! Glad there’s another cinema that’s not a big multi-theatre cineplex.
When I go to the theatre, I like to sit in the center, or 2/3 to ¾ to the back of the theatre, yet as close to the aisle as possible so that if I need to make a pit stop( get the drift?), it’ll be easy for me to do without having to impose on the people sitting near me.
Hey, fellow cinematreasurers and West Side Story fans (if you’re out there!):
I attended the 50th-year Anniversary TCM West Side Story movie Event here in Boston with a friend, and we loved every minute of it!
I also went solo to the screening of the film West Side Story at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, which they showed as the final part of their annual Big Screen Classic series, and loved every minute of that, too.
When I first saw the film West Side Story 43 years ago, as a high school Senior, little did I know that this was the beginning of a 40-some-odd year love affair with a great classic movie. Since then, I’ve seen the film West Side Story more times than I’m able or willing to count, in theatres, on TV, and even on DVD and video, and I’m still keeping my ears and eyes out for the next screening of WSS!
But don’t people with disabilities of some sort or other have the right to enjoy the same things (including movies) that people without disabilities do? That’s one of the purposes of the ADA. Making movie theatres handicapped-accessible, as well as having closed-captions is important.
Thanks for the interesting piece of info, DEFG. A friend of mine and I attended the West Side Story event the other night, to a mostly-filled movie theatre, and we both had lots of fun. My friend, who’s several years older than me, hadn’t seen it since it came out 50 years ago, so it was a treat for her, as well as I, who’s seen West Side Story more times than I’m able and/or willing to count at this point, and continues, as my mother would say, to be a creature of habit, as West Side Story’s a hard film for me to resist.
The fact that the SCOTUS, under the Reagan Administration, voted, by one vote, to allow movies to be taped on video, is what ultimately led to the decline of cinema, and yet, there are other things that’ve come into play, as well.
Parents often work long hours, and don’t have the time or money to take the family/friends to movies, and to spend seeing movies in movie theatres.
City and Town officials have all too often allowed movie theatres to fall into disrepair, so that people no longer find them attractive to go to.
Parking and commuting, whether by car or public transportation to movie theatres, can be and all too often is a problem.
The overall quality of movies being produced today has declined considerably.
Rude and inconsiderate people in the audience, who often text, talk on their cellphones, and talk loudly among themselves during the movies, as well as people throwing their trash on the floor and leaving it there have also contributed to less movie theatre going than in the past.
I also believe, however, that there’ll still be people like myself who prefer to go to the movies and see great films as they’re meant to be seen, rather than stay home and watch them on Blu-Ray/DVD or whatever.
I agree that more money has to be spent on education, but what’s wrong with renovating and re-opening a movie theatre for people’s enjoyment? There are far too few things to enjoy these days! Our tax dollars still go into building weapons of war and fighting illicit, stupid, wrongheaded and unnecessary wars abroad, destroying countries and killing, sickening and maiming their people.
If not for that, there’s be far more money to spend on education and on things for people to enjoy here at home.
Yay! For the longest time, I’ve been hoping and wishing that a big 50th-year Anniversary national re-release of West Side Story into the movie theatres nationwide would take place, and now it’s finally happening! I’m looking forward to it, and I’ll be there, come hell or high water! :)
The fact that West Side Story is also due to be release on Blu-Ray DVD is worrisome to me for the following reasons:
A) West Side Story is a magificent classic film that won ten well-earned awards and deserves to be shown on a great big, wide movie screen, in a real movie theatre with the lights down low…the way it’s meant to be seen.
B) The release of so many movies on Blu-Ray sounds like a forced take-over, because not everybody is willing or able to change over to Blu-Ray, and they’ll be deprived of seeing desireable films such as WSS as a result.
C) Blu-Ray DVD’s don’t work if one doesn’t have a special Blu-Ray DVD player, and a decent one can be prohibitively expensive.
D) Will West Side Story’s release on Blu-Ray mean the end of this magificent classic movie ever playing again in real movie theatres? I certainly hope not, because there are plenty of people (myself included, who don’t wish to be deprived of the right to see a great classic film like West Side Story as it’s really MEANT to be viewed; on a great big, wide movie theatre screen, in a real movie theatre, with the lights down low.
I like this article and the pictures also. Too bad there weren’t more pictures of big-screen movie theatres included.
Cool! I love it!
I also might add that you all may be interested to know that I’ve purchased tickets for both special West Side Story events….well in advance and printed them out at home, so I now have them both ready at hand!
Yeahhhhh! I’m sooooooo happy that West Side Story is having a 50th-year Anniversary re-release. I’ll be attending the big WSS event here in Boston, at Regal Fenway, on November 9th, and another screening of West Side Story at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, which’ll be the final part of their Big Screen Classic Series for this year, on November 14th! Woo-hoo…I’m happy, happy, happy…and excited!!
:)
Sorry to hear about the prints of some of the films for the scheduled “HorrorThon” at the Lafayette Theatre, Peter, Jeff, Marcel and ChasSmith. That sounds like a real drag, and it’s unfortunate that MGM never bothered to make newer, better prints of “Hounds of the Baskervilles” and “Madhouse”. That must’ve put a stain on the whole program. Sorry to hear and read about that.
Double features can be exciting, especially if they’re good, 2 for 1. Not that long ago, in a movie theatre not far from where I live, a double feature of “Goodfellas”, which I liked, and “Casinos”, which I didn’t like (I walked out of it after ten minutes), played. Oh well.
Back to the Lafayette Theatre; I hope the community around that theatre continues to have and enjoy that theatre for many, many years to come. It looks like a beautiful theatre, both inside and out!
Thanks for the heads up, Peter!
Ahhhhh… yes! “The Monster That Challenged The World”!! I remember that movie! I saw it when it first came out (as a pre-teen, of course) and enjoyed it a great deal.
Oh, no! Really? I think that the reason that rodents end up in movie theatres is because people drop their food on the floor, which attracts them. I did see the 70th Anniversary screening of The Wizard of Oz in the Fenway Cinema a couple of years ago, and it was quite good.
The Orson Welles Cinema…..ahhhhh, yes! Memory lane! I didn’t go to film school, but I remember frequenting the Orson Welles quite a bit as a student, and for many years after that, especially when I lived right around the corner from that cinema! I saw many a great movie at the Orson Welles Cinema, including my all time favorite, West Side Story. Those days were grand…and…gone…for.ever! (sniff, sniff).
Hi, Peter. Thanks for posting the Fall Classics schedule.
The only ones on your fall classics list so far I’ve heard of are Guns of Navarone, It’s a Wonderful Life, and Bye Bye Birdie.
Thanks, Peter. Glad the Lafayette Theatre made it through the storm.
Everything in our area, including the Coolidge Corner Theatre and the Brattle Theatre was closed down, at least in part due to the shut-down of the MBTA.
I love the Coolidge Corner Theatre, and I always will. Holding an annual membership there really helps.
Hello, it’s been awhile! I, too hope that the city of Suffern, and the Lafayette Theatre made it unscathed through Irene’s wrath.
What a handsome opera house!