Saw “Inglourious Basterds” there a couple of weeks ago with a decent-sized, enthusiastic crowd. So nice to see this place up & running well again. It’s now one of my “go-to” theaters for affordable moviegoing (along with the Davis and the Logan). Options? Are good.
Went there yesterday. Clean and fresh, with what looked like new carpeting and refurbished seats (at least I think they were refurbished—my butt didn’t fall asleep during “Public Enemies”), and the faint smell of fresh paint was in the air. The biggest change? The staff. The previous crew looked like extras from a George Romero movie—slow, unenthusiastic, disinterested. The new crew? Bright, friendly, eager, helpful. I’ll gladly go again.
Went to the Norridge on Saturday to see “Drag Me to Hell.” Hadn’t been there in ages. Used to go there all the time when I was a kid (because the neighborhood theaters were falling apart and the downtown theaters were scary), so I’m happy it’s still around and in pretty good shape, as far as I can tell.
I saw “The Mist” at the Village North this past weekend. the theater was clean enough, but the staff was indifferent (they left me and several other patrons standing on the sidewalk until five minutes before showtime), the bathroom was poorly maintained (how do you run out of paper towels five minutes after opening?) and it wasn’t well heated (a sign in the window said they were having “problems with Peoples Energy”). I would chalk this up as a bad day at a good theater if I hadn’t had a near identical experience at the Lincoln Village a couple of weeks before. That points to poor management. I hope Village North survives—I believe it’s the oldest active movie house in Chicago, and it would be a shame to see it go.
I live just a few blocks from there and recently too photos of it. The import/wholesale shop appears to be closed; the building looks vacant. Hope that doesn’t mean another teardown is imminent.
The last movie I saw there was the restored “Rear Window.” It was a late-evening showing, and there couldn’t have been more than a dozen people in the theater. About midway through the movie, I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye—something had shot across the aisle close to the front row. “No. That couldn’t have been…” I stopped watching the movie and stared at the aisle. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, a rat darted back across the aisle. I held my popcorn close for the rest of “Rear Window” and never went back again.
The National that stood on the site of the Oakley wasn’t merely “demolished”—it too burned down, just as its predecessor on that plot of land had in one of those spectacular blazes that everyone can see from miles away and that makes all the evening newscasts. After it was determined that the building was a total loss, it was torn down to make way for the Burger King.
Is anything happening with this property?
Saw “Inglourious Basterds” there a couple of weeks ago with a decent-sized, enthusiastic crowd. So nice to see this place up & running well again. It’s now one of my “go-to” theaters for affordable moviegoing (along with the Davis and the Logan). Options? Are good.
Went there yesterday. Clean and fresh, with what looked like new carpeting and refurbished seats (at least I think they were refurbished—my butt didn’t fall asleep during “Public Enemies”), and the faint smell of fresh paint was in the air. The biggest change? The staff. The previous crew looked like extras from a George Romero movie—slow, unenthusiastic, disinterested. The new crew? Bright, friendly, eager, helpful. I’ll gladly go again.
Went to the Norridge on Saturday to see “Drag Me to Hell.” Hadn’t been there in ages. Used to go there all the time when I was a kid (because the neighborhood theaters were falling apart and the downtown theaters were scary), so I’m happy it’s still around and in pretty good shape, as far as I can tell.
The Ramova still stand—I took pictures of it yesterday.
I saw “The Mist” at the Village North this past weekend. the theater was clean enough, but the staff was indifferent (they left me and several other patrons standing on the sidewalk until five minutes before showtime), the bathroom was poorly maintained (how do you run out of paper towels five minutes after opening?) and it wasn’t well heated (a sign in the window said they were having “problems with Peoples Energy”). I would chalk this up as a bad day at a good theater if I hadn’t had a near identical experience at the Lincoln Village a couple of weeks before. That points to poor management. I hope Village North survives—I believe it’s the oldest active movie house in Chicago, and it would be a shame to see it go.
I live just a few blocks from there and recently too photos of it. The import/wholesale shop appears to be closed; the building looks vacant. Hope that doesn’t mean another teardown is imminent.
The last movie I saw there was the restored “Rear Window.” It was a late-evening showing, and there couldn’t have been more than a dozen people in the theater. About midway through the movie, I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye—something had shot across the aisle close to the front row. “No. That couldn’t have been…” I stopped watching the movie and stared at the aisle. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, a rat darted back across the aisle. I held my popcorn close for the rest of “Rear Window” and never went back again.
The National that stood on the site of the Oakley wasn’t merely “demolished”—it too burned down, just as its predecessor on that plot of land had in one of those spectacular blazes that everyone can see from miles away and that makes all the evening newscasts. After it was determined that the building was a total loss, it was torn down to make way for the Burger King.