You know, I never go to the movies. I always watch DVDs (or sometimes tapes) at home. The advantages are obvious. No loud talkers, no screaming kids, and I can pause to go to the bathroom or mix a drink. Heck, you can't even get beverage service in most movie theaters.
But I used to go to a lot of movies. We used to go to the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline 2-3 times a week, for a samurai double feature. When we moved to CA, I went to the Bijou in Palo Alto, now Gordon-Biersch Brewery and the Palo Alto, now Borders Bookstore. Also, a little place whose name I can't remember, where the first few rows were beanbag chairs, now an Italian restaurant or something.
I still go to the Stanford sometimes - an amazing rejuvenated movie palace playing an amazing repertory lineup, supported by the Packard Foundation. There's even a mighty Wurlitzer that plays between films and during silents.
Reading the film blogs, I get the sense of a great film appreciation culture. I've spotlighted 3 theaters that I've never been to, but want to:
- New Beverly: great repertory
- Egyptian: home of the American Cinematheque
- Mission Tiki: Last of the great drive-ins?
1 comment:
There's something special about seeing a movie in a theater . . . but NOT with a boorish audience. The art houses that run the indy films tend to have the best audiences (like the Coolidge). If I see a movie I love, I often make an effort to see it again before it leaves the theaters.
Speaking of the Coolidge, I saw West Side Story there just last week.
Post a Comment