Movie Venues By Devin Greaney, freelance writer December, 2002. Not Published
Almost every publication reviews movies, but how often do you read reviews of where and how to see them? Watching different movies in different places showed where you watch can be as interesting in what you watch. I have included the theater, the movie and what I paid to get in. Yes, I did pay to get in, I didn’t smuggle in my softdrink and Milkduds and turned off my cellphone.
THE PARAMOUNT “Singing in the Rain” $7
First was a step back in time. Not just the movie itself but the Paramount Theater. The theater was built in 1915 and was a natural for this 1952 movie.
Many evenings the Paramount runs a classic film from the days many long for. The movie had not that great a plot, but music and dance was the real reason it was on the screen. It was a movie from a time when musical numbers brought the Technicolor stars to life. It projected the picture perfect image that has almost morphed into the cartoon caricature of life in the 1950’s (see the next movie for the other version of that era). These films no longer entertain modern culture where blood, sex and toilet humor make for a hit movie. Or is that really the case? In this audience of about 150 to 200 people, the music and dance numbers brought applause fifty years after Kelly, Reynolds and O’connor performed them. Yes, applause during the movie as well as after. And there was laughter. Not just the campy “can you believe people watched stuff like this” laughs but genuine good-time laughter. Most of the audience members were in the 40 plus range and their children, but there was also a sprinkling of twenty something’s.
Just as much as the movie, the theater brought the audience back to another era. It was when the ushers in red bow ties took your ticket at the front and were there to assist. It was where a big red curtain covered the screen building a sense of anticipation as to what will be behind that curtain once it opened. It could be a movie, vaudeville or music. The theater had a feeling of being in a palace as you walked in and once the lights went down the film provided just enough light to put a glow on the unique architecture. Does anyone these days notice what the theater looks like as you watch the movie? It was when the film opened with a cartoon and a Pete Smith short. In a sense it was like going to a museum. “I grew up here. We came to movies when I was a kid,” said Mary Newcomb as the audience was filing out of the theater.
THE DOBIE “Far from Heaven” $7.75
Radio host John Ailee got me interested saying it “captured the “BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS version of the 1950’s.” Here is the premise.... It was the perfect 1957 home. A white, upper middle class, nuclear family living amongst trees the perfect colors of fall in Connecticut. They lived in a big house without dirty clothes or dishes. The music sounded like it came from “A Summer Place.” But come on, this is a film at the Dobie. You know such a veneer will soon be pulled away.
That’s the way the Dobie is. Rather than escapism in films, they often seek to tell a story. Small screens with oddly decorated theaters (one has a castle theme, there is an Egyptian theater, an art deco one, and another that looks like the place Lincoln was shot), show this is a place that doesn’t mind getting the audience out of its comfort zone, when many theaters are looking for the comfortable and familiar. The film could have subtitles. The ending may not be a happy one. The romantic comedy could involve a gay couple or the protagonist of the story may be a drug addict . The black and white crime-noir in Spanish with English subtitles set in Lima, Peru’s lesbian community probably isn’t going to be bringing in the audience of the next Jackie Chan pic, but where else will you see it?
The Dobie may look like just a labor of love by a couple locals bringing something different to a city that needs a dose of weirdness. It started out owned and operated in Austin but is now owned by Landmark Theaters, a chain of 53 “arthouse” cinemas in large cites across the US which is owned by Oaktree Investments of Los Angeles. Some of the films become commercial successes. “Slacker” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “The Blair Witch Project” started selling out at the Dobie, then made it to the suburban big screens. “This has the most movies that are of interest to me,” said Kayley Scott as she made her self comfortable in the Egyptian theater getting ready for the film. The former New Yorker likes Austin theaters for being less expensive and less crowded. “It was very shocking. You can go into a theater the day the movie opens.” she said. Here’s how you know your in an arthouse film- the audience stays through the credits. Now those are either real film conisuers or they just want to look like one. You can imagine the audience saying things like “I knew it. James Lyons was the film editor! I’d recognize his work anywhere!”
TINSELTOWN-PFLUGERVILLE “Die Another Day” $7.25
Seems everyone ends up at the Tinseltown and its twenty screens. Tonight was the latest James Bond incarnation. James Bond films are like the suburban megaplex theaters- big, bright, escapist and over the top. The complex is about the size of a city block fully illuminated by streetlights and four neon towers. You can probably see this place from the space shuttle. The stereo sound system is perfect. The seats were laid out for perfect views and felt like they could have been designed by Lazy Boy. Four snack bars kept the megaplex fed.
Thousands flock here on the weekends to see the latest release. These are films aimed at the vox populi - families, dating couples, kids and parents when the kids are staying over at a friend’s house. These are people out to have fun, laugh, feel suspense or be scared rather than be unsettled like the previous theater. These listings in the top ten box office receipts in Monday’s paper.
But before the movie, there are the coming attractions. Here is my totally fictitious lineup. There is the obligatory sequel to last year’s film ( “The Others II - Still Our House). There’s the vintage TV show updated into a movie (Salma Hyak is Jeannie, Matthew Perry is Major Tony Nelson in “I Dream of Jeannie- the Movie” and wait till you hear the “Jeannie” theme song redone by Blink 182!). The guy movie (explosions, a hero out to save the world his own way with a motorcycle and a chesty costar accompanied by a speed-metal soundtrack.). The girl movie ( Angela was successful New York executive. Successful in everything except love .... but then a magic spell at the Metropolitan Museum brought back the ancient Greek statue to life in “Hermes and Me!” ....). There is also the kid’s movie (Walt Disney presents “Brave New World” the animated film. Action figures available in every McDonald’s Happy Meal ). You know that one will end up making more money then all of the others combined .
THE IMAX “Everest” $6.50
For those who want to experience film, this will bring tears. Each frame of the film is about the size of a family portrait. A six-story screen with 44 speakers brings the viewer into the film. A helicopter ride through the Himalayas, a climb up (and down!) a rock in Spain and staring down the businesses end of an Avalanche make this documentary unforgettable, especially for those seeing it the first time. Ed and Mary Ann Plonsky of North Canton, Ohio were visiting their daughter, Chris, in Austin. They had never seen an Imax film and didn’t know what to expect.
Before the movie a recorded voice advises “should you feel any uneasiness, please close your eyes and the feeling will go away.” I didn’t check if Dramamine was available in the gift shop.
The story was that of an expedition to the top of the 29, 028 foot peak by three climbers including Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of one of the first two people to reach the top. During the filming, tragedy struck and eight people from another expedition were killed in a storm with -100 degree chill factor winds.
“It was fabulous but I think they were nuts,” said Mary Ann Plonsky. “The photography was excellent. I experienced a moment of motion sickness. The photography and sound was awesome,” said Ed Plonsky. Both hope to see Imax films in the future. One memorable scene took place when climber Araceli Segarra walked over a deep chasm in the ice on a ladder. The camera was looking down at her boots, the ladder and hundreds of feet down. In any other movie, it would have been just a scary moment. “Will the star make it to the other side?” But the Imax film is able to tap into YOUR basic fear of falling. Her feet become your feet so a false move will send YOU to an icy grave.
Imax films are about half as long as a typical feature film due to the size of the reels. Some Imax movies are filmed 3 D. A newer 3D technology has gone past the paper red and blue glasses from an old Vincent Price film to a much more convincing three dimensional effect. One filmed aboard the International Space Station and an animated Christmas movie are two recent offerings. The theater has also started offering on the second Thursday of the month, I-mixers, a pre movie get together with live music and a cash bar. Not sure how several visits to the bar will affect viewers of the upcoming film, “The Magic of Flight.”
HUMAN POTENTIAL CENTER “Amalie” Free (donations accepted)
This was not a theater by any stretch of the imagination. The audience sits on the couch, chairs, floor or pillows with soft drinks and pop corn and watches a movie from Blockbuster. The movie starts when everyone gets there. But it gets more interesting after the film.
In one sentence the story is the adventures of doe-eyed young woman in Paris who works to change the lives of others. And, in one sentence, the Human Potential Center was founded “to tap the creative love and playfulness of the human spirit,” said founder Bob McGarey. For several years one of the ways has been a film on Saturday nights. The movie is used as a point of departure to begin discussions on themes of personal growth. Eight questions come out of a brainstorming session from the audience (usually of 8 to 10 people) then a discussion and a lot of laughter follows. The questions arise from the movie, but are not really about the movie.
Steven Fisher came up with the most questions. Seeing the title character’s shyness he asked “How has my fear of taking risks gotten in the way of connecting with other people?” and “How have my weaknesses limited me and how have they affected me?” The creative characters inspired him to ask “How has looking at the world in a new way opened up new possibilities?” Founder McGarey asked “How have I handled my loneliest times and what good have they done for me?” “How does my imagination mislead and handicap me?” Brad Tessieri asked. Lia Nelson saw in the film the character’s desire to touch lives creatively and wondered how she could do that, too. Pam Chambers saw people stuck in their lives in the film. “How have I been stuck in my life and what has created movement for me?” she asked as well as “how well do I listen to others and how well do they listen to me? How do I deal with situations where give and take is out of bounds?”
Forming such questions may not come naturally at first. McGary suggested in creating questions to look for “what grabbed you the most emotionally,” in the movie. The guidelines for forming the questions are it should have something to do with “me.” It should have something to do with personal growth. It should have something to do with ourselves and it should be open ended. Try this at your next movie and see what happens.
THE HIDEOUT “The American Astronaut” $5
“The Hideout.” The name evokes a bit of rebelliousness. In front it’s a coffeehouse- pastry shop- ice cream parlor. In addition to the regular Monday night “Cinescape” series of movies, tonight also has stand up comics and poetry readers to show off for open mike night. The temperature outside on Congress Avenue was in the 40’s, but no one thought to close the windows. The folks on stage and in the audience just bundled up. This is a coffee house so that could have been marketing.
But in the back is where the Hideout gets it’s name. Here “eclectic” is the word. A 75 seat theater tonight was showing off the series of films. The theater had a stage ready for live shows. The movie stops sometimes when it is time to change the tape. The theater uses video projectors rather than film. There were no trailers. Instead it was two guys were giving teasers of next season’s films. There was to be “a frank film about a rock band that was popular in the 60’s and 70’s” they said. You won’t see those kind of upcoming attractions at any other theater.
But unlike other arthouses, these are movies that will never hit the mainstream. Microcinema it’s called where non-commercial films, often filmed for arts sake rather than to make money, are shown in non traditional theaters such as coffee houses, homes or (in Seattle) on boats. Austin boasts another microcinema, The Blue Theater at 916 Springdale. Microcinema sounds like an avant garde movement of recent times, but it takes movies back to their much earlier days similar to the way films were shown before movie theaters were created.
“The American Astronaut” was difficult to describe. Shot in high contrast black and white, the sci-fi details a man delivering a cat to the asteroid Cerus, then a woman to the planet Jupiter and a boy to the planet Venus while being chased by a mad professor who is obsessed that everyone knows today is his birthday and is prone to disintegrating people. And yes, it was a musical. This one has as much a chance of making it to network television as the sound track does of being played on Magic 95.
THE ALAMO-DOWNTOWN “Mister Sinus Theater Christmas Spectacular” $10.50*
Take a few classics - “Miracle on 34th Street” “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “A Christmas Carol.” Add in some TV episodes - “Martha Stewart Living” “The Baby Sitter’s Club” and “Sesame Street.” A few cartoons will do- “Davy and Goliath” “Charley Brown” and “Frosty the Snowman.” And...... well there’s a karoke tape, claymation dinosaurs celebrating Hanukkah and “Gina’s Merry Christmas Orgy.” It’s got to be the work of the cinematic comedy trio John Erler, Owen Egerton and Jerm Pollet and their show “Mister Sinus Theater 3000.”
This Wednesday evening the show was sold out, as usual. I purchased the tickets online for a $1 extra fee (*so $11.50 is what I paid). For all performances the theater is set up with tables similar to an arena classroom for dinner with the movie, not just popcorn and soft drinks. A variety of films show at the downtown theater from classics, to children, to special shows with guests such as Quentin Tarantino and Bruce Campbell. The Alamo on West Anderson shows the latest releases also with dinner. With such a variety of films, genres and even remote locations, this article could have been written exclusively about the Alamo. As for remote locations, the theater brought out a portable screen for “Jaws” while the audience floated on inner tubes in Lake Travis.
But back to the show. The trio comment on films (and not too kindly) as they are being shown. “Xanadu” “Crossroads” (the Brittany Spears version) and the Village People’s “Can’t Stop the Music” have been given the treatment. “Red Dawn” was shown back in late August to early September 2001 (guess why that movie was changed). For those who hate talking in the movies, this is not the place to be. It almost has the feel of watching a film at school while sitting next to the class clown. Despite the sellout crowds, success does not seem to be getting to their heads as they were talking to the audience out in the lobby before and after the film.
I’ll do my best to recreate a moment. Mister Sinus’ comments are in parentheses. Frosty the Snowman and little Karen are locked in a greenhouse by the mean magician. (Didn’t he live upstairs from the Jefferson’s?”). Santa enters the greenhouse with a stunned look on his face (“HOLLY S**T!”) Karen has her face in her hands crying over a puddle of water, a hat and two lumps of coal (“I’ve been drinking Frosty!”). They add (“This is the first corpse in a children’s movie!”) . OK. It’s all in the delivery.
MILLENNIUM ENTERTAINMENT CENTER “Brown Sugar” $1.50
A city-owned theater. A bit unusual. But not nearly as unusual as the movie going experience.
When the Aquarius Theater closed in July of 1996, East Austinites no longer had a theater of their own. The city built the Millennium Entertainment Center with a theater, a bowling alley, skating rink, cafeteria and video games. Activities such as birthday parties and special events are often held at the Millennium. For $3.50 I got my ticket, a Coke and three cookies. For families taking children, this is a big plus.
I first arrived a little before the 7 PM showing of “Barber Shop.” The cashier told me the last showing was at 6 that night. When I asked if the ad said 7 PM, I was told the film times were subjected to change without notice. The advertisement said it.
As they say in the movies “take 2.”
I arrived a few minutes before the 2 PM Saturday showing of “Brown Sugar.” I Purchased my ticket then noticed the door of the theater was locked. I asked an employee who said he would open it for me in about 5 minutes. 2:10 PM- doors still locked. I asked another employee who checked with a coworker who said the previous showing was still running. 2:13 PM- The PA system told everyone the showing was about to start. 2:24 PM-The doors were opened as the opening credits were rolling. As the film ended, I noticed it was five minutes after the 4 PM showing was scheduled. About eight people were there for that one.
During my screening, I was the only person in the 150 seat theater. This has never happened. Perhaps I could make a cellphone call. If I yelled “fire” in an empty theater would that be free speach? I was thinking about talking during the movie that way I could be getting practice in case John, Owen or Jerm got sick at the last minute and needed me. But somehow I resisted.