In light of what is happening with the National, the Rialto and other single-screeners, I was a bit disappointed that the Cinematreasures are holding their meeting to discuss theatre preservation etc. at the brand-spanking-new Landmark 12!!! Less than 2 miles away from Westwood Village, the densest grouping of open single screeners in the country. Are they serious? Are they serious about preservation?
In light of what is happening with the National, the Rialto and other single-screeners, I was a bit disappointed that the Cinematreasures are holding their meeting to discuss theatre preservation etc. at the brand-spanking-new Landmark 12!!! Less than 2 miles away from Westwood Village, the densest grouping of open single screeners in the country. Are they serious? Are they serious about preservation?
William, like you I prefer the National over the Village any day. Flawless and optimal presentation for any film, epic or not.
BTW: In light of what is happening with the National, the Rialto and other single-screeners, I was a bit disappointed that the Cinematreasures are holding their meeting to discuss theatre preservation etc. at the brand-spanking-new Landmark 12!!! Less than 2 miles away from Westwood Village, the densest grouping of open single screeners in the country. Are they serious? Are they serious about preservation?
D Packard is right. Studio films today are mostly programmed crap. Thank god niche cable TV is actually giving us something good to watch. We have grown into such an immediate gratification culture that here and now is literally “here and now on my iPhone in the middle of the desert”.
I have been delving into that classic era of American Cinema (late 60’s to mid 70’s) and am wowed by how many good films there are from that pre-blockbuster era. (has anynody seen George Clooney’s top 100 DVD list?) I am not blaming Mr. Speilberg or Lucas for creating the blockbuster and sabotaging smart hollywood fims (I am as big of a Star Wars/Indiana Jones junkie as there is…Star Wars 1977-1983 that is) but once hollywood saw the potential they have been trying to saturate our theatre with nothing but blockbuster ever since. And they have to have all that revenue from a film opening wekend. Up front and as soon as possible. And on as many screens as possible. And on DVD 3 months later.
Theatres like the National were built for event films that people would come from miles to see. Trouble is, coming from miles is no longer necessary. And event films are so common-place, they themselves have become less eventful.
In my wildest dreams the National could be run in the way the Cinematheque is run. It would seem LA could support something like that…
I saw Baraka at the Egyptian and was impressed with picture and sound. Its not the Cinerama Dome but the new screens proximity to the audience makes it seem rather large, especially when opened for 70mm.
I have not been to the NuWilshire since the new Landmark 12 plex has opened, but the crowds were usually pretty good there. I think there are plenty who would prefer not to drive all the way to the Westside Pavillion for the more expensive Landmark 12 when they could walk to the cozy NuWilshire (or Laemmle Monica 4 Plex). I find it disconcerting that Landmark wants to evolve into a chic, upscale art/indpependent megaplex chain. I went to the new Landmark and saw Into the Wild there and found the whole experience a bit sterile and cold. The film has now expanded its run to include the NuWilshire, where I would have preferred to see it in retrospect.
If Landmark does dump it, hopefully Laemmle or Regency will pick it up. Really, where would you rather see a restored Fellini film, or the latest French or Russian period drama? At the sterile Landmark, which looks like it is trying to emulate the latest hip hotel lobby, or a cozier setting, like the NuWilshire, the Royal, or the Monica 4 where you may want to linger in the lobby and talk to your friends about the film you just saw while deciding where to grab a bite…
It seems AMC aquired all the LA area GCC’s at a bad time:
Hollywood Galaxy: Arclight and Chinese 6 had recently opened. Result? Closed.
Beverly Connection: The Grove had recently opened. Result? Closed
Sherman Oaks: Pacific opened Galleria nearby. Result? Pacific takes over screens 3-7 as a move over house, Screens 1 and 2 demolished.
Glendale 5: Always had 14 Mann screens nearby. Result? AMC dumps it quick, independent operator takes over, but only for a short time.
The Redondo Beach Galleria and the Avco seem to be the only LA GCC theatres remaining in AMC’s operations. But the Redondo Beach is probably being cannibalized by AMC’s new Del Amo 3 miles away as is the Avco with new AMC Century 15. At least in the Avco’s booking zone 9 screens have closed in the last couple of years (I write this with a heavy heart as my favorite, the National, just closed again, this time probably for good).
“Beverly Center 13 should be next—-who the hell still goes there?”
I do as my picture give me away on Cinematour. Its all part of my quest to find the world’s smallest 35mm movie theatre screen! Just when I thought I had seen the smallest in ‘05, I dug deeper and found a smaller one in 2007! Check out the picture on the right at the following link:
The exit door is almost wider! Really I only go there to see something that I have missed earlier in its run, such as Flags of Our Fathers when the Beverly Center was the last place playing it. Mann must have a cheap deal from the Mall to operate it. Ironic Mann had to close the National, but keeps this place open.
Regarding the actual subject of this thread: I saw 2 movies at the Beverly Connection before it closed, both in the same small theatre downstairs. Presentation was good. I poked my nose in the other 2 theatres on that level and they seemed like the typical 80’s/90’s GCC large auditorium: dark, red panels hiding surrounds, around 400 blue seats, screen seeming as if it should be bigger, auditorium size making you wonder if you were in the biggest house or not. The use of space at that theatre seemed odd to me. Lobbies upstairs and down seemed too big, as if they could have squeezed in a couple extra screens. (or 10 Beverly Center screens!)
Does anyone know what the seat counts were for the auditoriums, upstairs and down?
ConverseElliot: Seen many a film at the Seattle Cinerama pre-restoration and only one (A.I. – Ugh!) post restoration. The Cinerama feels a little smaller and cocoon-like than the National, and would be more comparable to the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood.
I have never been to your beloved Eastgate but have driven by it and seen the photos on Cinematour. The large house of the eastgate seems more National-ish than the Cinerama.
Bill, I was fortunate enough to see Raiders in 70mm at the Southcenter Theatre (RIP) south of Seattle, The interior and layout were very similar to the National (look at the last photo on website below). Sound was never the best though. Center chanel dialogue was always a bit quiet and echoey. They later added a DTS sound system for Jurrasic Park. I saw that an Goldeneye in DTS and it still wasn’t that great. Nothing compares to the National! http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=2592
Brad, the first film I saw there was “Saving Private Ryan”. I was blown away by the sound during the D-Day scenes. Never saw a 70mm presentation there but I wish I could have. I have seen the Indiana Jones Trilogy at single screeners in 70mm the Seattle/Tacoma area growing up. But they all must have paled in comparison to the National. Wish I could have been there for those. To me, this a perfectly designed theatre, crummy paint and orange curtains and all!
Hey Brad, don’t forget in the week of 6/22 Transformers and Joshua played during the LA Films fest (and 1408 didn’t play on those days).
ConvereseElliot: This is indeed the hardest theatre closing I have had to deal with since living in LA for the last 9 years. The National became my favorite theatre in LA, if not ever. I look at the list and drool at the films i could have seen at the National pre-1998 had I grown up here..
Today’s LA Times lists “Gone Baby Gone” opening at the National this Friday in THX. Will the booking move or is the theatre not really closed? The theatre has been listed in the Independent Theatre guide of the LA times all week with “Call Theatre for Information and Showtimes”. Perhaps “Feast of Love” was such a bust they were not financially able to run it beyond Sunday?…
BTW Cinema Treasures should retitle this theatre what it calls itself these days: “The National Theatre”
I think what Howard is saying is don’t question the structural integrity of the building based on what you see unless you are an engineer and understand such things at a professional and technical level.
In light of what is happening with the National, the Rialto and other single-screeners, I was a bit disappointed that the Cinematreasures are holding their meeting to discuss theatre preservation etc. at the brand-spanking-new Landmark 12!!! Less than 2 miles away from Westwood Village, the densest grouping of open single screeners in the country. Are they serious? Are they serious about preservation?
I expressed my disappointment here:
http://cinematreasures.org/news/17409_0_1_0_C/
Feel free to express your feelings as well.
In light of what is happening with the National, the Rialto and other single-screeners, I was a bit disappointed that the Cinematreasures are holding their meeting to discuss theatre preservation etc. at the brand-spanking-new Landmark 12!!! Less than 2 miles away from Westwood Village, the densest grouping of open single screeners in the country. Are they serious? Are they serious about preservation?
I expressed my disappointment here:
http://cinematreasures.org/news/17409_0_1_0_C/
Feel free to express your feelings as well.
William, like you I prefer the National over the Village any day. Flawless and optimal presentation for any film, epic or not.
BTW: In light of what is happening with the National, the Rialto and other single-screeners, I was a bit disappointed that the Cinematreasures are holding their meeting to discuss theatre preservation etc. at the brand-spanking-new Landmark 12!!! Less than 2 miles away from Westwood Village, the densest grouping of open single screeners in the country. Are they serious? Are they serious about preservation?
I expressed my disappointment here:
http://cinematreasures.org/news/17409_0_1_0_C/
Feel free to express your feelings as well.
It’s too bad the Cinema Treasures guys chose a new multiplex, rather than one of LA’s fine (and endangered) single screeners as a place to meet.
D Packard is right. Studio films today are mostly programmed crap. Thank god niche cable TV is actually giving us something good to watch. We have grown into such an immediate gratification culture that here and now is literally “here and now on my iPhone in the middle of the desert”.
I have been delving into that classic era of American Cinema (late 60’s to mid 70’s) and am wowed by how many good films there are from that pre-blockbuster era. (has anynody seen George Clooney’s top 100 DVD list?) I am not blaming Mr. Speilberg or Lucas for creating the blockbuster and sabotaging smart hollywood fims (I am as big of a Star Wars/Indiana Jones junkie as there is…Star Wars 1977-1983 that is) but once hollywood saw the potential they have been trying to saturate our theatre with nothing but blockbuster ever since. And they have to have all that revenue from a film opening wekend. Up front and as soon as possible. And on as many screens as possible. And on DVD 3 months later.
Theatres like the National were built for event films that people would come from miles to see. Trouble is, coming from miles is no longer necessary. And event films are so common-place, they themselves have become less eventful.
In my wildest dreams the National could be run in the way the Cinematheque is run. It would seem LA could support something like that…
Nushboy07: How many seats in each auditorium? I’ve always felt the left one was slightly larger.
put theatre name and address in the email. They’ll post them on their website.
www.cinematour.com
Any stats (# of seats per auditorium etc) you can include as well. You can also send that info into this website.
Please be sure to get auditorium pictures from both directions and booth pics and send them to Cinematour.com
no wonder it closed
I saw Baraka at the Egyptian and was impressed with picture and sound. Its not the Cinerama Dome but the new screens proximity to the audience makes it seem rather large, especially when opened for 70mm.
The Regent has to follow soon. Unless Landmark has a long-term deal with Disney product. (which rather dilutes their in my mind).
I got some shots off as well before it closed:
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=2150
I have not been to the NuWilshire since the new Landmark 12 plex has opened, but the crowds were usually pretty good there. I think there are plenty who would prefer not to drive all the way to the Westside Pavillion for the more expensive Landmark 12 when they could walk to the cozy NuWilshire (or Laemmle Monica 4 Plex). I find it disconcerting that Landmark wants to evolve into a chic, upscale art/indpependent megaplex chain. I went to the new Landmark and saw Into the Wild there and found the whole experience a bit sterile and cold. The film has now expanded its run to include the NuWilshire, where I would have preferred to see it in retrospect.
If Landmark does dump it, hopefully Laemmle or Regency will pick it up. Really, where would you rather see a restored Fellini film, or the latest French or Russian period drama? At the sterile Landmark, which looks like it is trying to emulate the latest hip hotel lobby, or a cozier setting, like the NuWilshire, the Royal, or the Monica 4 where you may want to linger in the lobby and talk to your friends about the film you just saw while deciding where to grab a bite…
Almost as big as the computer screen you are looking at. (which, in ones field of vision for normal proximity to a computer, would appear larger!!)
It seems AMC aquired all the LA area GCC’s at a bad time:
Hollywood Galaxy: Arclight and Chinese 6 had recently opened. Result? Closed.
Beverly Connection: The Grove had recently opened. Result? Closed
Sherman Oaks: Pacific opened Galleria nearby. Result? Pacific takes over screens 3-7 as a move over house, Screens 1 and 2 demolished.
Glendale 5: Always had 14 Mann screens nearby. Result? AMC dumps it quick, independent operator takes over, but only for a short time.
The Redondo Beach Galleria and the Avco seem to be the only LA GCC theatres remaining in AMC’s operations. But the Redondo Beach is probably being cannibalized by AMC’s new Del Amo 3 miles away as is the Avco with new AMC Century 15. At least in the Avco’s booking zone 9 screens have closed in the last couple of years (I write this with a heavy heart as my favorite, the National, just closed again, this time probably for good).
“Beverly Center 13 should be next—-who the hell still goes there?”
I do as my picture give me away on Cinematour. Its all part of my quest to find the world’s smallest 35mm movie theatre screen! Just when I thought I had seen the smallest in ‘05, I dug deeper and found a smaller one in 2007! Check out the picture on the right at the following link:
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=2114
The exit door is almost wider! Really I only go there to see something that I have missed earlier in its run, such as Flags of Our Fathers when the Beverly Center was the last place playing it. Mann must have a cheap deal from the Mall to operate it. Ironic Mann had to close the National, but keeps this place open.
Regarding the actual subject of this thread: I saw 2 movies at the Beverly Connection before it closed, both in the same small theatre downstairs. Presentation was good. I poked my nose in the other 2 theatres on that level and they seemed like the typical 80’s/90’s GCC large auditorium: dark, red panels hiding surrounds, around 400 blue seats, screen seeming as if it should be bigger, auditorium size making you wonder if you were in the biggest house or not. The use of space at that theatre seemed odd to me. Lobbies upstairs and down seemed too big, as if they could have squeezed in a couple extra screens. (or 10 Beverly Center screens!)
Does anyone know what the seat counts were for the auditoriums, upstairs and down?
i didn’t knoww the Vine closed. Glad I dipped in after work a few weeks ago. Shots are on Cinematour. Sound was horrible!!!!!!
ConverseElliot: Seen many a film at the Seattle Cinerama pre-restoration and only one (A.I. – Ugh!) post restoration. The Cinerama feels a little smaller and cocoon-like than the National, and would be more comparable to the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood.
I have never been to your beloved Eastgate but have driven by it and seen the photos on Cinematour. The large house of the eastgate seems more National-ish than the Cinerama.
Bill, I was fortunate enough to see Raiders in 70mm at the Southcenter Theatre (RIP) south of Seattle, The interior and layout were very similar to the National (look at the last photo on website below). Sound was never the best though. Center chanel dialogue was always a bit quiet and echoey. They later added a DTS sound system for Jurrasic Park. I saw that an Goldeneye in DTS and it still wasn’t that great. Nothing compares to the National!
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=2592
Brad, the first film I saw there was “Saving Private Ryan”. I was blown away by the sound during the D-Day scenes. Never saw a 70mm presentation there but I wish I could have. I have seen the Indiana Jones Trilogy at single screeners in 70mm the Seattle/Tacoma area growing up. But they all must have paled in comparison to the National. Wish I could have been there for those. To me, this a perfectly designed theatre, crummy paint and orange curtains and all!
One could probably guess that I became obbsessed with the National by the number of photos I have up on Cinematour here:
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=2134
Hey Brad, don’t forget in the week of 6/22 Transformers and Joshua played during the LA Films fest (and 1408 didn’t play on those days).
ConvereseElliot: This is indeed the hardest theatre closing I have had to deal with since living in LA for the last 9 years. The National became my favorite theatre in LA, if not ever. I look at the list and drool at the films i could have seen at the National pre-1998 had I grown up here..
Today’s LA Times lists “Gone Baby Gone” opening at the National this Friday in THX. Will the booking move or is the theatre not really closed? The theatre has been listed in the Independent Theatre guide of the LA times all week with “Call Theatre for Information and Showtimes”. Perhaps “Feast of Love” was such a bust they were not financially able to run it beyond Sunday?…
BTW Cinema Treasures should retitle this theatre what it calls itself these days: “The National Theatre”
I think what Howard is saying is don’t question the structural integrity of the building based on what you see unless you are an engineer and understand such things at a professional and technical level.
Has the theatre quietly closed as of today? There are no showtimes listed any where…
I am surprised the downstairs auditoriums are THX, considering the seats are arced toward the center wall and the screen is a little off center.