The Coolidge Corner Theatre, the Brattle Theatre, and, occasionally, the Somerville Theatre all show oider classic films from time to time, but not on a weekly basis, although the Brattle shows a great deal of older films.
Excellent points—well taken, Ken Layton. Thanks for pointing out a whole set of other reasons why the movie business has been all but killed off; Theatre managers have helped bring it on themselves by being too lax and not seeing to it that restrooms/snackbars and kitchens were kept cleaners, better food was served, that more experienced projectionists were hired that really knew how to project a movie picture, that the picture brightness and sound were adjusted properly, and by not cracking down on and ousting disruptive troublemakers in the drive-ins as necessary.
I realize that this thread isn’t about ordinary movie theatres, but I think that these same points could/would just as easily apply to regular movie theatres as they do drive-in movie theatres.
That’s really too bad. Developers who do that are into their very own agenda, and don’t care a bit about the town/city/people that they purport to be serving and helping.
I agree that texting/cell-phone use in the movie theatres is both rude and distracting, as well as being a common problem, and that there’s little, if any regard for other people these days. It’s good to read/hear about some movie theatres addressing that problem and ejecting offenders if they get too out of hand, and requiring them to hand over cell phones, etc. to the movie theatre staff and then retrieve them when the movie is over with. Unfortunately, not enough movie theatres are doing this, which is a problem.
There’s one thing I’ve observed, however: Cell-phone use and texting among customers seems to be considerably less of a problem in movie theatres that show better-quality movies. However, I have also found that in such movie theatres, if I occasionally notice somebody texting or using a cellphone, I usually speak to them matter-of-factly about it, which works: they stop.
It seems to be a far greater problem, however, in many, if not most of the big multiplex cinemas with ten to twenty cinemas or more, with shoebox-sized theatres with smaller screens that look like big, big TV’s. That may be due to the combination of the schlockier movies that’re often shown in these great big multiplex cinemas, the kind of audience that such multiplex cinemas often attract, and the fact that they’re often the kind of audience that totally take offense when told not to text or use their cellphone in the movie theatre.
Come to think of it, I’ve read/heard that Israel has long had a system in place that will cause one’s cellphone, pager or texter, etc., to jam up when then attempt to use it in any kind of public place like that, including a movie theatre.
A) I agree with your sentiment, JodarMovieFan. The fact that this kind of piracy is being allowed to go on is quite disgusting..not to mention bad for the movie theatre business. It’s also the latest evidence that far too many people want something for nothing, and they’ll go to just about any lengths to get it.
B) This kind of piracy, including of burning of movie DVD’s, the use of USB pen drives, etc.should definitely be NOT allowed
C) It’s agreed that we should get back the showing of 70mm films on great big, giant-sized screens, in real movie theatres, with the lights down low. This is especially true of great, golden oldie-but-goody classics such as West Side Story, Lawrence of Arabia, to mention afew.
D). Had the SCOTUS not voted to allow movies to be made into video/VCR tapes back in the early 1980’s, when Ronald Reagan first became POTUS, we probably wouldn’t be in this mess regarding the movie industry right now.
E) I admit to one thing: I’ve commuted to various neighboring states to see my alltime favorite movie, West Side Story on the big screen, in addition to attending virtually every screening in my area. It’s agreed that big, big movies on big, big screens in real movie theatres would make the movie business thrive even more than it is right now.
Oooh! I’m excited for you guys!! Wish I could be there to see “West Side Story”, since that’s my alltime favorite film! Anyway-it’s a great-looking theate, the Heights. Enjoy!!
That’s a relief, but here’s hoping that they restore the Paramount to a theatre that shows great movies, rather than the schlock that’s being mass-produced so frequently today.
What a shame that such a beautiful-looking theatre was torn down despite so much support for the theatre and protest against its planned demolition came from so many prominent actors/actresses and movie directors alike. It looked like a real oner, if one gets the drift. Greed, greed, greed is what led to i ts demise, that’s clear. One doesn’t have to live, or even to ever have lived in Omaha to be aware of that. It looked as if going to see great film classics in that theatre could be the experience of a lifetime. I’m sure “West Side Story” would’ve looked absolutely spectacular on that great big 105' screen!
7: What does your post about the Fort Lauderdale Real Estate have to do with this essay? Just curious, because I see absolutely no relation between the two topics.
However, ads and previews can and probably do have at least one benefit: they enable moviegoers who straggle in afew minutes late to get settled and seated so they won’t end up missing any of the scheduled feature movie screening.
Our city annually has a spate of outdoor classic movies that’re played at two or three different city parks, and are free to the public. It can be fun, but bug-dope (insect repellent) is necessary. The disadvantage is, however, that, if it rains or threatens to rain, they can’t/won’t have a scheduled outdoor screening of a given movie that night.
The Coolidge Corner Theatre, the Brattle Theatre, and, occasionally, the Somerville Theatre all show oider classic films from time to time, but not on a weekly basis, although the Brattle shows a great deal of older films.
Excellent points—well taken, Ken Layton. Thanks for pointing out a whole set of other reasons why the movie business has been all but killed off; Theatre managers have helped bring it on themselves by being too lax and not seeing to it that restrooms/snackbars and kitchens were kept cleaners, better food was served, that more experienced projectionists were hired that really knew how to project a movie picture, that the picture brightness and sound were adjusted properly, and by not cracking down on and ousting disruptive troublemakers in the drive-ins as necessary.
I realize that this thread isn’t about ordinary movie theatres, but I think that these same points could/would just as easily apply to regular movie theatres as they do drive-in movie theatres.
Hey….I wish there was a theatre that showed classic films once a week here in the Boston area!
What a neat-looking theatre…both inside and out. Too bad it closed.
That’s really too bad. Developers who do that are into their very own agenda, and don’t care a bit about the town/city/people that they purport to be serving and helping.
Btw. that was a great Washington Post article. Thanks for posting it and sharing it with us, Ross.
and Patrick.
I agree that texting/cell-phone use in the movie theatres is both rude and distracting, as well as being a common problem, and that there’s little, if any regard for other people these days. It’s good to read/hear about some movie theatres addressing that problem and ejecting offenders if they get too out of hand, and requiring them to hand over cell phones, etc. to the movie theatre staff and then retrieve them when the movie is over with. Unfortunately, not enough movie theatres are doing this, which is a problem.
There’s one thing I’ve observed, however: Cell-phone use and texting among customers seems to be considerably less of a problem in movie theatres that show better-quality movies. However, I have also found that in such movie theatres, if I occasionally notice somebody texting or using a cellphone, I usually speak to them matter-of-factly about it, which works: they stop.
It seems to be a far greater problem, however, in many, if not most of the big multiplex cinemas with ten to twenty cinemas or more, with shoebox-sized theatres with smaller screens that look like big, big TV’s. That may be due to the combination of the schlockier movies that’re often shown in these great big multiplex cinemas, the kind of audience that such multiplex cinemas often attract, and the fact that they’re often the kind of audience that totally take offense when told not to text or use their cellphone in the movie theatre.
Come to think of it, I’ve read/heard that Israel has long had a system in place that will cause one’s cellphone, pager or texter, etc., to jam up when then attempt to use it in any kind of public place like that, including a movie theatre.
Several things:
A) I agree with your sentiment, JodarMovieFan. The fact that this kind of piracy is being allowed to go on is quite disgusting..not to mention bad for the movie theatre business. It’s also the latest evidence that far too many people want something for nothing, and they’ll go to just about any lengths to get it.
B) This kind of piracy, including of burning of movie DVD’s, the use of USB pen drives, etc.should definitely be NOT allowed
C) It’s agreed that we should get back the showing of 70mm films on great big, giant-sized screens, in real movie theatres, with the lights down low. This is especially true of great, golden oldie-but-goody classics such as West Side Story, Lawrence of Arabia, to mention afew.
D). Had the SCOTUS not voted to allow movies to be made into video/VCR tapes back in the early 1980’s, when Ronald Reagan first became POTUS, we probably wouldn’t be in this mess regarding the movie industry right now.
E) I admit to one thing: I’ve commuted to various neighboring states to see my alltime favorite movie, West Side Story on the big screen, in addition to attending virtually every screening in my area. It’s agreed that big, big movies on big, big screens in real movie theatres would make the movie business thrive even more than it is right now.
It’s agreed…this is a wonderful website. Glad I found it again and re-joined.
Ouch!!
Thanks, Lost Memory. This looks like a nice theatre. Are there any photos of the interior? Just curious.
Ouch!! Here’s hoping that this:
“The independent theaters who don’t have the money to buy digital projection will lose money and close shop.”
doesn’t befall the Coolidge Theatre, the Brattle Theatre, or the Somerville Theatre, as these are now the ONLY independent movie theatres in our area!
Oops—my bad. I forgot to put quotation marks around your sentence. Sorry about that, movie534.
This:
Great news for this one. Too late for many, many others.
is agreed, movie534. Bravo!!
Even though I don’t reside in the area, I, too am curious about what happened at the June 18th meeting.
How I miss their Monday Night Motion Picture Series!
How I wish that the PPAC would go back to having their Big Screen Classic Film Series! I miss that.
Oooh! I’m excited for you guys!! Wish I could be there to see “West Side Story”, since that’s my alltime favorite film! Anyway-it’s a great-looking theate, the Heights. Enjoy!!
Kirk: Let us know how WSS went!
That’s a relief, but here’s hoping that they restore the Paramount to a theatre that shows great movies, rather than the schlock that’s being mass-produced so frequently today.
Ouch!! Sounds like they’ve got their work cut out for them, regarding restoration of this great-looking theatre. I wish them the best of luck.
What a shame that such a beautiful-looking theatre was torn down despite so much support for the theatre and protest against its planned demolition came from so many prominent actors/actresses and movie directors alike. It looked like a real oner, if one gets the drift. Greed, greed, greed is what led to i ts demise, that’s clear. One doesn’t have to live, or even to ever have lived in Omaha to be aware of that. It looked as if going to see great film classics in that theatre could be the experience of a lifetime. I’m sure “West Side Story” would’ve looked absolutely spectacular on that great big 105' screen!
7: What does your post about the Fort Lauderdale Real Estate have to do with this essay? Just curious, because I see absolutely no relation between the two topics.
Ads seem to be everywhere—they can’t be avoided.
However, ads and previews can and probably do have at least one benefit: they enable moviegoers who straggle in afew minutes late to get settled and seated so they won’t end up missing any of the scheduled feature movie screening.
Reduced attention by adults is also a factor.
Our city annually has a spate of outdoor classic movies that’re played at two or three different city parks, and are free to the public. It can be fun, but bug-dope (insect repellent) is necessary. The disadvantage is, however, that, if it rains or threatens to rain, they can’t/won’t have a scheduled outdoor screening of a given movie that night.
Without knowing the facts, it sounds as if both of your arguments have merit, Giles and movie534.