UCLA Nimoy Theatre
1262 Westwood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
1262 Westwood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
45 people
favorited this theater
Showing 101 - 125 of 313 comments
Sacrificing a parking structure in Santa Monica is a bad idea.
“they can keep The Grove, Santa Monica Promenade and all those overcrowded modern mega-complexes, hip or not.”
The Promenade doesn’t have an overcrowded modern mega-complex. It has two theaters (four and six screens, respectively) that were shoehorned into the footprints of old single screeners, and a seven screen theater. They’re all circa late 80s/early 90s, and the conventional wisdom of the people who run the Promenade is that viewership is down, and they can’t compete with Arclight, etc. They’re talking about knocking down/closing one or two of the existing theaters and building the type of monstrosity you describe, and probably sacrificing one of the parking structures on Fourth Street to do it.
To be fair, INCEPTION is rare in that it’s a three-hour long movie. If the movie is only 100 minutes and you get in and out quickly, you’ll be able to park for free before 6.
But yeah, it’s a problem. The AMPCO garage the Crest had (still has?) a validation deal with used to be open late and on weekends (for only $3 all day Sat/Sun), but it has had limited hours for two years now.
Still, Westwood parking gets a bad wrap given you can still park for only $3 on Bronxton after 5, and I’m pretty sure Regency has continued the policy of giving you a $1 discount if you show your parking ticket.
Westwood does have much foot traffic still. But I tend to think it all comes from UCLA and its Hospital. Plus during the week there is still alot of activity from the office bldgs.
But I have to tell you, when I went to see Inception on its opening Friday at the Village it cost me more than if was to go to Arclight. During the week parking is $8.00 add the theatre admission at Bargain Matinee it came out to be quite expensive . I honestly can see why people will not bother to see films in Westwood any longer. Both AMC CC and Landmark 12 offer FREE PARKING and are within the same vacinity.
they can keep The Grove, Santa Monica Promenade and all those overcrowded modern mega-complexes, hip or not. And Century City ain’t what it used to be since the Plitt & Shubert closed ages ago. Westwood is actually still fairly bustling with people, especially on weekends. (been down there a few times in recent weeks) The students haven’t gone anywhere. But people aren’t seeing movie’s anymore,..I don’t know what the heck their doing or IS to do there anymore. Except maybe Falafel King or Deidi Riese
They go to Santa Monica, Century City and other Westside areas. Westwood is no longer a Hip place to go now, they pass it by.
I remember Westwood of the early 80’s — it reminded me of Harvard Square in Cambridge. UCLA hasn’t moved anywhere, so where do the students shop and eat now?
Ron, Back in the 80’s and 90’s it was, and the the word is was. As each year went by people have got to were the action is. Westwood is no longer the hip place to be. The action is in Santa Monica or the Grove area.
Damon, I saw “The Thing” over at the Picwood.
Given that this is the primary commercial district next to a huge mostly-residential university, I don’t understand why it isn’t busy and full of people. Can’t the students along support it enough to make it lively again?
anyone see John Carpenter’s The Thing when it played at the Crest in 70mm in 1982? I remember sitting an an empty theatre watching it
10/2 update. Carmike and the Crest have still not gotten their act together. Today’s LA Times includes the Crest in the “Let Me In” ad; however, the listed website does not work and the listed phone number has a week old recorded message.
I plan to attend the 4PM showing today at the Crest and then catch a Mario Bellochio double feature at LACMA’s Bing Theater. I caught the director’s last movie “Vincere” at the Royal-very powerful.
FYI, I bought my LACMA ticket online while the LA Times ad says you can buy Crest tickets online at their non-working website (Sigh).
By the way, on the 5th we will learn more about the new owners of the Crest and their plans. LAHTF attended a media brunch the other day and the news is a bit surprising. They asked everyone not to print/post anything until the 5th. Stay tuned.
I think part of the problem is that Westwood has become exactly what the local residents want: a sleepy little forgotten part of town. It’s not that they don’t give a damn about Westwood, it’s that they don’t give a damn about you, your cheap parking, your crowds or your noise.
Yeah, and even though some films do well in Westwood. They will never have the huge numbers they have in the 1980’s, when back then the National and Village could have a near Hundred Thousand box office weekend gross.
I had a feeling Let Me In would not do that great. This weekend is all about The Social Network. Which may be even doing well at the Avco.
I think the Crest will do well with Tron this Christmas.
Overall, I’ll say it again. Westwood needs to offer Free Parking or cheap parking and needs to start giving a damn about itself. It is a rundown depressing mess. Everything has a comeback, and perhaps one day Westwood will thrive again.
The problem is the First Run prime districts (Hollywood & Westwood) are no longer generating the great numbers of the past. The pie has been cut up for a long time with newer theatres being built around the Los Angeles market. Some of these holdout single screens there are just Prestige bookings for the film makers now.
So LET ME IN bombed, grossing less than $2 million opening Friday. Not even the ArcLight sold out its 200-seat house for the prime show last night. Doesn’t speak well for the kind of business it’s doing at the Crest; hopefully Carmike is mindful of this.
I agree Brad, but despite still seeing large crowds there on weekends, Westwood has been dead for years. Parking is ridiculous (one used to be able to park for FREE all day relatively easily at one time) the theaters are all gone, music/bookstores all gone. The Village and the Bruin just barely saved (temporarily) at the last minute by Regency are all thats left but their just rotting away, and never open with anything good or worthwhile. Not that there are actually good or worthwhile films still being made. Westwood has nothing left, except Lamonica’s Pizza. It’s over, plain and simple. Just hear that Terry Jacks song ‘Seasons in the Sun’ playing when you think of Westwood
PArking in Westwood is cheap on Weekends, but week DAYS it is still brutal. I went to see INCEPTION opening matinee at the Village and had to pay $8.00. When Landmark 12 and AMC Century 15 provide free parking all the time I can see why people have abandoned Westwood for films. Now it is 7 DAY meter parking so you cannot count on the free parking on Sundays any longer.
Westwood has really done nothing to entice people to come and see films. Parking sucks, the area is run down and depressing, and outside of seeing a film or eat there is nothing to do. Retail has almost abandoned the area and what is there is pretty dull. I go only to visit the theatres, but back in the day I would park in a all day lot, see a couple films, eat and walk around a bit.
Like I said, I give Carmike and Regency a hearty thank you. But unless something drastic happens, like affordable parking for patrons and affordable rents for merchants, Westwood is just going to stay dead. As for the Avco, I say its days are numbered.
Hey guys, parking in Westwood is actually cheaper and easier than it was 25 years ago. When I go to the Regent, Bruin or Village I use the city lot on Broxton(2 hours free parking before 6PM and $3 flat after 6PM).
I have never had a problem finding parking for the Crest-I usually attend the 7:30 show. Glendon has metered parking at $1 an hour. On 9/28 I found a meter with time left past 8PM, so I parked for free.
As for other venues, Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer and AMC AVCO Center have $3 parking. I took in the 9:35 show on Tuesday at the AVCO, “Virginity Hit”. There were only two of us in auditorium 1 and the other guy left after about 45 minutes. If there is an afterlife the makers of this movie face extreme retribution.
The cavernous AVCO was very spooky and deserted. I half expected to be locked in when I came out of the restroom. Amazing that $6 senior Tuesdays can’t draw a few elderly strays from the Wilshire hi-rises. It would not surprise me to learn that homeless people sneak in for a night’s undisturbed sleep.
Does the AVCO do any type of weekend business?
“IMHO, the only negative this theatre has is the lousy parking all around Westwood.”
I would say that tough competition in the area for booking is another negative.
As far as movie going is concerned I will always consider seeing a first run film at the Village, Bruin, Crest or even the Regent if it was a choice. I’m a supporter of single screen theatres and the Village is my favorite theatre of all time. But my time and funds are at a minimum and as much as I would love to support the Crest, Alpha & Omega is nowhere to be found on my must see list. I do agree that these theatres need support in order to survive, but as much as I love them it is unrealistic for me to see everything that is booked on these screens.
I’m happy to see Carmike take interest in the Crest, and hopefully it will pay off for them. Westwood is a dead zone for movie going and I give them and Regency much credit for supporting these theatres even though they will not make busloads of money on them.
IMHO, the only negative this theatre has is the lousy parking all around Westwood. Heavily restricted street parking plus too expensive lot parking equals a tough time for anyone running the Crest.
But beyond that, the fact is, most of us only have time for one or two movies a week. When that’s the situation, you’re far more inclined to pick by the movie, not the venue. All the better if The Crest has something I want to see, but other than trying to avoid megaplexes, I’m not going to adhere to any hard-and-fast venue rules.
“Danny, I think that you and others miss the point: attend the Crest and other historic theaters even when you are not crazy about the current showing.”
Can I skip the movies I don’t want to see and just send him an envelope full of cash?
I am curious about how Carmike is going to counteract the negatives this theater has, negatives that did in previous owner/operators.
Plus I think you missed a point: the Crest is not an historic theater. It’s an old theater dressed up in new, retro clothes. When Hollywood does come out with a movie I want to see, I prefer to see it at the Village, Chinese, Vista, El Cap, or even The Dome.
Don’t get me wrong, I like the Crest. But I’d like to think there’s a better plan to make it profitable than “pound money into it and hope for the best.”
Sorry, Tinkerbell was at the El Capitan.