The Daily News article by Nicholas Hirshon was posted on the Internet today.
He wants to buy; will cinema sell?
Filmmaker details plans for historic screen, stage
BY NICHOLAS HIRSHON
DAILY NEWS WRITER
A Ridgewood filmmaker is hoping to save an historic Queens movie theater and help terminally ill children at the same time.
Albert Allie, 35, said he wants to purchase the Ridgewood Theatre – one of the oldest continuously operating movie houses in the country – so he can program independent films there and return vaudeville acts to its stage.
A few times each year, the Ridgewood also would host special shows to raise money for nonprofit organizations that help sick children, Allie said.
Allie’s mother, Joann, died of cervical cancer a few years ago, so he wants to run a foundation named after her that would raise money for children’s medical research.
“I’m a parent and it would kill me if any one of my children became sick,” he said. “My mother loved children. It’s kind of in her honor.”
But Joe Diaz, who owns the Ridgewood along with his brother, Manuel, said the theater isn’t for sale and is currently under renovation to improve its condition.
Allie said when he first approached Manuel Diaz about purchasing the theater a couple of years ago, Diaz put the price tag at $3 million.
Diaz later told Allie the price would be $7 million, then told a Queens weekly newspaper he wasn’t selling the theater at all, Allie said.
Other area theaters have recently been converted into pharmacies, and preservationists fear that the Ridgewood will follow suit.
Some preservationists want the theater landmarked to protect it from being gutted or demolished.
Asked if he and his brother would support the landmarking of the theater, which would limit most renovations there, Joe Diaz rejected the notion.
“That, I don’t like,” he said. “Skip that.”
State Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood) said she had met with Allie to discuss his plans for the theater and that she is “100% supportive” of any move to enhance it.
But Nolan said she did not want to comment on the possible landmarking before first contacting the neighborhood’s other elected officials.
“I would certainly be sentimentally in favor of landmarking, but there are a lot of other people who would have to be consulted,” she said.
Since there’s no site on here for the theater at the Museum of the Moving Image, just blocks from the Kaufman Astoria Cinema 14, I figured I’d post it here. Ran in today’s Daily News.
BY NICHOLAS HIRSHON
DAILY NEWS WRITER
A potential Oscar-contending film about Idi Amin will be previewed tonight on an Astoria screen, more than a week before its heralded Sept. 27 nationwide release.
Acclaimed actor Forest Whitaker, who plays the infamous Ugandan dictator in “The Last King of Scotland,” will appear at the American Museum of the Moving Image after the critically acclaimed movie is previewed at 7 this evening.
The film’s director, Kevin Macdonald, and co-star James McAvoy who plays Amin’s personal physician, also will be in attendance.
A sellout crowd is expected to pack the museum’s 200-seat theater, and the actors and director will participate in a 30-minute moderated discussion following the movie, said David Schwartz, the museum’s chief curator.
“It’s a gripping film,” Schwartz said. “Forest Whitaker is a shoo-in for [an Oscar] nomination. There’s no way he’s not going to be nominated for that performan
ce.”
In the movie, McAvoy plays a young Scottish doctor named Nicholas Garrigan. Garrigan is sent to Uganda to treat a minor injury suffered by Amin, the mad dictator who ruled over the country in the 1970s.
Amin, obsessed with all things Scottish, hires Garrigan as his personal physician, and the doctor watches as Amin soon orders the torture of thousands of Ugandans.
Garrigan also falls in love with a diplomat’s wife, played by former “X Files” TV star Gillian Anderson.
McAvoy gained fame last year for his role as Mr. Tumnus the faun in “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” This year, he will star alongside Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon in “Penelope.”
Macdonald, whose directing credits include a Mick Jagger documentary that aired on ABC in 2001, seemed excited about coming to the museum.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about the theater and its reputation,” he said. “I’m thrilled it’s going to be there.”
Critics have hailed “The Last King of Scotland” as a masterpiece destined to rack up a number of awards.
Asked if the film could capture any Oscars, Macdonald said that “audiences seem to have loved it so far and I hope … the various organizations agree.”
McAvoy might receive a few nominations, and Whitaker is considered an early favorite to win Best Actor at next year’s Academy Awards, Schwartz said.
Born with a condition called lazy eye, Whitaker has gone on to have a very successful career. He starred in the films “Bird” (1988) and “The Crying Game” (1992), and directed the popular Whitney Houston film “Waiting to Exhale” in 1995.
Whitaker researched his role as Amin so well that he almost perfectly imitated the dictator’s mannerisms and personality, Macdonald said.
“Forest gave a performance of any award going,” he said. “He gave 150% effort.”
Tickets for tonight’s film and discussion are $16 for museum members and $22 for the general public.
An article about the Cinemart Cinemas was published in today’s Daily News. Apparently they’re going to reveal the ornate ceiling in the entryway in coming weeks.
Prices are cheap, but it’s not a good atmosphere. I went there once when the roof was leaking so much that they had to block off some rows in the theater and move customers from them — during the movie!
Thanks Warren! If anyone sees anything else going on there, I’d appreciate a post here so I know about it. I remember going to the Elmwood about 6 or 7 years ago.
Does anyone know the latest about happenings at the Elmwood? I haven’t heard anything recently and am wondering how work on the church is moving along. I’m also a bit worried that some history inside could be destroyed.
Does anyone know the latest about happenings at the Elmwood? I haven’t heard anything recently and am wondering how work on the church is moving along. I’m also a bit worried that some history inside could be destroyed.
Does anyone know the latest about happenings at the Elmwood? I haven’t heard anything recently and am wondering how work on the church is moving along. I’m also a bit worried that some history inside could be destroyed.
The Daily News article by Nicholas Hirshon was posted on the Internet today.
He wants to buy; will cinema sell?
Filmmaker details plans for historic screen, stage
BY NICHOLAS HIRSHON
DAILY NEWS WRITER
A Ridgewood filmmaker is hoping to save an historic Queens movie theater and help terminally ill children at the same time.
Albert Allie, 35, said he wants to purchase the Ridgewood Theatre – one of the oldest continuously operating movie houses in the country – so he can program independent films there and return vaudeville acts to its stage.
A few times each year, the Ridgewood also would host special shows to raise money for nonprofit organizations that help sick children, Allie said.
Allie’s mother, Joann, died of cervical cancer a few years ago, so he wants to run a foundation named after her that would raise money for children’s medical research.
“I’m a parent and it would kill me if any one of my children became sick,” he said. “My mother loved children. It’s kind of in her honor.”
But Joe Diaz, who owns the Ridgewood along with his brother, Manuel, said the theater isn’t for sale and is currently under renovation to improve its condition.
Allie said when he first approached Manuel Diaz about purchasing the theater a couple of years ago, Diaz put the price tag at $3 million.
Diaz later told Allie the price would be $7 million, then told a Queens weekly newspaper he wasn’t selling the theater at all, Allie said.
Other area theaters have recently been converted into pharmacies, and preservationists fear that the Ridgewood will follow suit.
Some preservationists want the theater landmarked to protect it from being gutted or demolished.
Asked if he and his brother would support the landmarking of the theater, which would limit most renovations there, Joe Diaz rejected the notion.
“That, I don’t like,” he said. “Skip that.”
State Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Ridgewood) said she had met with Allie to discuss his plans for the theater and that she is “100% supportive” of any move to enhance it.
But Nolan said she did not want to comment on the possible landmarking before first contacting the neighborhood’s other elected officials.
“I would certainly be sentimentally in favor of landmarking, but there are a lot of other people who would have to be consulted,” she said.
View link
Since there’s no site on here for the theater at the Museum of the Moving Image, just blocks from the Kaufman Astoria Cinema 14, I figured I’d post it here. Ran in today’s Daily News.
View link
BY NICHOLAS HIRSHON
DAILY NEWS WRITER
A potential Oscar-contending film about Idi Amin will be previewed tonight on an Astoria screen, more than a week before its heralded Sept. 27 nationwide release.
Acclaimed actor Forest Whitaker, who plays the infamous Ugandan dictator in “The Last King of Scotland,” will appear at the American Museum of the Moving Image after the critically acclaimed movie is previewed at 7 this evening.
The film’s director, Kevin Macdonald, and co-star James McAvoy who plays Amin’s personal physician, also will be in attendance.
A sellout crowd is expected to pack the museum’s 200-seat theater, and the actors and director will participate in a 30-minute moderated discussion following the movie, said David Schwartz, the museum’s chief curator.
“It’s a gripping film,” Schwartz said. “Forest Whitaker is a shoo-in for [an Oscar] nomination. There’s no way he’s not going to be nominated for that performan
ce.”
In the movie, McAvoy plays a young Scottish doctor named Nicholas Garrigan. Garrigan is sent to Uganda to treat a minor injury suffered by Amin, the mad dictator who ruled over the country in the 1970s.
Amin, obsessed with all things Scottish, hires Garrigan as his personal physician, and the doctor watches as Amin soon orders the torture of thousands of Ugandans.
Garrigan also falls in love with a diplomat’s wife, played by former “X Files” TV star Gillian Anderson.
McAvoy gained fame last year for his role as Mr. Tumnus the faun in “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” This year, he will star alongside Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon in “Penelope.”
Macdonald, whose directing credits include a Mick Jagger documentary that aired on ABC in 2001, seemed excited about coming to the museum.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about the theater and its reputation,” he said. “I’m thrilled it’s going to be there.”
Critics have hailed “The Last King of Scotland” as a masterpiece destined to rack up a number of awards.
Asked if the film could capture any Oscars, Macdonald said that “audiences seem to have loved it so far and I hope … the various organizations agree.”
McAvoy might receive a few nominations, and Whitaker is considered an early favorite to win Best Actor at next year’s Academy Awards, Schwartz said.
Born with a condition called lazy eye, Whitaker has gone on to have a very successful career. He starred in the films “Bird” (1988) and “The Crying Game” (1992), and directed the popular Whitney Houston film “Waiting to Exhale” in 1995.
Whitaker researched his role as Amin so well that he almost perfectly imitated the dictator’s mannerisms and personality, Macdonald said.
“Forest gave a performance of any award going,” he said. “He gave 150% effort.”
Tickets for tonight’s film and discussion are $16 for museum members and $22 for the general public.
Originally published on September 17, 2006
Hello. Thank you all for your positive feedback on my article. I appreciate your help.
Lost Memory, is there an email address I can reach you at?
Reporter Nicholas Hirshon of the Daily News recently wrote a story about the Cinemart; the link can be found above.
An article about the Cinemart Cinemas was published in today’s Daily News. Apparently they’re going to reveal the ornate ceiling in the entryway in coming weeks.
View link
The director of “Why We Fight” recently spoke at the Cinemart Cinemas.
Prices are cheap, but it’s not a good atmosphere. I went there once when the roof was leaking so much that they had to block off some rows in the theater and move customers from them — during the movie!
Thanks Warren! If anyone sees anything else going on there, I’d appreciate a post here so I know about it. I remember going to the Elmwood about 6 or 7 years ago.
Does anyone know the latest about happenings at the Elmwood? I haven’t heard anything recently and am wondering how work on the church is moving along. I’m also a bit worried that some history inside could be destroyed.
Does anyone know the latest about happenings at the Elmwood? I haven’t heard anything recently and am wondering how work on the church is moving along. I’m also a bit worried that some history inside could be destroyed.
Does anyone know the latest about happenings at the Elmwood? I haven’t heard anything recently and am wondering how work on the church is moving along. I’m also a bit worried that some history inside could be destroyed.