The new Pacific Film Archive schedule arrived in the mail today, and it left me wanting to move into the screening room for a few months. Unfortunately, that's not possible, and not only because it lack beds and showers. I'm directing a one-act play to be performed on February 23, and my time will be … Continue reading The Coming PFA Schedule
Category: Theaters
The Grand Lake Theater
I promised in yesterday's post that I'd write about Oakland's Grand Lake Theater, the only place in the area screening The Master in its ideal format, 70mm. One of the few great remaining movie palaces in the Bay Area--at least one of the few still showing first-run movies--the Grand Lake combines classic architecture with top-notch … Continue reading The Grand Lake Theater
Wonderful Movie Theater Discovery in Hawaii
Monday night, while vacationing on Hawaii's big island, I happened upon a great old movie palace--still showing pictures, and still using 35mm changeover projection. I'm talking about Hilo's historic Palace Theater.Wandering through the streets of Hilo with my family on a rainy evening, I spotted the theater and detoured to check it out. The smell … Continue reading Wonderful Movie Theater Discovery in Hawaii
SF Film Society Cinema to Close
Bad news. The San Francisco Film Society Cinema will close at the end of August. I first heard about this, as a rumor, at the Silent Film Festival. But a Society spokesperson confirmed the rumor, and so I'm posting this announcement. I don't know what will happen to the theater, which is located in the … Continue reading SF Film Society Cinema to Close
Discount Movies in Newark
Rena Dein of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum just informed me of a real deal. The Cinedome 7 in Newark is now a discount theater. Top ticket price: $2.00. Tickets are only .75 cents on Mondays, if you buy a minimum of three tickets. I've never been to this theater, and have no opinion … Continue reading Discount Movies in Newark
Roxie Fundraiser Brings in $50,000
As I noted in my May 25 newsletter, the Roxie had a fund-raising dinner at the Verdi Club on May 31st. I got a press release this morning announcing that it was a big success. Rather than trying to report on an event I didn't attend, I'll simply copy and paste the bulk of the … Continue reading Roxie Fundraiser Brings in $50,000
The Challenges of Digital Projection, Part 2: Distribution
As the theatrical film industry moves to digital projection, will we still be able to watch independent films and classic movies on the big screen? Last week I covered one major issue: How will small, independent theaters finance expensive new projectors and the servers required to run them? This week I'm covering the other side … Continue reading The Challenges of Digital Projection, Part 2: Distribution
The Challenges of Digital Projection, Part 1: The Theaters
Esthetically speaking, I see no problem with digital projection. Under the best of conditions, 2K DCP projection looks better than 35mm film--and 4K looks better than 2K. An incompetent projectionist can ruin a digital presentation, of course, but with film, they can ruin the presentation and the print. As transitions go, digital hardly changes the … Continue reading The Challenges of Digital Projection, Part 1: The Theaters
The New Pacific Film Archive Calendar
The Pacific Film Archive is still on its winter hiatus, and will remain so until January 12. But the January/February schedule is out, so we have some idea of what's ahead. This is an auteur heavy schedule, with four series devoted to particular filmmakers (two American, two French): Henri-Georges Clouzot, Howard Hawks, Robert Bresson, and … Continue reading The New Pacific Film Archive Calendar
The Castro Will Remain a Movie Theater
You may have heard recently that the Castro is converting to live theater and giving up regular movie screenings. I’m happy to report that the rumor is false. I first heard it via a tweet from Roger Ebert. It seemed plausible. Revival cinema hasn’t been economically healthy for a long time. So I emailed my … Continue reading The Castro Will Remain a Movie Theater
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