The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation, which runs the Vogue, is joining forces with current Balboa manager Gary Meyer to keep that theater open. (I bet you didn’t even know it was in danger of closing.) The Balboa was built in 1926, making it one of the oldest continuing movie theaters in the Bay Area. … Continue reading The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation Takes Over the Balboa
Category: Theaters
Movies and Showmanship
I know people who use the word showmanship to refer to a high technical quality in motion picture presentation—usually referring to old-fashioned technology. I don’t. When I think of "showmanship," I don't think of movies. I think of circuses, magic shows, and rock concerts. Showmanship isn't about technology, but about live human beings putting on … Continue reading Movies and Showmanship
New PFA Schedule
I recently realized that I could put together a pretty good series on Hollywood in the 70s from DVDs and Blu-ray discs in my home collection. Then I discovered that the Pacific Film Archive had a better one on the way using 35mm prints. In other words, I only recently took a look at the … Continue reading New PFA Schedule
The UC Theatre: A Memory
I’ve seen a lot of movie theaters close. It always hurts. But none hurt as much as Berkeley’s UC Theatre. There were years when I went there three or four times a week. Even more than the Castro, the UC was my shrine to the art and joy of cinema. It closed its doors for … Continue reading The UC Theatre: A Memory
The Red Vic’s Final Days
I just came home from a two-day mini-vacation, and what do I find? The Red Vic will definitely close on July 25—less than three weeks away. This seemed likely back in March, but it’s an absolute fact, now. Among the final films are Babe, Stop Making Sense, Touch of Evil, and The Last Waltz. The … Continue reading The Red Vic’s Final Days
Changes at the Roxie
The Roxie is undergoing more organizational changes. The biggest change: They'll be mixing more live theater with films. On weekends, you'll get a half hour of live entertainment before the movie. I don't have time to really evaluate the announcement, so I'll just do something horribly unprofessional. I'll just pass on their press release, unedited: … Continue reading Changes at the Roxie
Red Vic in Trouble
In 1980, the Red Vic became a movie theater and devoted itself to repertory cinema. Back then, its competition was from other revival houses. Today, most of that competition is gone, and it struggles to compete with DVDs and Netflix. The competition is much harder. Those who read today's Chronicle Datebook section know that the … Continue reading Red Vic in Trouble
Before Laurel & Hardy at Niles
I'm sitting in the Niles Essenay Silent Movie Museum, waiting for the Laurel & Hardy show to begin. First thing that hit me when I entered the lobby was the significantly larger store. Unfortunately, I arrived at the last minute and didn't have time to explore it. Continuing at intermission: Just watched Three Stooges short, … Continue reading Before Laurel & Hardy at Niles
New PFA Schedule
At the Pacific Film Archive, November/December is always the shortest schedule of the year. Thank the holidays for that. A lot of people go to movies on Christmas, but they don’t go to the Pacific Film Archive. But the PFA has a promising month and a half of cinematic studies and pleasures. Certainly the most … Continue reading New PFA Schedule
Left in the Dark at the PFA
I’m trying to get back into the swing of things here, both with movie-going and blogging about movie-going. Saturday night I took the plunge. I started the evening at the Pacific Film Archive for Left in the Dark: Portraits of San Francisco Movie Theatres. I’ve mentioned other events around the book Left in the Dark … Continue reading Left in the Dark at the PFA
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