By the Way...

I often forget that this blog is about Belltown. And when I remember, I usually dispense old news. This is no exception. OK, so the Cinerama is in the midst of their 70mm Festival. I was gone last week, so I missed the opening phase. Fortunately, they're repeating most of the films. You know, I've never been a cinemaphile. Sure, I like movies like everybody else, but I would seldom go out of my way to see old movies in the theater. Well, that all changed this summer when the Cinerama had their Kubrick-fest. I only saw two films - A Clockwork Orange and The Shining - and that was enough to change my mind. I had only seen The Shining once on TV over at a friend's house. I wasn't impressed. It seemed completely stagnant. I was bored by it. However, when I saw it at the Cinerama, it was a completely different experience. It had my complete attention and watching it on a screen that size gave it a completely different dimension. By the time it was over, I could honestly say: "Yeah, that film is a masterpiece." I'm hoping that I'll have a similar experience with these films. Here is the schedule for this week. I'm going to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang this afternoon. I haven't even thought about that film in about three decades. I just remember it as rather weird and creepy. And it costars Benny Hill. Tomorrow night, I'm planning on seeing Lord Jim. I've heard absolutely nothing about this movie other than that it's based on the Conrad novel and it stars Peter O'Toole. After seeing The Shining on that huge screen, I'm really looking forward to further offerings from the Cinerama. After all these years in Belltown, the one thing that consistently cheers me up is the Cinerama.

This Just In!

Actually, I'm very, very late with this. The good news is that the beloved Cinerama is re-opening after some whizz-bang modifications that will allow them to show 3D films. The bad news is that they're re-opening with a damn Harry Potter film. Hate the books. Hate the movies. Grumble, grumble. But let me remind you that the good news is that the Cinerama is re-opening next week.

Once Again, the Cinerama Remodels

Here's something that I'm sure everybody already knows about: the Cinerama is on hiatus. It seems like they remodel every few years these days. The last time I was there, everything seemed quite ship-shape, so I'm guessing that the modifications might have something to do with showing 3D movies. I saw Avatar there for the first time, but then caught it in 3D Imax at Northgate. There was no comparison. The 3D version was vastly better. If the Cinerama is indeed refitting for 3D, I say great. Beginning last year, I've seen about 10 3D films and most have been pretty spectacular in unique ways. And I'm sure that, as usual, even terrible films look good at the Cinerama. However, if they're just getting gum off of the seats, de-stickyfying the floor and replacing the bulbs at the candy counter, then I wish them luck in their endeavor. I'll continue to go even if they don't have 3D capabilities.

I Just Saw Kick Ass

And here's your proof:

The best thing about this film? The homicidal, potty-mouthed 11-year-old. The second-best thing? Nicolas Cage's Adam West impersonation. Go see it. McLovin is a bad guy.

In Case You're Interested...

The lovely Cinerama is showing Transformers 2. Me, I've vowed never again to see a movie based on a toy. OK, I did see the first Transformers movie, but the circumstances were special: it was 95 degrees outside. Inside the Cinerama it was something like 50. People were wearing coats and sweaters. Like almost everyone else there, I was escaping the heat. I didn't think Shia LaBoeuf was cool, I didn't think Megan Fox was hot, and I didn't think that the film was anything but patently absurd. But golly, was that theater ever chilly! After the show, I rejoined the "hot world" and spent the rest of the day sweating and reminiscing about how cold the Cinerama was. God bless the Cinerama!