Comments from rlvjr

Showing 26 - 50 of 164 comments

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Feb 10, 2008 at 8:07 pm

For many years I’ve wanted to go inside this theater and last week I finally did. The Zeigfeld does not look like much from the outside — with half the space under their marqee being a garage entrance — but inside I found a dazzlingly beautiful movie theater, no doubt the best remaining movie theater in New York.

Never mind that a couple of decades ago there were a dozen more beautiful theaters within ½ mile, the Roxy, Rivoli, Capitol, State, Astor, Warner, et cetera are all gone. Too bad though I saw (20 minutes of) HANNA MONTANA, the 2nd stupidist movie of 2007, not as stupid as No Country for Old Men. I’ll return sometime as their movies are usually first rate.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about AFI Silver Theatre on Jan 28, 2008 at 2:57 pm

The Liberals at the SILVER need to put up or shut up! Either make the information available (by phone, newspaper or internet) as to what film is playing in the historic theatre (and which are in the small new theaters) or continue a reputation of BAD Customer Service. Freedom of Choice —– not a thing liberals like to allow for OTHER people, like customers.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Avalon Theatre on Jan 28, 2008 at 2:51 pm

Right now, this minute, STOP! Don’t enter anymore comments until you get over to the AVALON, buy a ticket, and see a movie there.

Doing so is a great experience, because it’s a wonderful theatre with much comfort and the 2nd largest screen in Washington, DC. Prices are normal and street parking is easy (day or night).

OK, the last time we saw 2007’s worst movie, “No Country for Old Men,” undeniably stupid; but that’s not the Avalon’s fault. They normally play better films than most.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about AFI Silver Theatre on Jan 22, 2008 at 11:15 am

The Avalon posts information, as to which film is in which theater, as a part of offering good Customer Service. The Silver DOES NOT offer this as a part of their BAD Customer Service. There is no excuse for bad Customer Service.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about AFI Silver Theatre on Jan 19, 2008 at 9:12 pm

It was downright joyful to return to the SILVER —– where we’ve seen over 2000 movies over many decades — for this year’s best movie, JUNO. Too bad it was necessary to drive 20 miles round trip before finding out whether JUNO was in the historic theatre or one of the broom closets.

The reason that information is NOT available (on line, by phone, etc) as to what film is playing in the big theater is NOT to maximize use of the auditoriums; rather it’s because the AFI are Liberals, and as such it’s essential they be in control. They do not like freedom of choice, and can’t stand the thought of customers deciding for themselves. Again, the AVALON makes this information available every day.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Uptown Theatre on Jan 17, 2008 at 2:23 pm

I’ve enjoyed hundreds of movies at the UPTOWN over the past 5 decades; but unfortunately AMC has apparently targeted the UPTOWN to be driven out of business. In the familiar pattern of new owners wanting to close an unwanted outlet, AMC has turned to providing the poorest service to customers, hoping they don’t return; then citing low attendance as justification for closure.

For over 60 years, under both Warner and Cineplex Odeon ownership, the UPTOWN was the crown jewel of excellence, including the finest projection and sound on their giant screen. But now, under AMC bad management, the projection quality has become the poorest in DC. The picture is big, of course, but is sadly lacking in sharpness, contrast and brightness. Not just with the current I AM LEGEND, but with ALL of the previous 7 pictures we’ve seem there. Also, the all non-English speaking staff lingers in the lobby, with lobby doors open, yacking away through the show.

Washington’s other stand-alone theatre is the AVALON, further up Connecticut Avenue. Although the Avalon is much older, their picture quality is now superior to the UPTOWN’s intentional low quality.

The only hope for a continuing survival of the UPTOWN is to shed the destructive AMC ownership and have it in the hands of persons who appreciate the fine venue the UPTOWN was from 1939 through 2005.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Akron Civic Theatre on Oct 9, 2007 at 2:26 pm

We enjoyed two fine shows at Loew’s Akron during 2007 — coming from Virginia to visit this historic venue. The second ahow was CARMEN and we were pleased to see such a grand production and pay a low price.

New Yorkers, who truly do believe that civilization does not exist west of the Hudson, ought to see this theatre. It is so much like Loew’s Paradise — which NY people fondly remember but few visit since it’s 2006 reopening. One difference is that the Paradise is in the still dangerous Bronx and going there is a true risk. In comparison, the AKRON venue is obviously in a low crime city. After all, downtown Akron is crawling with police and jaywalking is a crime I would not care to risk there.

Prices at Loew’s AKRON in 2007 are startlingly low: $20 to $30.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club on Oct 6, 2007 at 9:14 pm

I saw about 2 dozen movies at this fine theatre during its heyday. One thing: Most theatres back then discounted their matinees by about 30%, but not Sidney Lust Theaters, hence not the Bethesda. I was in high school and usually near broke, so paying the higher price wasn’t easy. These days kids are rich and don’t care about prices, but learning thrift young has made me very wealthy.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Senator Theatre on Sep 10, 2007 at 9:26 pm

We drove 40 miles each way to enjoy seeing a movie again at a real movie theatre. It was well worth the effort. The SENATOR is an excellent and well managed theatre, and there’s nothing wrong with the seats. Don’t be put-off by the prior posting’s negative comment — because it just isn’t true.

Too bad 3:10 TO YUMA went from excellence (1 ½ hrs) to stupid (final 20 minutes). We enjoyed it thoroughly until…..

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Loew's Paradise Theatre on Aug 18, 2007 at 10:14 pm

MOAN! MOAN! MOAN! BOO! HOO! HOO! If you really want to find the website, just Google: Utopia’s Paradise. That’s it. It took me less than 30 seconds.

After all the talk, we get a poster who moans about tickets costing more than $50. How shocking! A live show costing more than $50 —– for the good seats! Alert the media! GROW UP! That’s what shows cost these days. I’ll say it again: Sign off and go buy a ticket. Learn to live some sort of life besides the internet.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Kings Theatre on Aug 18, 2007 at 9:54 pm

Just like LOEW’S KINGS, LOEW’S PARADISE has thousands of words on this website about restoring and reopening the theatre. Now at long last someone spent $4.5 million and reopened it with occasional live stage shows. However, I think I was the only person to post a message on the PARADIDE page saying we’d actually attended a show there since the reopening. I don’t live in the Bronx. It’s 525 miles round trip to the Bronx. My question is: for all the YACK! YACK! are any of you going to attend LOEW’S KINGS if it reopens, or are you all just empty barrels making noise?

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Metropolitan Theater on Aug 18, 2007 at 1:54 pm

Obviously the Washington Post wasn’t any more accurate in 1918 than they are today. The Metropolitan never had a mezzanine AND balcony, just a balcony —– but a big one. Anyone reading the Post ought to know they insist on calling CASABLANCA a “B movie.” When a reader tried to set them straight, the tenaciously pig-headed Post once again spat out the same nonsense, calling it a B movie — albiet the best B movie ever.

I remember seeing Hitchcock’s DIAL M FOR MURDER here in 3-D. It was the only 3-D ever made by Hitchcock, but after the first 3 days the 3-D version was pulled and replaced by a regular print. If you ever take the Universal tour they’ll tell you DAIL M never played anywhere in 3-D even though made in that process.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Laurel Cinema on Aug 18, 2007 at 1:08 pm

The LAUREL CINEMA in Laurel Shopping Center was not a single screen house, it was a twin. Super cheap, super uncomfortable, all such twin theatres which opened around Washington-Baltimore are long since gone —– and are not missed.

There was a LAUREL theatre on Main Street, built in the 1930’s I guess, with about 600 seats including a small balcony. It was great, and we saw maybe 40 or 50 movies there in the 1950-1965 era. They charged about 15% less than most theatres and they played first neighborhood runs a week or two before other theatres got them. In the late 1950’s they installed a huge screen and new stereo —– great for movies like Richard Burton in Alexander the Great.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about AFI Silver Theatre on Aug 2, 2007 at 8:54 pm

The historic SILVER theater is much bigger than 400 seats. The SILVER was bigger than the AVALON by a good 30%. Although AFI reduced the seating when they renovated, during my 1,000+ visits here when Warner’s owned it, the capacity was approx. 1,000 seats. Later, under KB ownership, it was sometimes used for first runs — because of its size and location. For example, when the KB Cinema was swarmed with people wanting to see THE EXORCIST, KB ordered another print and played it at the Silver.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Little Theatre on Aug 2, 2007 at 8:45 pm

As a lifeling Washington area resident, I can shed a little light on the former LITTLE THEATER, even though I never saw a movie here.

First, there isn’t so much of a trace of DC’s 9th Street theaters (Little, Joy, Central, Leader, Shubert, Gayety). All gone. Most real estate replaced by new, modern buildings.

The LITTLE played many fine “art” films — under several owners. What I remember best was not a first run. After MGM’s “LILI” with Leslie Caron had its first run, as well as 2nd and 3rd runs in the neighborhoods, the LITTLE thought it still had value as an attraction and brought it back. It played over a year, as I recall. The admission price here was $1.00. It doesn’t seem like much, but this compares to 74 cents at the plush and beautiful Loew’s and Warner theaters that lined F Street.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Dunbar Theater on Jul 21, 2007 at 9:25 pm

I think it’s erroneous to describe the DUNBAR as equally historic as the nearby HOWARD. Nobody living today is old enough to remember stage shows at the DUNBAR, but the much, much larger HOWARD just across the street was the site of LIVE stage shows featuring hundreds of Black performers such as James Brown, Pearl Bailey, Little Richard and virtually every rock n roll star of that era. The DUNBAR served the community as a double feature movie theater at an admission price of about 1/3 the price of the HOWARD (both were bargains by any standard) until sky high crime in the Shaw area ruined everything.

The DUNBAR is right now being converted to a Wachovia bank, as extensive renovation of Washington’s long neglected town houses is now just one block from the DUNBAR.

Make no mistake, the HOWARD was equal to the APOLLO in New York when it came to presenting live entertainment.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Loew's Paradise Theatre on Jul 10, 2007 at 10:49 pm

MAY I OFFER SOME ADVICE? Sign off of Cinema Treasures right now and do one of two things (1) sign on Ticketmaster and buy a ticket to an upcoming Paradise show, or (2) sign off your P/C and go to the theatre box office.

The theatre is re-opened, renovated and no longer inactive. They have a new “NIGHT IN PARADISE” coming up. The last one was 5 hours and 13 minutes; quite a lot for the money. My wife and I attended even though the 5 hour (300 mile) commute made it inconvenient. If you live in or near the BRONX, what’s your excuse?

Sure, I’d rather go there for “Pirates #3” and a $10.50 admission; but that’s not the current choice.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Avalon Theatre on Jul 10, 2007 at 10:32 pm

Regarding 70MM films: The AVALON played Paul Newman and Tom Cruise in THE COLOR OF MONEY in 70 MM for several weeks when it was first run. The fact is that in 2007 Hollywood has lost interest in 70 MM, as there hasn’t been a new 70 MM in years. Too bad.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Avalon Theatre on Jul 10, 2007 at 10:24 pm

I think the point should be made loud and clear that the AVALON is a fully functioning 7 day a week movie theatre, usually showing first run pictures. That’s what most users of this site want to read.

The most recent movie I saw here was THE QUEEN — which was popular enough to run several weeks.

If you want to see a good movie in a real historic theatre, come to the AVALON and/or the UPTOWN which is two miles away, just down Connecticut Avenue. Prices, by the way, are similar to multiplexes.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Highland Square Theatre on Jul 10, 2007 at 10:12 pm

The #1 thing movie historic movie theatres need to survive and thrive is to have access to the most popular movies (which are usually available only to the multiplexes). When we were in Akron last month, the #1 movie in America was “Pirates #3” which took in more money than the other 9 top ten movies put together. Pirates #3 was playing at the Highland, but our time in Akron was limited and I can’t report first hand how that went. Lately the Disney Company has been open minded about booking their first runs into the single screen theatres. Pirates 3 also played the best single screen houses in Baltimore (Senator), Washington, DC (Uptown), New York(Zeigfeld) and Los Angeles (El Capitan); perhaps others as well.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Kings Theatre on Jun 25, 2007 at 2:11 pm

Here’s a thought on an economically viable use of LOEW’S KINGS or any other king-sized cinema treasure —– it’s so obvious nobody thinks of it: Question: Is movie box office good right now or not? Answer: It’s booming! Question: Why did Loew’s Kings close? Answer: Extreme high crime, a prolonged slump in box office. With crime rates down, box office up, and a renewed interest in revitalization of Brooklyn, why not consider playing movies on a regular basis in addition to special events. Who wouldn’t love seeing that. At today’s $11 price, that’s a lot of bread-n-butter money.

The #1 box office hit today is “Pirates 3, At World’s End.” The Walt Disney Company is NOT excluding single screen theatres from their first run of this film. In NYC, it’s at the Zeigfeld. We saw it last night in Washington’s finest, the Uptown. It’s also in single screen theatres in Baltimore, Akron, Los Angeles, etc. Disney has been wonderful not only about the New Amsterdam in NYC, they’ve restored the El Capitan (Paramount) on Hollywood Blvd and movies play there every day —– incidently across the street from the Chinese Theatre which has never ceased playing movies.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about AFI Silver Theatre on Jun 25, 2007 at 1:42 pm

Obviously most people using this website are interested in HISTORIC theatres. Whether “broom closets” is a fair description of the two new auditoriums sidesteps the point that AFI magnagement willfully does nothing to offer the customer a choice —– nothing to let us know which film is in the historic theatre, which is in the closet. How difficult is it to make such information available by phone? I want the AFI to be up front with customers as to what’s playing where.

In the nearby historic AVALON THEATRE, you can go to their website on any given day, or prior day, to find out what film is in the historic theatre and which is in the broom closet upstairs —– although they call the broom closet Avalon #2, that’s OK. The AFI are control freaks and would never do anything so helpful or honest.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about AFI Silver Theatre on Jun 25, 2007 at 1:42 pm

Obviously most people using this website are interested in HISTORIC theatres. Whether “broom closets” is a fair description of the two new auditoriums sidesteps the point that AFI magnagement willfully does nothing to offer the customer a choice —– nothing to let us know which film is in the historic theatre, which is in the closet. How difficult is it to make such information available by phone? I want the AFI to be up front with customers as to what’s playing where.

In the nearby historic AVALON THEATRE, you can go to their website on any given day, or prior day, to find out what film is in the historic theatre and which is in the broom closet upstairs —– although they call the broom closet Avalon #2, that’s OK. The AFI are control freaks and would never do anything so helpful or honest.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about Uptown Theatre on Jun 24, 2007 at 9:24 pm

For PIRATES #3 we skipped the multiplex and saw it on the UPTOWN’s huge curved screen with superior stereo. It was well worth the extra few miles for the exceptional experience. In case anyone doesn’t know, the price is the same. AMC management, however, is not the best; and a long-time customer will be aware of the difference —– as prior owners (particularly Warner, Pedas Bros) were determined to keep the UPTOWN as Washington’s shining jewel.

rlvjr
rlvjr commented about WYO Theater on May 30, 2007 at 10:54 am

We saw a live performance at this fine theatre on 5/26/07. Very comfortable, but I don’t believe the capacity is 483. It looked more like 800 to 1000.