Cinemark Classics

[danielh41]

The Cinemark theater near my house (and most Cinemark theaters, I think) shows classic movies on the big screen on Sundays and Wednesdays. Last night I saw the trailer for their spring series, and I may just have to go to all of them this time. Of course, it ends with Bored favorite It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World which I think would look fantastic on the big screen.

[SpacemanSpiff]

We have one of those here -- in fact, it's the closest to our house -- and will often go see one of these if they tickle our fancy. Mrs. Spiff is in one of their benefits/affinity program (Gold Criterion?) that usually lets us see these free when they run (11 am on the weekends).

As far as seeing these films on the big screen, one thing I'll remember (as will Son-of-Spiff, who was about 8 when I took him) was a local cinema, which was built in the early 1970s and specifically designed to be mega-state-of-the-art. Huge screen and auditorium, and a sound system that would rival anything pre-THX or Dolby, so much so that they didn't even have to truck in the extra speakers for the Sensurrond films of the day. Back in 1990, they had a run of films that were in 70mm format, which included The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur. As powerful as those movies are, with them on a monster screen, ultra-crisp, and with that sound system, we both were in tears at the climactic scenes.

Of course, those theaters are gone, at least locally.

[silverscreenselect]

Of course, those theaters are gone, at least locally.

TCM has been showing classic films at Regal Theaters on Sunday afternoons, they had the 75th Anniversary version of The Maltese Falcon last week. We have a Landmark Theater here in Atlanta that shows many of the art films Mrs. SSS and I attend. Unfortunately, only one of the eight screens is at all suited for widescreen showing (most of the rest have about 100 or so seats apiece). They do have film festivals during the week hosted by a local film historian who introduces the movies and then has a Q&A session with the audience after the movie. They are in the middle of a Wim Wenders festival now (one film a week for about 7-8 weeks). Both Turner and Warner Archive participate in Film Festival showings in Los Angeles and other major cities as well.

For those interested in older, not-quite-classic films, you might check out the Warner Archive. They sell DVD and a handful of Blu-rays of older films and films that are no longer available on DVD through other markets. Their movies are pricey and they are burned DVD-R's and not pressed. They also have a lot of TV series available from the 50s-70s, including The FBI, Hawaiian Eye, 77 Sunset Strip and others. They have an online subscription service as well. It doesn't have as extensive a library of films as their DVD collection, but it's got several hundred and add more each month. In most cases, they are the only place you'll be able to legally find the movies and TV shows they offer. They're not on either Amazon or Netflix. The subscription service is $10 a month after a free trial period.

[SportsFan68]

The Cinemark theater near my house (and most Cinemark theaters, I think) shows classic movies on the big screen on Sundays and Wednesdays. Last night I saw the trailer for their spring series, and I may just have to go to all of them this time. Of course, it ends with Bored favorite It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World which I think would look fantastic on the big screen.

It does. Even though it was so long ago, I still remember the impact of "the big W" coming at me from a big screen. And the scene with the fire ladder -- crash! And Jerry Lewis, bigger than life, with that manic grin. . .

[silverscreenselect]

The Cinemark theater near my house (and most Cinemark theaters, I think) shows classic movies on the big screen on Sundays and Wednesdays. Last night I saw the trailer for their spring series, and I may just have to go to all of them this time. Of course, it ends with Bored favorite It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World which I think would look fantastic on the big screen.

It does. Even though it was so long ago, I still remember the impact of "the big W" coming at me from a big screen. And the scene with the fire ladder -- crash! And Jerry Lewis, bigger than life, with that manic grin. . .

I had the chance to see How the West Was Won as a child in true Cinerama. The stunt work in that film (long before CGII) was amazing. The impact of the buffalo stampede was truly awesome. You felt they were running right around you.

More recently, a theater in downtown Atlanta that had gotten run down was renovated in the early 1980s and had a Cinerama screen as well. I remember taking Mrs. SSS to see The Untouchables and a James Bond movie there. I actually had a movie pass at the time but paid money to see those in true widescreen and it was worth it.