True Cult
One of the first decisions we made at the re-launched Cinemagic was to avoid using the term ‘cult classic’ in promotion. We still use it in casual conversation, but it takes on a different meaning in advertising.
In film promotion, ‘cult classics’ are usually just movies that have found an audience and stood the test of time without getting the kind of high-brow endorsement that makes a ‘true’ classic. It’s also a way for promoters to distance themselves from a film. You can talk up a movie without putting your own opinion on the line.
That’s why when we post tickets for movies like The Crow or They Live, we call them what they are, classics. And when we post tickets so some underappreciated gem, like Babe 2: Pig in the City or Slumber Party Massacre 2, we don’t distance ourselves. They’re all great movies, and we’ll defend each on their merits, just like everything else we put on screen.
Why do I bring this up? Let me tell you about our December lineup...
Dune: Part 1
Encore Week
Out of all the movies we played this year, none of them demanded the cinema experience quite like Dune. So, when we found ourselves with an open week, going back to Denis Villeneuve’s epic was an easy choice.
December 10-16
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
This vacation, Clark Griswold is staying home for a “fun old fashioned family Christmas”, which seems like a good idea until Cousin Eddie (see photo), Great Aunt Bethany (of the gift-wrapped cat), and his disapproving in-laws show up. Disaster ensues, but thanks to a killer script from legend John Hughes, you know the movie won’t end until everyone has “the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap danced with Danny fucking Kaye”.
Friday (12/17) - 9:30
Saturday (12/18) - 4:30
Sunday (12/19) - 4:30 & 7:00
Joe Dante Double Feature:
Gremlins 2:
The New Batch
&
Small Soldiers
on VHS
After a string of improbable hits in the 80’s Joe Dante was in demand, but big studios were always an awkward fit for the director. Facing pressure to make toy-friendly movies and sequels, Joe Dante “gave-in” and created two of the strangest big budget movies ever made.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch is technically a sequel, but it’s more like Dante directed a bizarre satire of his own movie. He knew The New Batch was only greenlit to sell toys, and he knew that we knew. Instead of cashing in, he created the ultimate anti-sequel, wildly bouncing between in-jokes, fourth wall breaks, uncomfortable violence, and shameless toy placement. The end result would be one of a kind, if not for…
Small Soldiers was originally intended to be a dark action/horror/comedy hybrid, but late in production (“Too late” as Dante put it), the studio decided it needed to be family friendly, and sell more toys. Apparently they never saw Gremlins 2. As Roger Ebert put it in his (understandably) confused review, “In Small Soldiers, toys have unspeakable things happen to them, and many of them end up looking like horror props.”
If there is such a thing as a ‘cult classic’, this is it. We couldn’t even get rights for a proper digital copy of because the studio hasn’t bothered making one. That’s why we’re using the next best thing - the VHS copy Ryan has had since he was a kid.
Saturday, Dec.18
6:30 - Doors Open
7:00 - Gremlins 2
9:15 - Small Soldiers
The Films of Paul Thomas Anderson & Licorice Pizza
Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the best directors working today, and it’s no secret that we’re fans. We’ve been open less than 6 months, and we already played There Will Be Blood twice.
In the lead up to his newest film we’re going to play two more from the director, and There Will Be Blood again, because it’s our theater and we’ll play it as many times as we want.
Inherent Vice - Tuesday (12/21) 7:00
There Will Be Blood - Wednesday (12/22) 7:00
The Master - Thursday (12/23) 7:00
Licorice Pizza
On Christmas eve we’ll open PTA’s newest. Set in the San Fernando Valley in 1973, Licorice Pizza is joyous and nostalgic in a way Anderson’s films rarely are. Despite the change in tone, he again delivers impeccable film-craft, and a movie that’s sure to top many awards lists.
Opens Friday, Dec. 24
Tickets on sale Friday, Dec. 10
Patch notes
Are you still reading? Because I’m still writing. This is waaaaay too long for a promotional email.
The fine folks at the Hollywood Theatre gave us a bunch of their old marquee letters, so we can use the cool looking giant letters more often.
After three months of waiting, our new ice machine arrived, without warning, at opening time, on a Friday. Thanks to everyone who casually pretended it wasn’t sitting in the lobby that night.
The big gold curtain broke, so we fixed it, then it broke again, and we fixed it again.
In a down to the wire finish, the new entryway carpet was installed a few days before the ice machine, briefly making the Ice Machine our longest shipping delay.
We say briefly, because it’s already been dethroned by the gold wall curtains for the lobby, which are approaching their 5th month of delay.
