Bob's big idea
BlogCritics magazine hails Robert Redford's newest effort to nurture independent filmmaking.Redford has joined his Sundance brand with Landmark Theaters to develop a new kind of movie house.
It wasn’t enough, [Landmark] said, to just take the people’s money, sell them some popcorn, and show them a movie.... Their idea was that the movie house should be a “destination,” which is to say a place that, yes, shows movies, but also provides other amenities that would attract larger audiences.Those amentities include a good restaurant, screening rooms in which drinks are served —"a place where a film can be enjoyed, talked about, even debated in friendly circumstances by people who really love the movies." And no commercials before the films!
Two of the new Sundance Theaters have opened, one in Madison, Wis., the other in San Francisco.
Nancy Klasky Gribler, Marketing VP for Sundance Cinemas, says the idea works:
I’m the person in the organization who gets letters from patrons, and many people write just to describe the experience in one of our theaters. It’s almost always a very positive response.The sad part is that the concept likely would fail in Utah, the home of Sundance, because the state lacks a large enough base of sophisticated filmgoers.
4 Comments:
I haven't read a more smug or condescending sentence than that last one in quite some time. What's the view like from up there?
Pull your head out, Glen. The Broadway, the Tower, Sundance, Slamdance, TromaDance, SpyHop, the SLC Film Center, Brewvies, Trent Harris. I defy you to make a case for a city outside of LA or NYC with more appreciation and support for the art and craft of eclectic filmmaking. Did you sit on your brain today?
Glen, you are absolute right. Quality films - foreign, documentary, fine arts, classics - are seldom screened in Salt Lake theaters. The Tower is quaint, but hardly a comfortable place to sit and digest good art. I can't say anything about Slamdance, TromaDance, SpyHop, etc., since I haven't attended.
Utah audiences, generally, are bland in terms of film preference. Lots of napalm, fire, explosions, car chases, etc., are necessary to draw Utah patrons.
I recall the utter nonsense surrounding Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ," a breakthrough movie that paved a new direction for American films. It was risky, for sure, and took huge chances, but Utah audiences stayed away in crowds. It was good art, good film, good acting, good direction, great backdrops. But millions upon millions of Utahns tried to get it removed from the Center Theater when it arrived.
While entering the theater, a guy shoved a pamphlet in my face telling me it was sinful to see that film and that my wife, daughter and I should stay away.
I said ok, but asked if he had seen the movie. He hadn't. I asked how he could make a judgment having not seen it. "Everyone knows it is anti-Christ."
I said let's do this. I'll read your pamphlet if you'll let me buy you a ticket and after the movie we'll have some great discussion over coffee.
He walked away.
Your comments were not smug nor condescending. They reflect reality.
Thanks for sharing the information.
Good God Almighty! I am so sick of people trying to make movies (ahem, films) in to some big thing. I have seen good ones, and I have seen bad ones. Critics like films, but people like movies, do you catch my drift here? There is a reason why these art house films don't do well: They are boring! I will never forget when Chris Rock hosted the Oscars and he went and interviewed a bunch of people on the street abou that year's nominees, and people ha dnever seen them. Not becuase they couldn't access them, but becuase they were not interesting. So many films are self indulgent pieces for the director or actor.
So, if you want an art film, fine, go to some place with your hipster buddies. Leave the rest of us alone and stop staring down your nose at me with your fake horn rim vintage eyeglasses just becuase I want to be entertained by a few car chases.
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