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News & ArtsFriday, November 19, 2010
Film What To Do With the Uptown Now
Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 4:01 PM
As Mr. Trujillo told us earlier today, the Uptown Cinema is scheduled to close on November 28th. It's always a sad thing when a movie theater closes, and I've seen a lot of great movies at the Uptown. It was one of my favorite SIFF venues.
I would love to see the Uptown become a cheap second-run movie theater. I know Seattle already has a couple of great second-run houses, but I'm willing to bet we could sustain a third, especially so close to downtown, now that we are experiencing a Permanent Recession.
At $4 a pop, with an interesting midnight movie series, I think the Uptown could be something awesome. (I wouldn't even mind if they turned one of the theaters into a restaurant/cafe to keep viewers around and spending money for a little while longer, or made it a kitchen and offered a movie-with-dinner affair in the remaining two theaters.) And with the world's only sit-down Dicks across the street, it would be the ultimate cheap-date block in Seattle.
1
Well, it used to be. We'd grab a coffee up the street, maybe share a dish, and grab a matinee before watching the sunset at the P-I globe.
2
How big would a living room TV screen have to be proportionately to be as big as a movie theater screen?
4
Not everyone wants cheap. A lot of the cheapskates will look for something even cheaper than a movie, like a bit torrent, so they're aren't exactly the ideal customer, recession or not.
What there is a demand for is a better experience. Majestic Bay in Ballard is packed often because they have a big screen and don't bombard you with a ton of Coca-cola and Marine Corpse ads. The Cinnebarre out in Montlake Terrace does well with their food, alcohol, and a movie setup and the thing that keeps me from being there semi nightly is that it is located in Montlake fucking Terrace. A theater where you can eat and drink beer while watching a first run movie? In Seattle? That's a winning combination.
What there is a demand for is a better experience. Majestic Bay in Ballard is packed often because they have a big screen and don't bombard you with a ton of Coca-cola and Marine Corpse ads. The Cinnebarre out in Montlake Terrace does well with their food, alcohol, and a movie setup and the thing that keeps me from being there semi nightly is that it is located in Montlake fucking Terrace. A theater where you can eat and drink beer while watching a first run movie? In Seattle? That's a winning combination.
6
yeah, i may be a cheapskate but i still love seeing movies in a theater more than anything. i think it would be fan-fucking-tastic to have a crest style theater in the heart of seattle.
7
The cheap movie thing was tried at UA 70/150 and it failed. That theater was in disrepair, though, and smelled faintly of urine the last time I was there. The Uptown is in much better shape. I'm just not sure there's enough of a second-run audience now especially in that area.
Saw a lot of movies at the Uptown and loved its convenience and its popcorn. If I'm not mistaken, I think one of the three theaters there used to be like a second-run screen. I'd occasionally see movies there that I'd missed when they were playing more widely.
I came to Seattle in the mid-80s and immediately fell in love with everything about it. I felt at home for the first time in my 30-something years, but everything - just about everything - that I especially loved in Seattle are all just about gone now. This may be progress. This may be part of getting old and making way for the young and the new, but it's killing me to see the city that I fell in love with disappear with each passing year.
Best wishes, Uptown, to you and yours.
Saw a lot of movies at the Uptown and loved its convenience and its popcorn. If I'm not mistaken, I think one of the three theaters there used to be like a second-run screen. I'd occasionally see movies there that I'd missed when they were playing more widely.
I came to Seattle in the mid-80s and immediately fell in love with everything about it. I felt at home for the first time in my 30-something years, but everything - just about everything - that I especially loved in Seattle are all just about gone now. This may be progress. This may be part of getting old and making way for the young and the new, but it's killing me to see the city that I fell in love with disappear with each passing year.
Best wishes, Uptown, to you and yours.
9
Wonder what the owners will do. The AMC movie chain was only a renter. The owner's tax bill now goes to a Minnesota suburban address. Hope it can stay something halfway interesting, or at least not vacant.
10
The easiest thing to do is keep it as some sort of theater. But how to make money doing that? Cheap theaters have to do something to make it work financially. If you cut the ticket price in half, you either have to get twice as many customers or cut costs. Running old movies isn't going to bring in twice as many customers, or cost half as much to operate.
Where would you rather go to see a movie?
A chain theater with the same old same old?
Or a theater that is playing movies that are just about to come out on DVD that everyone else already saw but costs a couple bucks less?
Or a theater that is playing decent first run movies and you can order a drink or two and a meal while watching the movie?
Where would you rather go to see a movie?
A chain theater with the same old same old?
Or a theater that is playing movies that are just about to come out on DVD that everyone else already saw but costs a couple bucks less?
Or a theater that is playing decent first run movies and you can order a drink or two and a meal while watching the movie?
12
Is it SIFF's fault, or just the fact that there are so many shitty movies? But I've always liked watching movies there. The first film I saw there was about ten years ago. It was a Japanese gangster film with three guys chasing each other for the whole time all over Tokyo. Anyone remember that?
14
@11 - Was the Japanese movie you're thibnking of called "Non-Stop"? It would have played as part of a weekly series of films that was sponsored by some national network/magazine/whatever. As I recall, it was a very unassuming movie, and a lot of fun. But it had what was possibly the most forgettable English title ever. If I recall correctly, the movie had a scene where two desperate, gasping, and exhausted runners each does a sort of double take to glance back at a pretty girl they just chased past. It was a truely inspired bit.
15
Punk rock shows?
@12, I blame shitty movies. Hollywood is killing America. @4 etc. have the right idea, booze + movies. Find crazier ones. The last movie I saw in a theater was "Chastity" with Cher. SHOW IT AGAIN.
I hope somebody figures it out. Lower QA needs you.
@12, I blame shitty movies. Hollywood is killing America. @4 etc. have the right idea, booze + movies. Find crazier ones. The last movie I saw in a theater was "Chastity" with Cher. SHOW IT AGAIN.
I hope somebody figures it out. Lower QA needs you.
16
Wait a minute. Strike that, reverse it.
@12 - Was the movie called "Non-Stop"?
- - -
But about the Uptown...
I think the Uptown has a few problems that make it really tough for it to be a successful cinema, even if they have beer and cheap tickets.
First, the Uptown doesn't have a big free parking lot right next to it. I'm not sure how far away the nearest free street parking is anymore, and that has to make it almost impossible for the Uptown to compete with the malls.
Second, the Uptown's nearest 'competitors' are SIFF, IMAX, and the Cinerama. These other cinemas are all great movie places. But face it - they're also complete divas for attention, with potentially deeper pockets than the Uptown. Sometimes it's hard for the Uptown to get any notice at all, but a movie theater needs steady attention or it will wither away.
Third, according to one of the current Narratives, very soon everyone is going to be watching movies on their personal gadgets, so no one will go to movies in a theater anyway. This is probably about as accurate as the Narratives that said that housing prices would rise forever and that the republican party was doomed to become extinct in all but a handful of southern states. But it's hard for any business to constantly compete with the Narrative of the day, especially if they have to pay rent for a large building.
@12 - Was the movie called "Non-Stop"?
- - -
But about the Uptown...
I think the Uptown has a few problems that make it really tough for it to be a successful cinema, even if they have beer and cheap tickets.
First, the Uptown doesn't have a big free parking lot right next to it. I'm not sure how far away the nearest free street parking is anymore, and that has to make it almost impossible for the Uptown to compete with the malls.
Second, the Uptown's nearest 'competitors' are SIFF, IMAX, and the Cinerama. These other cinemas are all great movie places. But face it - they're also complete divas for attention, with potentially deeper pockets than the Uptown. Sometimes it's hard for the Uptown to get any notice at all, but a movie theater needs steady attention or it will wither away.
Third, according to one of the current Narratives, very soon everyone is going to be watching movies on their personal gadgets, so no one will go to movies in a theater anyway. This is probably about as accurate as the Narratives that said that housing prices would rise forever and that the republican party was doomed to become extinct in all but a handful of southern states. But it's hard for any business to constantly compete with the Narrative of the day, especially if they have to pay rent for a large building.
17
@14 & 16, that might be the title. That's definitely one of scenes that you describe. I think there was a third pursuer, too. The other two guys bumped into him or something and he got pissed and decided to go after them.
Around that time there a bunch of really interesting Japanese movies appeared. Another one I saw--possibly also at the Uptown--was called Brother, in which Beat Takeshi played a disgraced Yakuza member who ended up in the US and ended up forming a multicultural gang with some guys he beat up after they tried to mug him. Omar Epps played one of the gangsters.
There was just cool stuff being released, but I don't see much like that nowadays. I also saw a film called Sex and Lucia there which I thought was kind of boring, despite the copious nudity. I'm not sure I've ever seen a Hollywood film at the Uptown, but I've seen a lot of SIFF movies there.
Around that time there a bunch of really interesting Japanese movies appeared. Another one I saw--possibly also at the Uptown--was called Brother, in which Beat Takeshi played a disgraced Yakuza member who ended up in the US and ended up forming a multicultural gang with some guys he beat up after they tried to mug him. Omar Epps played one of the gangsters.
There was just cool stuff being released, but I don't see much like that nowadays. I also saw a film called Sex and Lucia there which I thought was kind of boring, despite the copious nudity. I'm not sure I've ever seen a Hollywood film at the Uptown, but I've seen a lot of SIFF movies there.
18
Seattle definitely needs another calendar-repertoire movie house, the way the Neptune was back in the 1980s. They'd show, for example, themed double features, like "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!", then devote a week to classic James Bond movies, then a week's worth of Kurosawa classics, that sort of thing. (The program moved to the Varsity for a few years; now both venues are strictly first-run.) That's my vote.
19
@18, unfortunately, unless a mega-millionaire wants to underwrite an operation like that, it probably isn't realistic to hope that a movie rep house like the old Neptune could be sustained at a place like the Uptown location. (A few years ago - and pretty close to the Uptown neighborhood - the Big Picture in Belltown started off as the Casbah, which unsuccessfully tried to do just that, as I recall.)
It would probably be better for Seattle filmgoers to more actively support those surviving movie theaters where the spirit of the Neptune still lingers, like the Central Cinema, NWFF, SIFF, and The Grand Illusion.
For what it's worth, two of the past 4 films I watched at the Grand Illusion were stunning almost-new 35mm prints of movies from 1940 and 1972. I'd hope it's the same at the other indie/revival houses. Sometimes they have to show vid, but I think that they're all trying hard to keep the cinema legacy of revival palaces like the old Neptune alive.
It would probably be better for Seattle filmgoers to more actively support those surviving movie theaters where the spirit of the Neptune still lingers, like the Central Cinema, NWFF, SIFF, and The Grand Illusion.
For what it's worth, two of the past 4 films I watched at the Grand Illusion were stunning almost-new 35mm prints of movies from 1940 and 1972. I'd hope it's the same at the other indie/revival houses. Sometimes they have to show vid, but I think that they're all trying hard to keep the cinema legacy of revival palaces like the old Neptune alive.
20
I predict that the McMenamins chain - that has a pub/grub location mere blocks away from the Uptown - buys it and converts it to something like its Bagdad Theatre in PDX:
http://www.mcmenamins.com/219-bagdad-the…
What I hope happens is to see Central Cinema expand to a second location in the Uptown location, if they have the scratch to do so.
http://www.mcmenamins.com/219-bagdad-the…
What I hope happens is to see Central Cinema expand to a second location in the Uptown location, if they have the scratch to do so.
21
I miss the Bagdad. Seattle needs 2nd run movie theatres in every neighborhood. Who can afford/wants to pay $10+$s for a movie?! A few dollars and a few beers sure. I might end up spending $10+$s, but at least I'll enjoy myself.
24
Let's all rally and make this happen. I've actually been dreaming of re-inventing this place (still as a movie theatre, for sure -- and probably as a discount place, with themes, and various other things mentioned already in this thread) for a few years now. Now that I've heard it's closing, I'm going to dive in and see what I can do. Help from others would be most welcome.
Please read more on my new blog for this endeavor:
http://newuptowncinemas.blogspot.com/
I intend to update it daily. Comment and subscribe!
Please read more on my new blog for this endeavor:
http://newuptowncinemas.blogspot.com/
I intend to update it daily. Comment and subscribe!
25
Cheap, second-runs might work, but I think a mixed-use venue might be more interesting there. Imagine a mix of short-run or local films, midnight screenings, indie theatre (or comedy), occasional live music events--or even dancing?
OR, OR...
KEXP moves their offices here (instead of their Seattle Center bid). That way, they can do REALLY cool live performances (or maybe even have a small recording space). So many things they could use it for. How COOL would that be?
Viva la Uptown (and viva la KEXP)!
OR, OR...
KEXP moves their offices here (instead of their Seattle Center bid). That way, they can do REALLY cool live performances (or maybe even have a small recording space). So many things they could use it for. How COOL would that be?
Viva la Uptown (and viva la KEXP)!
26
Cheap, second-runs might work, but I think a mixed-use venue might be more interesting there. Imagine a mix of short-run or local films, midnight screenings, indie theatre (or comedy), occasional live music events--or even dancing?
OR, OR...
KEXP moves their offices here (instead of their Seattle Center bid). That way, they can do REALLY cool live performances (or maybe even have a small recording space). So many things they could use it for. How COOL would that be?
Viva la Uptown (and viva la KEXP)!
OR, OR...
KEXP moves their offices here (instead of their Seattle Center bid). That way, they can do REALLY cool live performances (or maybe even have a small recording space). So many things they could use it for. How COOL would that be?
Viva la Uptown (and viva la KEXP)!
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