General Admission: $9.00, Senior (60+) or Child (11-): $6.50
(First matinee show of each movie is bargain price: $6.50)
YOUR BIRTHDAY? BE OUR GUEST.
WHAT’S IN THE NEWS: Showtimes, Dear Friends, Wild At Heart with Barry Gifford in Person, Remembering Playland at the Beach, The Square, SF International Film Festival, Win Tickets to Laurie Anderson, Theater Information.
SHOWTIMES - through Thursday, April 29, 2010 |
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THEATRE #1 |
THEATRE #2 |
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REMEMBERING PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH (NR) |
DATE NIGHT (PG-13) |
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SHOWTIMES - Friday, April 30 - Thursday, May 6, 2010 |
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THEATRE #1 |
THEATRE #2 |
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REMEMBERING PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH (NR) |
THE SQUARE (R) |
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SPECIAL EVENTSTONIGHT! |
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COMING SOONMay 14: ROBIN HOOD May 28: SEX AND THE CITY 2 |
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REMEMBERING PLAYLAND continues to be a smash hit and is going to continue for another week of great memories of fun and thrills. The lobby exhibit is an equally big hit and whether you were lucky enough to visit Playland or just have heard about it, a visit to the Balboa is just what you need.
In our other theater, we are pleased to bring in a special one-week engagement of the new noir thriller THE SQUARE. A few years ago we showed a new short film at the Telluride Film Festival. THE SPIDER caused audiences to literally jump out of their seats. It was directed by a young Australian stuntman who has been in some of the biggest hits of all time including THE MATRIX and the second STAR WARS trilogies. Now Nash Edgerton, with brother Joel writing and acting, directs his first feature and it is a winner.
Critics and audiences love it. G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote, "'The Square' is pure noir… Intricate, brilliantly thought out and emotionally true, 'The Square' delivers.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/04/15/MVG51CUBV1.DTL
Scott Tobias on NPR claimed, “Nash and Joel Edgerton, haven't exactly remade 'Blood Simple,' but they put a fresh spin on the classic Coen premise of amateurs in over their heads.”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125671357
You can now see both the feature THE SQUARE and SPIDER together at the Balboa for the next week starting Friday. And for more reviews check below.
VOTE FOR THE BALBOA IN SAN FRANCISCO MAGAZINE AND BAYLIST
Now you can vote for us in San Francisco Magazine, and every vote automatically enters you into a contest to win prizes. Poll results will be announced in the July 2010 Best of the Bay Area issue.
Prize winners will be chosen randomly by drawing and notified by June 1. Vote here in the Best Movie Theatre category. Voting closes May 7.
The voting is still going at Baylist and we want to thank all of you who have voted for the Balboa. We currently stand at #1. If you haven’t done it yet, please go to: http://baylist.sfgate.com/balboa-theater/biz/13806
Sincerely,
Gary
An evening of readings, conversation, and film with Barry Gifford, Robert Mailer Anderson, Eddie Muller, Jim Nisbet, Sin Sorracco, and more tba. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Balboa Theatre box office, City Lights bookstore, or online at BrownPaperTickets.com. Admission is $10.00. Proceeds go towards renovations for the Balboa Theater, one of the last remaining independent movie houses in the city. Join Barry Gifford and friends as they celebrate the 20th anniversary of the novel Wild At Heart with a 35mm screening of the Palme d'Or–winning film adapted for the screen by director David Lynch. This evening will be celebrating the release of Sailor & Lula: The Complete Novels published by Seven Stories Press. This new collection presents all of the novels and novellas that comprise the saga of Sailor Ripley and Lula Pace Fortune, "the Romeo and Juliet of the South": Wild at Heart, Perdita Durango (also made into a feature film), Sailor's Holiday, Sultans of Africa, Consuelo's Kiss, Bad Day for the Leopard Man, and The Imagination of the Heart. Barry Gifford will be on hand with local writers who will be reading excerpts from the Sailor and Lula cycle. The readings will be followed by a talk and book-signing by Barry Gifford, as well as a screening of a fresh 35mm print of David Lynch's Wild At Heart - X-Rated Version! Event hosted by City Light's Peter Maravelis. |
Barry Gifford is a poet, novelist and playwright. He is known for his distinctive mix of American landscapes, Film Noir and Beat influenced work. He is the author of over two dozen books of fiction and non-fiction which include: Wild At Heart, American Falls: The Collected Short Stories, Out of the Past: Adventures in Film Noir, The Rooster Trapped in the Reptile Room, and many others. He co-wrote the screenplays for Lost Highway, Perdita Durango, and Hotel Room. His novel Wild at Heart was adapted for film by David Lynch.
After sold out sneak preview screenings of Tom Wyrsch’s film, REMEMBERING PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH, the fascinating documentary about one of San Francisco’s favorites destinations will open a special two week engagement at the Balboa Theatre on Friday, April 23. The theater is a dozen blocks from the site of the beloved amusement park. The full length documentary tells the history of San Francisco's famous 10-acre seaside amusement park, Playland at the Beach. Located next to Ocean Beach, it was torn down in 1972 to make way for a condominium development. Gone now for more than 3 decades, it remains one of the city's lost treasures. Go back in time to see Laffing Sal, the Fun House, the Carousel, the Big Dipper, the Diving Bell, Dark Mystery, Limbo, Fun-tier Town, and much, much more, all through the eyes of the people who were there. The first and only documentary ever made about Playland, it features 12 interviews, 20 minutes of archival footage, 187 photographs and original music. The film was written and directed by Tom Wyrsch.
The famous ice cream sandwiches created at Playland, IT’S IT, will be for sale at the Balboa snack bar. Hockey Haven across the street from the Balboa will be serving Playland drink specials after the show where fans will gather to remember their own experiences at Playland. |
"Wyrsch’s film lovingly re-creates some of the spectacle of this 365-day-a-year carnival with old pictures and film footage plus lots of interviews, many of them with members of a group dedicated to maintaining a museum of Playland relics." "The film is a giddy nostalgia trip for those who remember the place and a pop history lesson for others." "The Playland documentary was better than one could have hoped for. Thank you to all that helped make those memories live forever." "Allows everyone to experience Playland for themselves, if only vicariously. Go back in time to see Laffing Sal, the Fun House, the Carousel, the Big Dipper, the Diving Bell, Dark Mystery, Limbo, Fun-tier Town, and much, much more, all through the eyes of the people that were there." "Wyrsch has turned Playland at the Beach into a twilight zone all its own by unearthing historic film footage and photos that vividly re-create the unique look and feel of the seaside attraction." "Conjures the joys of summers past through a season’s pass worth of archival footage and photographs, abetted by a slew of choice interviews." "For those of us who loved Playland, this superb film brings to life again an unforgettable part of our lives. If you never experienced Playland, this wonder-filled look at a vanished part of San Francisco will give you a taste of what was and what must never be forgotten."
Take a look at the first sneak preview’s crowd. Read an interview with George K. Whitney about his family’s operation of Playland. Other articles and home movies on the Western Neighborhoods Site Playland-Not-At-The-Beach is a wonderful museum of fun dedicated to the real thing. WE URGE YOU TO VISIT IT IN PERSON. It is the perfect site for a party unlike any you’ve ever attended. |
A stylish, twist-filled film noir, THE SQUARE centers on an adulterous couple whose scheming leads to arson, blackmail and murder. Escaping the monotony of a loveless marriage, Raymond becomes entangled in an affair with the beautiful and troubled Carla. Ray’s moral limits are tested when Carla presents him with the proceeds of her controlling husband’s latest crime. This is their chance: Take the money and run. If only it were that simple... The seed is planted and Ray, fearing he will lose his love, engineers the plan. Hiring a professional arsonist becomes a fatal error, and the plan goes horribly wrong. Alarm bells sound and suspicions are raised, but miraculously, the dust looks to settle. After all... Nobody knows. Then the first blackmail note arrives. The couple’s nerves are tested as both Carla’s husband and the mystery author threaten to throw open their secret. With the blackmailer’s deadline approaching they are going to find out just how far they are willing to go for love. |
“By the time the final measure of rough cosmic justice is meted out, The Square has completed a tour of moral squalor that is suspenseful, invigorating and sometimes harshly funny.”
- A.O. Scott, The New York Times
“It's a devilishly twisted affair.”
- Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
"Like all good noirs, it has an almost comic appreciation for how the best-laid plans can go horribly wrong. No matter how bad things get, they can always get worse. I watched the film in a state of rapt enjoyment."
- Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
"An adulterous couple's attempt to make a big score in hopes of making a life together goes horribly awry in this intricate, suspenseful neo-noir, nominated for seven Australian Film Institute Awards (Australia's Oscar)."
- Pam Grady, Boxoffice
Watch video interview with director Nash Edgerton. - NY Times
Read interviews with stuntman turned director Nash Edgerton. — IFC, NY Times
For some of our suggestions see last week’s newsletter. |
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For more information on the show and how to buy tickets.
Enter to win two tickets on Friday May 7 @ 8pm at Zellerbach Hall A. We have 5 pairs to give away.
To qualify for our random drawing, send an email to balboafans (at) yahoo.com (change (at) to @, we are trying to avoid spam) no later than Sunday May 2 @ noon
You must include:
1. Your full name as it appears on a photo I.D.
2. Your email address in the body of the email.
3. Clever comments always appreciated but they won’t sway the random drawing.
4. The Subject Line must state LAURIE ANDERSON.
Please do not enter if you cannot attend. You may only enter once. If we see duplicates, each entry will be disqualified. Winners of Balboa prizes in the past three months do not qualify.
3630 Balboa Street (@ 37th Ave)
San Francisco 94121
(415) 221-8184
www.BalboaMovies.com
Bike Rack in front of the Balboa
Muni Bus #31 Balboa or #18 46th Ave stop at Balboa & 37th.
Also #5 Fulton and all 38 Geary Street buses stop two (long) blocks from Balboa.
Relatively easy Parking
San Francisco's Favorite Neighborhood Theatre
Voted by the Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, SF Gate's A List
and San Francisco Magazine
General Admission: $9.00
Seniors (60+) and Children (11-) $6.50
Bargain Matinees: All seats $6.50 for shows in ( )
SCHOOL NIGHT - Mondays are School Days and Nights. With proof of being a student, faculty, or staff member, your admission is only $6.50 on Mondays.
On Your Birthday, You Are Our Guest. That’s right. You get in free with proof of your birth date.
And at all other times you can get the “I’d Rather Be At the Balboa” Discount Card. What a deal! 5 tickets to the Balboa for $32.50. That is only $6.50 per show. Good every day and night. And two people can use the card at once. You can go on a date even when you are low on cash with your Balboa Card. A savings of up to $12.50! Makes a perfect gift as well. And every Discount Card comes with a FREE POPCORN!
The Balboa is Wheelchair and Handicapped Accessible.
One of the strengths of the Balboa is our neighborhood. Other than the bank, all the businesses are family owned and operated. The restaurants are especially wonderful. On the outer Balboa strip there are 24 eating establishments by my count. You can eat Chinese, Japanese, Egyptian, Italian, American, Mexican, Seafood and Vietnamese cuisines. The foods are fresh, distinctive and all reasonably priced. The media food critics have only discovered a few of them but the locals know a good thing. We encourage you to enjoy a meal at one of these fine eateries while visiting the Balboa. All are within easy walking distance. And please send us reviews and recommendations we can share with our other guests. Send reviews to balboafans (at) yahoo.com . (Change (at) to @. We are trying to avoid spam.)
We love it when you send us a review of a neighborhood restaurant you've enjoyed. We encourage you all to write about your culinary adventures in the Outer Richmond. Check out the Menu Book in our lobby and our COMPLETE RESTAURANT LIST.
City Lights Bookstore in conjunction with the Balboa Theater present:
82 minutes.
A large lobby display of Playland at the Beach photographs, posters, articles, and other memorabilia will be on exhibit during the engagement. Also on display will be original Playland items, like a “Dark Mystery" ride car, Playland tickets, signs, and a few surprises. The perfect addition for seeing the movie and going back to Playland again!
“I laughed at the varied reactions each patron had to the different rides. Wyrsch treats each major attraction with fragile respect, as if their memories might break if we rushed through. As someone who wasn’t even alive when it was open, I found myself nostalgic for something I’d never know…I suspected most of the audience did know. As they featured each ride, collective gasps and chuckles of familiarity took over the theater.”
Rated R for violence and language. 105 minutes, preceded by 9 minute short film.
The 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF53) has another week, playing through May 6 with more unique programs of the finest independent, documentary and international cinema, combining a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, digital media work and star-studded gala events into the best two weeks of the year. The Festival will honor film icons including Walter Salles, James Shamus, Robert Duvall and Roger Ebert and features the original score and live performance of Stephen Merritt to the silent epic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, celebrate a comedic legend on Closing Night with the documentary Joan Rivers - A Piece of Work, with Rivers in attendance—and so much more. For tickets and information, visit 
At the heart of this new multimedia work from brilliant storyteller Laurie Anderson is the pleasure of language and a fear that the world is made entirely of words. Conceived as a series of short mystery plays and inspired by the breadth of Balzac, Ozu, and Laurence Sterne, Delusion jump-cuts between the everyday and the mythic, evoking a world filled with nuns, elves, golems, rotting forests, ghost ships, archaeologists, dead relatives, and unmanned tankers. Employing a series of altered voices and imaginary guests, Anderson combines her signature violin pieces, electronic puppetry, music, and visuals, with the poetic language that has become her trademark to tell a complex story about longing, memory, and identity. The work comes to Zellerbach Hall following its debut at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.