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BALBOA THEATER NEWSLETTER | |||||||||
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General Admission: $9.00, Senior (60+) or Child (11-): $6.50 WHAT’S IN THE NEWS: Showtimes, Dear Friends, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Concert Film, Toy Story 3, The Karate Kid, Remembering Playland at the Beach, Photos in the Lobby: 100 Hours in the Dark, Film Night in the Park: Grease Sing-Along, Theater Information. | |||||||||
SHOWTIMES - Thursday, June 17, 2010 |
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THEATRE #1 |
THEATRE #2 |
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Special Event - $10 - Benefits the Danny Fund (separate admission) Double Feature-Final Day -With- |
THE KARATE KID (PG) Group sales available for schools, youth groups, summer camps and martial arts schools. Contact us here, with Attn: Group Sales. |
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SHOWTIMES - Friday, June 18 - Wednesday, June 24, 2010 |
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THEATRE #1 |
THEATRE #2 |
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TOY STORY 3 (G) Group sales available for schools, youth groups, summer camps and martial arts schools. Contact us here, with Attn: Group Sales. |
THE KARATE KID (PG) (separate admission) |
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COMING SOONOpens Next Friday, June 25: |
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BRUCE: EXCLUSIVE BAY AREA SHOWING
Thursday night we’ll have special screenings of a new Bruce Springsteen concert film. 50% of every ticket sold goes to the Danny Fund/Melanoma Research Alliance, a charity focused on finding and funding melanoma research to accelerate progress toward a cure. The Danny Fund was set up after the 2008 passing of Danny Federici, longtime Springsteen friend and E Street Band member. See www.dannyfund.org for additional information. With the warm weather just now coming on, it’s especially timely to raise awareness about the dangers of the sun.
See below for more info about tickets, the benefit, and how to win Bruce DVDs.
EVERYBODY IS A WINNER- Our Gifts to You
As you know, the Balboa has the lowest prices in town. But that is not all. We have FREE KARATE KID and TOY STORY 3 goodies for everyone (while supplies last). Chopsticks, bandannas, t-shirts, yo-yos, and word games for the kids.
WIN VERY SPECIAL TOY STORY PRIZES
When you visit the Balboa, remember to enter our sweepstakes. You might win one of the copies of THE ART OF TOY STORY 3, a beautiful $40 book from Chronicle Books, or a poster signed by the film’s animators.
3D OR NOT 3D... THAT IS THE QUESTION
...in which we discuss the pros and cons of seeing movies in 3-D and what the Balboa is doing about it.
I saw TOY STORY 3 last Sunday at the Pixar Studios in Emeryville. I loved it along with the rest of the packed theater. It is part of a series of screenings they are having for family, friends and business partners. And Pixar did not show it in 3-D! How could that be?
I asked people who worked on the movie why they didn’t show it in 3-D in their own screening room. It was explained to me that though Disney has insisted that all animated films they release will be available in 3-D, the way the Pixar people think is that the most important elements are a great story, believable characters and a great time for all audiences regardless of the format they are seeing it in. 3-D is not the tail wagging the dog.
Film critic Leonard Maltin told me last week that though he had seen it in 3-D before coming up here to do a series of interviews for "Entertainment Tonight," he didn’t feel there was any special reason to see it that way... nothing was added.
In fact, the 3-D glasses can be a distraction and uncomfortable. I don’t know about you but I find myself lifting the glasses up or peering over them to see what scenes look like without them. That of course distracts from the story.
The Balboa will show TOY STORY 3 from 35mm film in Dolby Stereo with the wonderful speakers from Meyer Sound. 35mm is a format you’ll never see at home. We’ll be featuring a wonderful new Pixar short cartoon as part of the program.
And all at the best admission prices in San Francisco.
FURTHER 3-D THOUGHTS AND STORIES
There have been 3-D experiments since the earliest photography. Have you ever seen antique Stereoscopes, the gadget you held to your face to view a card with dual images of sights from around the world? Some have copyrights from the late 1800s. Filmmakers tried it out in the early 1900s and have continued to play with it ever since.
I am too young to have experienced the 1950s 3-D boom. But, like many young males in the early 1960s I read about IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, HOUSE OF WAX and many lesser films in "Famous Monsters of Filmland." But the fad died after a few years of mostly bad movies and audience headaches.
After a sneak preview of his DIAL M FOR MURDER in 3-D, a Warner Brothers’ studio head was so enthusiastic that he called Hitch the next morning to suggest the master start working on his next three dimensional thriller. Sir Alfred shot back, "We will not be releasing DIAL M in 3-D." The shocked executive listened and learned as he was told that the audience, so anxious for things to jump out at them, lost track of the narrative and missed out on the carefully plotted suspense. And while he was alive, Hitchcock made certain nobody else saw Grace Kelly jump off the screen.
There was another 3-D boom in the mid 1970s and terrible films like COMIN’ AT YA, JAWS 3-D and AMIITYVILLE HORROR 3-D made sure it was short-lived with their lame scripts, bad acting and headache inducing "thrills." The classics were often revived during that time in repertory cinemas. In the 80s I was part of a group of theater programmers who convinced Warners that Hitchcock was gone and maybe we should show DIAL M FOR MURDER. They agreed and I remember my first viewing. The director and his team carefully designed a film with considerable background depth and only one moment when Grace Kelly reaches over her head and out towards the audience with scissors, blades facing away from us. And I immediately understood his concerns. We were so invested in waiting for the gimmicks the viewers were not totally absorbed in the narrative.
Tuesday night I had dinner with director Werner Herzog who is finishing a movie about recently discovered caves in the south of France. He filmed it in 3-D but launched into his feelings about how selectively the medium should be used... explaining that the 3-D effect is not reflective of the way we actually perceive things in our daily lives. We don’t look in front of us and think, "Oh, I see various planes in front of me." We subconsciously use the information our eyes send to the brain so we don’t bump into furniture or people.
3-D movies found a new and appropriate life in IMAX theaters where spectacular nature and outer space documentaries were the perfect subjects to show off what the format can really do. And experience proves they are best at 30-45 minutes in length. Theme parks similarly have offered great fun breaking the third, fourth and fifth walls combining the 3-D film experience with live actors and props coming out of the walls, mist and wind in the faces of the audience, and simulation chairs that toss us around. Perfect for about 10 minutes.
And now we are in another boom. It has made a lot of noise. Theatre owners have spent a fortune installing special digital equipment, charging higher prices and generally doing a lot of business. For independent cinemas it is a tough challenge spending nearly $150,000 per screen for questionable results and a technology that is guaranteed to change in a few years. Knowing how quickly movies run out of steam these days, we have decided not to install those projectors. We expect an increasing number of mediocre and bad movies to appear in 3-D as happens in all moviemaking. To earn a quick buck some films are digitally changed into 3-D after they have been made flat, like CLASH OF THE TITANS and the upcoming THE LAST AIRBENDER where a last minute conversion resulted in unhappy audiences from poor quality and the return of headaches.
It is hard to imagine that JULIA & JULIA or SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE or hundreds of other movies would be improved by 3-D. I thought AVATAR was great fun. A ride made very carefully by James Cameron to integrate the new environments he was creating with the story and 3-D. I hope there are more like it. Audiences will respond well when it works.
In a recent "Newsweek" cover story called "Why I Hate 3-D (And You Should Too)", film writer Roger Ebert explained, "Hollywood’s current crazy stampede toward [3D] is suicidal. It adds nothing essential to the movie-going experience. For some, it is an annoying distraction. For others, it creates nausea and headaches. It is driven largely to sell expensive projection equipment and add a $5 to $7.50 surcharge on already expensive movie tickets. Its image is noticeably darker than standard 2-D. It is unsuitable for grown-up films of any seriousness. It limits the freedom of directors to make films as they choose. For moviegoers in the PG-13 and R ranges, it only rarely provides an experience worth paying a premium for."
Should you decide that you want to see TOY STORY 3 in 3-D, I urge you to cross the bay and experience it at the wonderful, locally owned movie palace, the Grand Lake. The owner has installed dual digital projectors at great expense but it means there is double the light of other theaters, making the picture and effect of 3-D the best of any theater in northern California... and it is the choice of Pixar filmmakers who want to see a film in 3-D.
If you really want to experience amazing 3-D, take trips around the world with the fantastic 3-D slide shows of Robert Bloomberg at the Marin County Fair. You pay one admission price for the fair and get exhibits, carnival rides, great concerts and 3D WORLD TOUR all included free with fair admission price. It is a bargain and you will be knocked out seeing a 3D show that is intended to stretch your perceptions and add to the context of what you are experiencing.
Bob, a film school friend, sneak previewed a couple of the programs last weekend for us and they are knockouts. He did a great 3D San Francisco earthquake show at the Balboa a few years back and we hope to have him back for a spectacular night soon.
PLAYLAND DVDs ON SALE SOON
Remembering Playland continues to bring people in, and many have asked us about DVDs. Arrangements are being made for us to start selling them at the Balboa very soon. Please come buy. Only $15.
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITES
Now comes the Bay Guardian's annual "Best of the Bay" which has a huge ballot of categories and is always fun to read when it appears. You only have to vote in those categories that you want...not all or even a majority of them. We have Bay Guardians in the Balboa lobby or you can get the ballot here:
http://www.sfbayguardian.com/bestofthebay2010
The deadline is June 23 so don't put it off.
Thanks.
Sincerely,
Gary
Advance Tickets now on sale! "A revved up...power drive through Springsteen’s America" Captured in London at the Hard Rock Calling Festival on June 28, 2009, a special 90-minute version of this highly anticipated outdoor concert film comes to the Balboa for one night only, Thursday, June 17 at 7:15 and 9:15. All seats are $10 and half of every ticket sold benefits the Danny Fund/Melanoma Research Alliance, a charity focused on finding and funding melanoma research to accelerate progress toward a cure. The Danny Fund was set up after the 2008 passing of Danny Federici, longtime Springsteen friend and E Street Band member. See www.dannyfund.org for additional information. LONDON CALLING: Live In Hyde Park conveys the experience of being on stage and the vast crowd of the festival environment. See Bruce spontaneously direct the E Street Band through 13 live tracks, all recorded in glorious HD. Three lucky attendees will win the deluxe two DVD extended version of LONDON CALLING, a 172-minute film with 27 tracks. Just fill out the entry form in our lobby the night of the show. Listen to Bruce Springsteen's E Street Radio channel, SIRIUS channel 10 and XM channel 58 for a chance to win tickets to the Balboa showings. Want more info? Check out the Emerging Pictures blog. Also check out Springsteen's website for more info. |
Woody, Buzz and the whole gang are back. As their owner Andy prepares to depart for college, his loyal toys find themselves in daycare where untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice. So, it's all for one and one for all as they join Barbie's counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink, strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear to plan their great escape. "Woody, Buzz and playmates make a thoroughly engaging, emotionally satisfying return." "Adults in the audience will undoubtedly shed a tear or two. But that's how good the folks at Pixar are: They make you feel genuine emotions for hunks of plastic." "Once it kicks in to unexpectedly become a prison-break thriller, it fires on all cylinders all the way to the finish line." "TS3, like its predecessors, is a clever, engrossing adventure, and, like any sequel, it tries to balance continuity with novelty, the latter provided by a cadre of shiny new characters." "On a scale of one to ten, Toy Story 3 goes to infinity, and beyond." |
In Columbia Pictures' The Karate Kid, 12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's (Taraji P. Henson) latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land of kung fu, Dre knows only a little karate, and Cheng puts "the karate kid" on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life. "The new Karate Kid brings fresh life and perspective to the classic tale of perseverance and cross-generational friendship, thanks to Harald Zwart's sensitive direction and two exceptionally appealing stars." "Jaden Smith is destined to be a star by the force of will (and wallets) of parents Will and Jada Smith, both producers on The Karate Kid. But he's also got the raw material." "Chan, popular for his action spectacles featuring stunts no sane man would ever take part in, is a revelation throughout the film." "Given the dreck we’ve seen this summer, it’s nice to be reminded of the virtues of clean storytelling and cultural curiosity." "The Karate Kid is fun, and believable, on the most important level: It convinces us that Jaden Smith has what it takes to fight his way to the top." Watch interview with stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. Watch interview with Jaden Smith Watch interview with Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson, and producer Will Smith. Read interview with Jaden Smith and what it’s like being the new Karate Kid. |
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, are on sale at the Balboa snack bar. |
"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. |
The images from the portfolio “100 Hours in the Dark” were shot off the screen while vintage movies were shown at the Telegraph Repertory Movie Theater shortly before it closed. The show will be up at the Balboa starting this weekend. For more information on the artist, please visit her site. |
This Saturday, June 19 is the first night of the San Francisco season, starting with a GREASE Sing-Along in Dolores Park @ Dolores & 19th St. GREASE is the all-time favorite and biggest grossing movie musical in history, spawning a generation that fell in love with the spark-flying duet of Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta. There's a great number that alone makes the movie "Greased Lightning" that shows off Travolta's singing talents and dance moves on testosterone overdrive. Great fun to watch on the big screen, GREASE is even better on a balmy night in the park. Just like being at the drive-in. Bring your dates and soda pops. And be ready for a wacky ride. All shows begin at 8 PM or Dusk. San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation |
3630 Balboa Street (between 37th and 38th Avenues)
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.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band’s LONDON CALLING: Live In Hyde Park rocks Emerging Cinemas and supports Melanoma Research!
Rated G. 1 hour 43 minutes, plus 6 minute short film.
Rated PG for bullying, martial arts action violence, and some mild language. 2 hours 20 minutes.
82 minutes.
"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."
Kate Kline May is a Bay Area photographer and filmmaker whose photographs have been included in a major group show at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, a solo show in Tokyo at Zeit Foto Gallery and a solo show at Bank of America World Headquarters, San Francisco.
The Balboa is proud to be a sponsor of the San Francisco Neighborhood Theatre Foundation’s terrific outdoor movies series. The admission is free and everyone has lots of fun.