Comments on: The Big Picture http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/1001 Jason Scott's Weblog Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:59:02 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Dan Moniz http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/1001/comment-page-1#comment-3658 Dan Moniz Wed, 29 Nov 2006 07:20:53 +0000 http://ascii.textfiles.com/?p=1001#comment-3658 Also, as an aside, the rural Northeast just *loves* vinyl and aluminium siding. Do not let it fool you. Yes, most of the time, those exteriors do house something not all that impressive on the inside. But if you shy away, you miss out on gems like The Big Picture which make it all worthwhile. Also, as an aside, the rural Northeast just *loves* vinyl and aluminium siding. Do not let it fool you. Yes, most of the time, those exteriors do house something not all that impressive on the inside. But if you shy away, you miss out on gems like The Big Picture which make it all worthwhile.

]]> By: Dan Moniz http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/1001/comment-page-1#comment-3657 Dan Moniz Wed, 29 Nov 2006 07:16:29 +0000 http://ascii.textfiles.com/?p=1001#comment-3657 This place is super close to Sugarbush, one of the Northeast's nicer ski resorts, and one I always longed to go to while in my school's ski club growing up. If Albany and Glens Falls had snow, Sugarbush was entombed under powder. A nice long winter weekend could easily consist of hitting Sugarbush and then catching flicks at night (and Sunday brunch!) at the Big Picture. I'm impressed with how well done their website is as well. Truly top hat. This place is super close to Sugarbush, one of the Northeast’s nicer ski resorts, and one I always longed to go to while in my school’s ski club growing up. If Albany and Glens Falls had snow, Sugarbush was entombed under powder.

A nice long winter weekend could easily consist of hitting Sugarbush and then catching flicks at night (and Sunday brunch!) at the Big Picture.

I’m impressed with how well done their website is as well. Truly top hat.

]]> By: Keith http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/1001/comment-page-1#comment-3656 Keith Tue, 14 Nov 2006 15:53:18 +0000 http://ascii.textfiles.com/?p=1001#comment-3656 Not really a fair comparison, because you might expect this kind of thing in a big city, but I live in London and there are lots of smaller cinemas that have taken this approach to heart for years and remain beloved both by locals and by Londoners in general. For example, The Ritzy (http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema_home_date.aspx?venueId=ritz) offers loads of events and special screenings, alongside the big blockbuster fare - everything from short cinema events to a regular mom’s matinee where breastfeeding and crying babies are expected and welcomed. If a film is released that I want to see, I always check the Ritzy, because where I see a film is usually as important (sometimes more important) than the film itself. Then there’s the Prince Charles Cinema (http://www.princecharlescinema.com). I moved to the UK from Montreal10 years ago and while I was looking for work, I went to the Prince Charles and watched loads of films at rock bottom prices. Their secret? Show the latest films a few weeks after their major release, for less. The demand is smaller but consistent and just right for their size of theatre. Prince Charles was also the place for the regular screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (there’s one cinema in every city that does this), but added an even bigger, more theatrical sing-along element than usual, turning it from an in-joke into something else entirely. The they did the same thing with The Sound of Music and the crowds started lining up. The cinema’s so popular that, during the press junket, Tarantino said: “The day that Kill Bill plays the Prince Charles will be the day that it truly comes home to England.” All of this to say that these kinds of cinemas don’t have to be oddities, they can be integral to a whole new cinematic business model, above and beyond the “we offer nachos” kind of thinking that pervades most theatres. And despite the fear that most theatre owners no doubt harbour, the audience is there for this kind of cinema. They just have to take the chance. *Phew*, that was long-winded, wasn’t it? Thanks for listening and good work on the site. Not really a fair comparison, because you might expect this kind of thing in a big city, but I live in London and there are lots of smaller cinemas that have taken this approach to heart for years and remain beloved both by locals and by Londoners in general. For example, The Ritzy (http://www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema_home_date.aspx?venueId=ritz) offers loads of events and special screenings, alongside the big blockbuster fare – everything from short cinema events to a regular mom’s matinee where breastfeeding and crying babies are expected and welcomed. If a film is released that I want to see, I always check the Ritzy, because where I see a film is usually as important (sometimes more important) than the film itself.

Then there’s the Prince Charles Cinema (http://www.princecharlescinema.com). I moved to the UK from Montreal10 years ago and while I was looking for work, I went to the Prince Charles and watched loads of films at rock bottom prices. Their secret? Show the latest films a few weeks after their major release, for less. The demand is smaller but consistent and just right for their size of theatre. Prince Charles was also the place for the regular screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (there’s one cinema in every city that does this), but added an even bigger, more theatrical sing-along element than usual, turning it from an in-joke into something else entirely. The they did the same thing with The Sound of Music and the crowds started lining up. The cinema’s so popular that, during the press junket, Tarantino said: “The day that Kill Bill plays the Prince Charles will be the day that it truly comes home to England.”

All of this to say that these kinds of cinemas don’t have to be oddities, they can be integral to a whole new cinematic business model, above and beyond the “we offer nachos” kind of thinking that pervades most theatres. And despite the fear that most theatre owners no doubt harbour, the audience is there for this kind of cinema. They just have to take the chance.

*Phew*, that was long-winded, wasn’t it? Thanks for listening and good work on the site.

]]> By: ajr http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/1001/comment-page-1#comment-3655 ajr Tue, 14 Nov 2006 05:00:33 +0000 http://ascii.textfiles.com/?p=1001#comment-3655 Jesus H. that's amazing! Jesus H. that’s amazing!

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