Movie Week V, Day 1

May 30th, 2012 · No Comments



Laemmle’s Royal Theatre La Grande Illusion Wednesday, 5/30/12, 7:10 pm

Price: $11 Concessions: None. Audience: 18 people, in a theater that seats about 600. Trailers/advertising: I walked in during a trailer for a foreign-language film, which was followed by trailers for many other foreign-language films. First Farewell My Queen, then Unforgivable, Oslo, 31. August, Follow Me, and Children of Paradise, which is screening here next. Projection: Digital

Are there 35 movie theaters in L.A. worth visiting? I’m about to find out. With Aimee and Grace off on the East Coast, it’s time for my fifth annual Movie Week (see the 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 editions). The list of theaters left to visit is getting smaller, but I hope I can find movies I won’t hate myself for watching, especially in this blockbuster season.

I don’t know why I’ve never been to a screening at the Royal before; it consistently shows good films, and it’s not far from my house, so it was about time I paid a visit. I arrived a few minutes early after a long slog down Santa Monica Blvd. all the way from Hollywood, and grabbed tacos at Benito’s beforehand. Not many theaters still care to use those giant billboards to advertise their one and only film, but the Royal does, and it looked great. I bought my ticket inside the front door and headed in as the previews rolled.

The theater is big and quite nice, if a little dated, in a good way. I couldn’t see much detail in the dark, but it seemed like a great, roomy old single-screen of the kind that are fast disappearing these days. The projection was fine, but it was a big letdown to see this film projected digitally rather than in 35mm. It’s inevitable, I guess, but it’s not a pleasant prospect. I enjoyed the film, more than the man who stage whispered “I can’t stand this anymore, it’s torture,” and left 20 minutes in. No idea what he was talking about, as the usual suspects for movie theater torture – projection, sound, climate, noisy neighbors – were all fine.

Tags: Film · Los Angeles ·