Tag Archives: movie theater

20th Century Theater

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When the Twentieth Century Theater opened in 1941, art deco was on the decline. Yet that’s the design style that was used for this Cincinnati movie palace. Today it’s a mixed use facility where you might catch a live stage show or even attend a wedding or corporate event.

Located in the city’s Oakley neighborhood, it fell out of use in the early eighties and suffered decline before its rescue from ruin. The lobby is gorgeous and features a sweeping staircase to the balcony as well as a nice bar. The sidewalk facing ticket booth is still there but not in use.

They did a nice job of transforming the theater into a versatile space where comfortable theater seats can be easily removed to make way for table seating, The stage isn’t huge but it was a great size for the Sean of the South show I saw earlier this month.

But the true marvel of this theater is its exterior appearance. It is a landmark like none other with its awe inspiring marquee and gorgeous larger than life mural paintings of old time cinema greats.

There’s a nice green space across the street and the theater is clearly well loved. My only complaint is that the parking lot is minuscule and there is no parking garage in the neighborhood. There is street parking and it’s a safe neighborhood for walking or you could make it even easier and Uber there.

We are probably lucky that the 20th Century Theater has lived to see the 21st century. Seeing a show here felt like a great gift and I couldn’t help but think about what these walls would say if they could talk.

They have done a great job of marrying the old and new and celebrating the building’s character while making it relevant for a new century.

Go see a show there if you can! You can learn more at their website. Incidentally, this was Cincinnati’s first air conditioned movie theater. I recently told you about the first air conditioned building in Wyoming. Read that story here.

There’s Something About Going To The Movies

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My favorite movie theater is closing soon so I’m headed out to see one last show today. Our last movie at the Athena Grand will be Nosferatu, a retelling of the 1922 silent film of the same name. It sounds like a good old fashioned classic style film so I look forward to seeing it. 

Seeing a movie at home is nice. I have comfortable seating and a reasonably large screen for viewing but I have to say that the home viewing experience pales in comparison to seeing a good movie in the theater. 

Perhaps the best quality of the theater experience is the sense you’re in a deprivation chamber. There’s nothing to focus on but the movie. You can’t talk on the phone, jump up to deal with laundry, or run to do “the one small thing” you just remembered needs attention. 

All there is to focus on is the film. Multitasking isn’t a thing at the movies. 

In a world where constant multitasking is expected of us all, this feels like a rare and luxurious treat. Not to mention movie theater popcorn is always better! 

We do matinees which tend to be less crowded and less expensive. Plus, going to the movies feels like more of an experience rather than just a story on a screen. I so enjoy that experience and hope that while folks are choosing streaming more and more often, that we can still hold onto our movie theaters. 

I’ll miss the Athena Grand but do have a couple of other good theaters in the area. Do you have a movie theater nearby? What was your last movie in the theater?

Killers Of The Flower Moon On The Big Screen

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Yesterday finally found me sitting in a movie theater to watch Killers Of The Flower Moon. At 3 hours and 26 minutes, this Martin Scorsese film is inspired by the David Grann nonfiction book of the same name.

I had the distinct pleasure to hear Grann speak about this book back in 2018. If you’re interested, click this link to read about that experience. At the time, he was excited to tell us his book would be adapted into film and I have anticipated this day ever since.

There was a time I struggled to watch a movie after reading the book. Film adaptations rarely measure up to the written word. I purposely didn’t revisit the book because I didn’t want to be biased against whatever creative liberties would be taken.

It’s an extraordinary book about a shocking series of murders that took place in Oklahoma’s Osage Nation in the 1920s. I lack the proper words to describe how horrifying, how evil these murders were and they were committed in the name of nothing more than pure greed.

Scorsese took several liberties with the story but I forgive most because he still tells a compelling story and shines a bright light on this shameful chapter in our nation’s history that had been all but forgotten by time.

The sets and costumes are spot on and there are some creative choices in casting. Musicians Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson are among the surprises that I enjoyed most. This movie downplays the extent of the murders and it paints one of the perpetrators in an oddly sympathetic light.

If you get a chance, read the book. It really is better because it fills in many blanks and details the extent of the crimes. If you have about 3.5 hours, watch the film too.

This story deserves to be heard by whatever means you can manage.

The Colony Theater

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There was a time that every small town across America had at least one theater. Whether they were known for movies or vaudeville they were centers of entertainment and culture.

So many have been lost to progress, neglect and apathy that it’s exciting to see one still operating. It’s equally sad to find the remains of a great old theater in a museum.

I paid my respects to the former Colony Theater at Highland House Museum in Hillsboro last weekend. The Colony was demolished in 2017. It opened in 1938 and was operated by the Chakeres chain for several years. It was owned by the city and then a nonprofit organization for some time but eventually fell prey to water damage and decay. It was deemed unsalvageable and torn down.

Highland House has a wonderful exhibit dedicated to this place. A mirror from the ladies room, small pieces of memorabilia, a stairwell railing, and a stunning piece of art called a bas relief are among the collection.

The bas relief will stop you in your tracks. This is a sculpture in low relief – so it has shallow depth but is three dimensional.

This one is a Renaissance Knight on a horse but the museum says that there were a total of eight sculptures that lined the theater walls and represented different places and ages including Egyptians, Native Americans, Vikings, Greeks and Romans. They were larger than life and skillfully created by Indianapolis artist Frank Boerder.

This type of art was commonly used in theaters of that era and they were typically uplit.

Whoever installed this piece at the museum did outstanding work and I found it most pleasing to the eye. Never fear – the other seven were salvaged and carefully stored.

Want to visit Highland House? You should! Click here to read about it and about the Hillsboro Marching Mothers exhibit.

Cinema 1 & 2

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It started life as the Wayne Theater in 1921. Today it’s known by that name as well as the very straightforward name Cinema 1 & 2.

Located in Greenville, Ohio’s somewhat busy downtown, I was surprised to find that it appears to be closed. It reminded me of the old twin cinema we had in my hometown. It’s long gone and even the building has been torn down but I rarely drive by without recalling the movies I watched there as a kid.

Little towns need outlets for entertainment like movies theaters and skating rinks just as badly as cities do. Tragically, small towns seem to struggle the hardest to keep these types of businesses afloat.

I view places like this as a cautionary tale to support the businesses we want to keep in our communities. Whether it be a movie theater, a record store or a place with the best milkshakes, if there’s a business out there we want to keep around, we have to do our part and support them.

Here’s hoping that some community group will come along with plans to give the old Wayne Theater a new lease on life!

The Athena Cinema

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It’s my absolute favorite place to catch a movie. The Athena Cinema shows great films, is never crowded and tickets are a fair price.

It started life as the Majestic Theater after the building was converted from a grocery store to a movie house in 1915.

Tickets were a dime apiece at the time.

After changing ownership more than a few times over the years, it’s now owned and operated by Ohio University and is staffed by student workers who are funded by Federal Work Study.

They always show the movies and documentaries you can’t see anywhere else in southern Ohio. You would have to go to Columbus if it weren’t for the Athena. Since I tend to go for matinees, it’s usually a sparse crowd and I never have to sit near anyone else.

An introvert’s paradise.

They’re not showing movies now but offering some events and films online. You can currently register to watch the documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble for free.

Oh, how I miss it there! Someday, hopefully soon, I’m going to spend a Saturday watching movies there. Two or three of them, just because I can!

Watching movies at home is ok but it’s just not the same as settling into a theater with a snack.

Going to the movies is an event.

When the Mr Rogers documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? played, I found myself in a theater with about twenty other strangers who sang along, laughed and even cried together.

That’s not an experience you’ll have on your couch.

Their concessions aren’t a bad price and the tickets are affordable. Matinees are $5 and regular tickets are $6.50. They occasionally do free events including kids’ movies in the summer.

Learn all about The Athena Cinema at their website.