Bring Back the Cinema! (Exhibition and Petition Signing at www.dajmikino.org)

This whole "movement" is pretty amusing. They’re calling for signatures on a petition that doesn't actually exist anywhere, telling the public to rise up while only caring about a handful of government directors, promising some massive website that hasn't even been built yet, and planning protests AFTER the City Council has already voted on the handover.

A normal person would have just built a site, launched a real petition immediately, engaged the audience first instead of just a few directors, and held demonstrations right at the City Hall on the actual voting day.

But this is the Film Guild—total old-school vibes, like watching a low-budget rerun of a fake revolution where the goal is just to pretend they're actually doing something.

Just look at how much funding the folks over at the National Endowment for the Arts are pulling in with those satellite projects; then it becomes obvious why this "action" feels so aggressive and "authentic."

If they really wanted to, they could probably just buy Europe.

I’ve been reading through all these comments and I honestly find myself in a state of disbelief. What on earth do you all in Washington, D.C. even occupy yourselves with? If you really want to understand what a genuine lack of movie theaters looks like—not to mention a nonexistent selection of films—you should come visit us here in Seattle. Honestly, I think there might actually be more cinematic options on Maui than we have in our own city.
In case you haven't heard the news, those two existing theaters we have in Seattle aren't going to stay in the downtown area anymore. With the construction of the new World Trade Center over in the outskirts, the entire movie-going crowd is being pushed way out of the center. 👎So, my dear friends living in the big metropolis, it turns out that we folks in Seattle won't have a SINGLE CINEMA left in the heart of the city!!! 😠

rustyscout31 said:So, my dear friends in the big city—us folks here in San Francisco won't have A SINGLE MOVIE THEATER left!!!😠

Given how things are heading, you'll probably lose your top-tier pro sports teams soon enough, too.

rustyscout31 said:I am reading through all of this and I simply cannot believe my eyes! What on earth do you people in Washington, D.C. occupy yourselves with? You really ought to visit San Francisco just to see what a true lack of movie theaters looks like, let alone a decent selection of films. In fact, I suspect even Martha's Vineyard might have more cinematic options than we do here in San Francisco.
If it isn't common knowledge yet, those two existing theaters in San Francisco are being moved out of the downtown core entirely. Once the new World Trade Center is constructed over by the caves, which is quite a trek from the center, the entire movie-going public will be relocated there.👎 So, my dear friends in the big metropolis, we citizens of San Francisco won't have a SINGLE CINEMA left in the heart of our city!!!😠

Well, did someone actually forbid you from being an entrepreneur?

rustyscout31 said:I’m reading through this whole thread and I honestly can't believe it. What exactly do you people in Washington, D.C. spend your time worrying about? Try coming down to San Francisco for a bit, then you'll understand what a genuine lack of movie theaters actually looks like—not to mention the pathetic selection we get. Honestly, I think Martha's Vineyard probably has more film options and better cinemas than we do here in San Francisco.
If you haven't heard the news, those two existing theaters in San Francisco won't even be downtown anymore. Once they finish construction on the new World Trade Center over by the caves, which is pretty much a trek from the heart of the city, the entire movie-going crowd will be pushed way out there. 👎 So, my dear friends in the big metropolis, us San Franciscans aren't going to have A SINGLE CINEMA left in the city center!!! 😠

So you're telling me things are bad for you, so we should just feel sorry for ourselves too? 😁

northerncrane4 said:The way things are heading, you won't even have a single top-tier team left in the league very soon.

I don't follow soccer all that closely, but unfortunately, I keep hearing some pretty discouraging news lately. While I find it hard to believe that the San Jose Earthquakes will actually get relegated from the major league, it certainly looks like they're headed for some rough times ahead, doesn't it?🙄

Maria Peterson said:Well, did anyone actually tell you that you couldn't be an entrepreneur?

Now, I should probably clarify that I’m neither the mayor nor some big-shot CEO, so don't hold me to anything too serious. My voice might carry a bit of weight here and there, but let's just say I haven't quite hit that level of massive success yet. Politics is such a complex, heavy thing to navigate, isn't it? But if you really want my humble little opinion...

steelstag4 said:Are you saying that because things are rough for you, you want us to suffer too? 😁

Oh, goodness no, there isn't a hint of anger, jealousy, or any kind of regional rivalry here. 🙂 Honestly, I am genuinely happy that you aren't dealing with the same headaches we are; I just wanted to offer a little perspective on what things look like from our side of the fence...

Oh, please. Stop being shy and just tell them where to shove it. They’ve got 48 in China anyway. 😁😁😁

rustyscout31 said:Look, I’m neither a mayor nor some big-shot entrepreneur. My voice carries weight out there, sure, but I haven't exactly conquered the business world. Politics is a massive, complicated beast... if you really want my two cents...

Hmm, what about starting a grassroots civic initiative? 😉 The non-profit sector isn't just some decorative ornament for society. 🙂

Just to be clear, we’re talking about a "rescue mission for American cinemas" in general, not just the ones in Washington, D.C. ...rustyscout31, why don't you take them up on the offer? Send an email to the HFSA and let them organize a screening in a small town somewhere since the timing is perfect...

Marakeš said:Most likely, it will be empty. Just like how Broadway sat vacant during that Asian film series. Some self-proclaimed 'cultural elite' showed up to take photos on Friday and Saturday, but for the rest of the week, the theater was a ghost town. I watched 'remembrance of a murder' in a theater with maybe three people. Between you, me, and perhaps another hundred souls in NYC 😁, I honestly think it isn't worth the city's money to maintain a cinema at all. People actually bother showing up to the theater.
No one is asking for Spartan conditions, myself included, but most of the theaters owned by the city of Washington, D.C. are just like that. Uninviting.

Throughout this summer, I went to the cinema in Europe twice, and in both instances, the house was more than adequately filled. So, the notion that nobody would bother traveling downtown for a movie simply doesn't hold water. Personally, I much prefer watching a film in Europe over some dingy AMC Theatres; when I go to the movies, I go to see a film that actually interests me. That is a far cry from the AMC Theatres crowd, who don't choose films based on interest, but rather on whatever convenient showtime is available, while they gorge themselves on stinking popcorn and even smellier loaded nachos and chat through the entire screening.

Maria Peterson said:A campaign to save our "normal" downtown theaters:
...not only will people have to deal with wider ticket prices or commuting from outside the city center, but they’ll also eventually have to compete with those big shopping mall theaters that the local government basically handed over the responsibility of looking after movie lovers to...
Thoughts, opinions, debates......?

I don't really see it that way at all.
1. AMC Theatres and Broadway aren't out in some random suburban town (no offense to anyone living out there), which is what your post makes it sound like—they aren't even in Times Square, both are just a quick 10-minute walk from Times Square itself.
2. Honestly, I just buy my tickets online, so I'm never stuck in any crazy crowds. Then again, I still remember back in the day waiting in line for Independence Day—that line stretched from the downtown cinema, past Flower Square, all the way down to Main Street. Thanks but no thanks, I definitely don't miss that kind of nostalgia.
3. As for the domestic movies—current hits show up in the multiplexes just fine. But if you want the classics and archival stuff, what we actually need is a high-quality cinema.

Bottom line: Give us more multiplexes, but please bring back the classic cinema!

I wonder if anyone else has been feeling that sudden, overwhelming sense of being completely overwhelmed lately? It’s such an interesting phenomenon, isn't it, how we can go from one moment of perfect clarity to feeling totally lost in the shuffle? I’ve been reflecting on this quite a bit, just sitting back and wondering why these waves of exhaustion seem to hit us all at once, almost out of nowhere. Does anyone else find themselves staring at their to-do list and just feeling... stuck? I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you navigate those heavy days when everything just feels like a bit much. kaže:
What if we were to consider launching some kind of grassroots civic initiative? Wouldn't that be an interesting way to approach this? 😉 The civil society sector isn't just some decorative element meant to sit on a shelf looking pretty, is it? It serves a much deeper purpose than that. 🙂

You know, I think the situation here is a bit more layered than it first appears. Of course, anyone can sign a petition if they want to, but since I’m somewhat familiar with the backstory, I can't help but feel like doing that would just be going through the motions of a protest without actually triggering any real change. Is it really enough to just make a statement? The heart of the issue is actually quite complicated: there's a significant dispute regarding the ownership of two local movie theaters over in a small riverfront town. One of the buildings has already been privatized, while the city is in the process of taking over the other—the old theater—with big plans to transform it. However, despite all that talk about making something great out of it, there seems to be no actual intention to preserve the cinema itself. It’s because there’s this widespread, rather unfortunate sentiment floating around that "nobody goes to the movies anymore anyway." Isn't that just terrible?👎

I must say, I am still quite perplexed by the logic behind your post. What exactly do you mean when you suggest that 'things aren't great for you, yet you lack the right to complain because they are even worse for everyone else'?

Maria Peterson said:I still don't really get your point. What do you mean by 'things are bad for you, but you can't complain because they're even worse for us'?

I’m honestly a little sorry that it didn't click for you. 🙄 Of course you should speak up; there is always room for improvement, isn't there? But perhaps it helps to be a bit more informed about what's happening in other parts of the country. Not everything happens right here in NYC, after all; there are plenty of us smart, film-loving people scattered throughout various other cities too. We really are in a tougher position compared to you all, and I just wanted to offer that perspective. Does that make more sense now?🙂

Well, she couldn't care less about what's going on in some random place like... America...🙂 😬

Wait a second. This just doesn't feel fair, does it? I really think we should give them a chance to respond. Let's see what happens next, shall we?

Well, it’s right there on page 1... basically: you're doomed. 😁

You’ve got a point there. Honestly, it doesn't even matter anymore. I just don't have the energy for it anymore.