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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, Robin Hood, Babies, Remembering Playland at the Beach, New Photos in the Lobby: 100 Hours in the Dark, Now Playing at the Vogue, Left in the Dark: Portraits of San Francisco Movie Theatres, Theater Information. | |||||||||
SHOWTIMES - through Wednesday, May 26, 2010 |
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THEATRE #1 |
THEATRE #2 |
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Robin Hood (PG-13) |
REMEMBERING PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH (NR) (separate admission) |
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SHOWTIMES - Friday, May 28 - Thursday, June 3, 2010 |
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THEATRE #1 |
THEATRE #2 |
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Robin Hood (PG-13) |
REMEMBERING PLAYLAND AT THE BEACH (NR) - Must End Soon (separate admission) |
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COMING SOONOpens Thursday, May 27: |
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I am in Cannes and it is not always such a pretty picture. The weather has been gorgeous but since I’m inside watching movies from 6:30am until well after midnight, I can’t enjoy it. After a slow start, a number of terrific movies have been screened including BIUTIFUL, TAMARA DREWE, ANOTHER YEAR and several surprises that inevitably come out of nowhere.
I suggest you check out www.indiewire.com and their multiple writers, The Auteurs (just changed to www.mubi.com), and their coverage by David Hudson, and www.rogerebert.com. All have great coverage.
ONLY AT THE BALBOA- Win Great Prizes
We have t-shirts, posters, mouse pads, mini posters, and full-size posters for Robin Hood, plus mini posters for Babies! Posters will be available in our lobby while supplies last, and check your ticket stub to see if you've won other great prizes.
VOTE FOR THE BALBOA ON BAYLIST
Voting has closed with San Francisco Magazine, but is still going at Baylist and we want to thank all of you who have voted for the Balboa. We currently stand at #1. If you haven't done it yet, please go to: http://baylist.sfgate.com/balboa-theater/biz/13806
Sincerely,
Gary
Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as Robin Hood, whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people. Robin Hood chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richards army against the French. Upon Richards death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marian (Oscar winner Cate Blanchett), a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marian and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff. With their country weakened from decades of war, embattled from the ineffective rule of the new king and vulnerable to insurgencies from within and threats from afar, Robin and his men heed a call to ever greater adventure. This unlikeliest of heroes and his allies set off to protect their country from slipping into bloody civil war and return glory to England once more. "Scott's grounding of the piece in real events and intelligible human behavior is never over-solemn, and from beginning to end it's a lot of fun. There are few classier directors than Scott at creating action movies on a truly epic scale." "The entire cast is superb. Crowe's an ideal Robin Hood-born to play the role-he's fully in command but human to the core. He owns it." "A seriously stylish re-telling of the Robin Hood legend... Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett make a great pair of heroes." "Fascinates us with the historic elements, while simultaneously weaving into the fabric, a vibrant, human story that makes us relate and care for the characters. Every minute of the long running time holds; I didn't want the adventure to end." Read article about the film and its director Ridley Scott. |
Filmmaker Thomas Balmes offers an adorable glimpse at the first phase of life in this film following four newborn babies through their first year of life. Ponijao, Bayar, Mari, and Hattie were born in Namibia, Mongolia, Japan, and California, respectively. By capturing their earliest stage of development on camera, Balmes reveals just how much we all have in common, despite being born to different parents and raised in different cultures. "The photography is stunning, and Bruno Coulais' music adds just the right soundtrack to this intriguing visual diary." "A movie called 'Adolescents' or, heaven knows, 'Grownups,' would hardly be as charming as 'Babies.' But 'Babies' just might restore your faith in our perplexing, peculiar and stubbornly lovable species." "Even though these are beautiful babies, there is an art to creating images that are both provocative and powerful, and in that the director is skilled." "Babies' most impressive feat is the way it toes the line between cute and cloying, using bouncy music and funny montages but never pushing the audience to realize how cute these babies are; Hattie, Mari, Bayard and Ponijao are capable of making us realize that on their own." Read Interview with Director Thomas Balmes and Producer Alain Chabat. - Focus Features Read article about the film. - Mercury News Read article about the San Francisco baby featured in the film. — SF Gate |
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.
Hockey Haven across the street from the Balboa will be serving Playland drink specials after the show where fans will gather to remember their own experiences at Playland. |
"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. |
Rated PG-13 for for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language. Friday, Saturday: 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:35 The world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark is the armored Super Hero Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. With Pepper Potts, and James "Rhodey" Rhodes at his side, Tony forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces. |
Left in the Dark: Portraits of San Francisco Movie Theatres celebrates twentieth-century movie theatres and moviegoing through lush full-color fine art photographs and personal essays with both scholarly and literary appeal. R.A. McBride’s vivid portraits of the Castro, New Mission, Balboa and many other theaters illuminate the role of the movie house as a great social nexus. McBride gained rare access to the interiors of closed theatres, picturing them empty and allowing the grandeur of the architecture to take center stage. Casting the theatres as characters within the city's cultural landscape, scholars and film exhibitors such as Rebecca Solnit, Eddie Muller, Chi-hui Yang, and Gary Meyer, among others, uncover a spectacular variety of forgotten or never-before revealed histories. As society retreats from public life into the anonymity of multiplexes and personal entertainment technologies, our moviegoing heritage becomes ever more significant and inspiring. San Francisco is fortunate to be one of the world’s most vital moviegoing cities and to have so many of its historic movie theatres. By drawing a continuum from past to present, Left in the Dark offers hope that even as these gorgeous historic theatres crumble, the spirit of Cinema thrives. Praise for Left in the Dark: "McBride’s well-crafted photographs provide a valuable record of a disappearing institution as well as an insightful look behind the scenes at the mechanisms and structures that create the visual experience we call cinema." The book is available for pre-order now through www.leftinthedark.info (delivery in early October). There is a limited print run of 2,000 copies so order now to be assured of a copy. |
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.
Rated PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content. 2 hours 20 minutes.
Rated PG for cultural and maternal nudity throughout.
82 minutes.
The famous ice cream sandwiches created at Playland, IT’S IT, will be for sale at the Balboa snack bar.
"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. May's film “Alice Underground” won the San Francisco International Film Festival Bay Area Showcase in 1986, and her 1997 documentary “Shakespeare's Children” was honored in major national film festivals and shown on PBS/KQED. Both films are now in the permanent collection of Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley. Her 1972 portfolio “Innocents” is in the permanent collection of photography of the Oakland Museum.
Our friends at the Vogue Theatre, on Sacramento St., are playing IRON MAN 2 starring Robert Downey Jr.
Photographs by R.A. McBride