Wet Hot American Summer

Last Friday (technically early Saturday morning), I saw a midnight movie at the Landmark Clay.

Wet Hot American Summer starring Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showater & Marguerite Moreau; with Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Elizabeth Banks, Molly Shannon, Joe Lo Truglio & Michael Ian Black; directed by David Wain; (2001) - Official Website

Before I forget, the Landmark Aquarius in Palo Alto reopened on July 24 after being closed for remodeling for almost four months.  Included among the renovations are "the addition of larger screens; luxury leather seats and recliners; a new sound system, acoustics and lighting; updated bathrooms; a new marquee and a restructured lobby including a concession stand serving gourmet hot treats like sweet potato fries and Gouda macaroni-and-cheese bites."  Beer & wine service is also forthcoming.  The general admission price has increased from $10 to $12.

From the photo below, the auditoriums look smaller.  Theater #2 is eight seats wide with one aisle.  Granted, the new seats are wider than the old seats but the photo below makes the room look thinner and shorter.

Aquarius Theater #2

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Wet Hot American Summer (WHAS) has been a cult film for years.  I've heard about it but had never seen it.  The film had a very limited theatrical release in the summer of 2001.

The film has received renewed attention as of late due to an eight episode prequel miniseries on Netflix.  The conceit of the original WHAS is the actors were portraying characters 10 to 20 years younger than themselves.  The prequel, called Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, is set a few months before the events depicted in WHAS.  Now, 14 years after the original film, most of the principal cast has returned to play the same characters which they are now 25 to 30 years older than.

WHAS is set in 1981 & is a parody of (primarily) summer camp films of which the only one I can recall by name is Meatballs.  However, at various points, WHAS parodies Rocky 3 & various science fiction films.  It throws in some gay sex and even makes fun of heroin junkies shooting up (Trainspotting reference?).  The plot is nothing more than a fig leaf for the cast perform some sketch comedy scenes...and what a cast.  Janeane Garofalo & David Hyde Pierce had the biggest profiles in 2001 but the supporting cast went on to have tremendous careers.  Paul Rudd plays a sexist & boorish womanizer, Bradley Cooper plays one half of the gay duo mentioned previously, Amy Poehler is the overenthusiastic talent director of the summer camp, Christopher Meloni plays a Vietnam vet with PTSD and some kinky sexual practices, Molly Shannon is an arts & crafts instructor who is not coping well with over her divorce but gets some help from one of her students and the list goes on...

WHAS is a series of sexual encounters and thwarted sexual encounters between the counselors at Camp Firewood.  The film begins on the morning of the last full day of summer camp and culminates that evening with a camp talent show interrupted by falling space debris from Skylab.  The film is silly and at times it falls flat.  Not as manic as the Zucker, Abrahams & Zucker films of the era when WHAS is set or as raunchy as say The Hangover, the film would have benefited from a little more pasta against the wall.

Still, checking WHAS off my list was satisfying in itself.  I didn't even fall asleep.  Looking at the Clay's midnight lineup, strangely Hitchcock's Vertigo is screening on August 14 & 15.  I'm more interested in Mad Max on August 21 & 22.  The Castro is screening Mad Max: Fury Road on August 26.  Seeing the two films in such a short period of time (coming on top of Midnites for Maniacs screening of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior in July) could prove interesting and insightful.

King of Devil's Island

I remember when the Landmark Clay announced it was closing and the San Francisco Film Society entered into negotiations with Landmark and the owner of the building. The SFFS Executive Director at the time (the late Graham Leggat) mentioned in an interview or perhaps KQED panel discussion that SFFS was in a different position than Landmark Theaters. Being a non-profit, SFFS could count on alternate sources of revenue which Landmark cannot. At the time, it sounded to me like Leggat was essentially saying that even if SFFS lost money while operating the Clay, it would be ok because SFFS doesn't have a profit motive and could subsidize the operation of the Clay through charitable donations, government grants and tax write-offs. I remembered thinking it sounded as if they needed gimmickry to keep the single screen theater open.

Whatever happened to the planned closing of the Clay? Regardless, that formula of non-profit operation of single screen and/or small movie theaters has essentially been used or replicated at the Vogue, the Roxie and most recently, the Balboa. That reminds me of something else. When Gary Meyer announced he was stepping away from the Balboa, he mentioned his desire to spend more time working on the Telluride Film Festival which he described as his "paying gig." Since the San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation announced it is taking over the Balboa, Meyer has seemed re-energized and doesn't seem eager to step away anymore.

The reason I bring any of this up is that whenever I go to the New People/Viz Theater for "regular programming," the audience is just as sparse as when it was operated by New People and programmed with primarily Japanese films. I define "regular programming" as the programming not associated with the SFFS fall festivals (Hong Kong Cinema, Taiwan Film Days, etc.). I keep thinking back to Leggat's comments (albeit he was speaking of the Clay) that SFFS's non-profit status gave it advantages in operating a single screen theater. I think his claim will be put to the test.

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My last venture to New People was to see King of Devil's Island.

King of Devil's Island starring Stellan Skarsgård, Benjamin Helstad & Trond Nilssen; directed by Marius Holst; Norwegian with subtitles; (2010) - Official Website

King of Devil's Island is a mediocre film elevated by strong performances and nice outdoor locations. It's essentially a prison film or more specifically a juvenile delinquency prison film. As such, there must be a child molester. Every film about a boy's reformatory has to have a pedophile, typically a guard. Based on true events and set in the early 1900s, King of Devil's Island is set on Bastoy Island, kind of an Norwegian Alcatraz for boys.

The ever reliable Stellan Skarsgård plays the warden - a no nonsense disciplinarian whose probity is compromised when he diverts funds to be used for the upkeep of the facility and its charges. The warden uses it to make life more comfortable for his new and younger bride who is terribly bored on the island and at other times, alarmed by the behavior and treatment of the boys.

The protagonist of the film is a boy-sailor named Erling (Benjamin Helstad). The boys are assigned prison numbers and Erling is referred to as "C-19" for the rest of the film. Sent to Bastoy for killing someone, Erling seems more of a loner and rebel than sociopath. He quickly deals with attempted bullying and begins to test the boundaries of his confinement. This puts him into conflict with the warden and his proxy, Olav or C-1 who is the trustee for his dormitory. Assigned with showing C-19 the ropes, C-1 fails miserably as the stubborn Erling is determined to escape the island.

Over the course of the film C-1 and C-19 form a friendship. As is de rigueur, they bond over shared, forced punishment. If I recall, it was chopping down trees in freezing cold weather. As the film progresses, C-1 loses respect for the warden as he is blackmailed into covering up the acts of his pedophile guard (nice performance by Kristoffer Joner who bears a resemblance to Tom Skerritt). This leads to the final confrontation between the boys and their overseers which plays out a little like Lord of the Flies.

Helstad is quite convincing as Erling but Trond Nilssen's turn as C-1 is the lynchpin of the film. His scenes with Helstad, Skarsgård and Joner show his character's evolution which is more powerful than C-19's restless frustrations. Magnus Langlete as C-5 also shines as the victim of the pedophile.

There were recurring scenes of a whale at sea which was a story C-1 and C-19 were writing together and also served as a metaphor for Erling. I thought it was a little contrived and the CGI images of the whale looked second rate. Otherwise, King of Devil's Island is serviceable JD film elevated by a strong cast.

The Long Goodbye or Love and Haight

The Long Goodbye is a Robert Altman film but I am referring to the painful demise of the Red Vic.

It's been a longtime, open secret among San Francisco film lovers that the Red Vic is not long for this world. In the past few weeks, multiple sources have reported the Red Vic is closing on July 26. The news was posted on a KQED blog and SFist. Even at this late date, one of the operators of the theater is holding out hope that "George Lucas or Pixar or somebody really big to step in."

Hope springs eternal but the potential closure of the Red Vic just isn't moving me off the needle much. The Red Vic is suffering because not enough people go there and I am less guilty than most. As I posted, I saw 10 films there in 2010; good enough for 8th place on my 2010 list.

However, the Red Vic and I have a cool relationship. Unlike the Roxie, the Red Vic is not conveniently located along my commute. However, the PFA is very out of the way for me and the Castro is equally inconvenient. Whereas the programming at PFA and the Castro excites me enough to take a special trip, the Red Vic's programming largely leaves me luke warm. The Roxie, the Castro and Sundance Kabuki host the film festivals I like to attend, the Red Vic seems to eschew festivals.

When Viz Cinema ceased daily operation, I truly felt like I had lost a something valuable and wished I had gone more frequently (even though I did see 41 films there in 2010). The impending closure of the Red Vic is not evoking the same sense of loss in me. It's like a casual acquaintance passing; you feel bad but the emotional impact is not as strong as when a close friend of family member passes.

I have a discount admission card for the Red Vic. It has one punch left on it so I'll be saying my farewell to the old gal before July 25. If it is the end, I thank the Red Vic for all the experiences and wish there had been more of them. July 25 is the Red Vic's 30th anniversary so it was a good, long run.

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By the way, what happened to the negotiations between the San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) and the landlord of the Clay Theater? Several months ago, Landmark Theaters announced it was closing the Clay. Landmark only operates the Clay. The building is owned by someone else. Landmark was going to cease operating the Clay and speculation was rampant as to what the landlord would do with the property. A last minute push by SFFS was enough to convince Landmark to continue operating the Clay while SFFS and the landlord negotiated terms for SFFS to operate the Clay. Several months have gone by and I haven't heard any news. I doubt Landmark will operate the theater indefinitely if negotiations have stalled.

FCUK, Stretch Hummers and Leah Garchik Strikes Again

On Monday, I was walking down Powell St towards the BART station and noticed the FCUK store is closed. For the uninitiated or dyslexic, FCUK stands for French Connection United Kingdom. I never entered the store but enjoyed seeing the store sign. Sometimes, I would see advertising that made me chuckle. "San Francisco's first fcuk."

As I walk or ride around the City, I notice things. Some people who live on the second floor of their building on O'Farrell between Jones & Taylor may want to consider closing their curtains when engaged in certain tasks. I also notice vacant commercial real estate and there is a lot of it in San Francisco.

I've noticed the return of the stretch Hummer limousine. I used to see several stretch limos every Friday & Saturday night around the City. I haven't seen them too much in the past several years. Now, I've seen the Stretch Hummer on two recent weekends.

I'm not sure what any of this has to do with the economy. It certainly has nothing to do with the movies I watch.



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As I mentioned, Leah Garchik seems to have sources on the local film festival circuit. She reported in Monday's edition of the San Francisco Chronicle that the San Francisco Film Society (they sponsor the San Francisco International Film Festival) have been in negotiations for several months to take over the Clay Theater. The Clay, currently operated by Landmark Theaters, is scheduled to close on August 29.

If negotiations are successful, I wonder how it would affect the SFFS screen at the Kabuki Cinema. I also remember an announcement about SFFS opening a theater in The Presidio as part of their redevelopment plan.

Clay(No)more Mine

I read in yesterday's Examiner that Landmark Theaters is closing the Clay on August 29.

I'm saddended but not surprised. The Clay is not a theater I go to often. The last film I saw there was Cannibal Holocaust in May 2009. It only has one screen so its screening options are limited. Unlike the majestic Castro, the Clay looks like a 100 year old theater. Also, it is not conveniently located on a BART or Muni Metro line. I would have taken a bus there but the programming has not been compelling. Since it is a Landmark Theater, I figured the film would show at one of the other Landmark Theaters. I notice Landmark flms premiere at the Embarcadero and after a few weeks, move to the Opera Plaza. The Lumiere gets more of the quirky films.

I wonder if preservationists will try to save the venue as they did with the Vogue and the 4-Star. As much as I like film going, I'm largely opposed to the efforts of groups like SFNTF. The venues have shown that they are not financially viable so the owners try to sell the venue and put it better use (from an economic standpoint). SFNTF intervenes or leads protests to stop the conversion of the theater to some other use.

In the old days, the argument was that single-screen theaters couldn't compete against multiplexes except in a city with the population density of San Francisco. Some theater chains couldn't make a go of a single screen theater so they tried to sell it and met organized opposition. In the case of the 4-Star, it was a labor of love by long-time owners Frank Lee Sr. & Jr. As for the Vogue, I have to say SFNTF put their money where their mouth was and purchased the theater and still operate it in partnership with Peerless Entertainment.

Nowadays, movie theaters, big and small, are fighting for survival against movies on demand. I didn't mention DVDs because I think DVDs have lost the battle and are dead men walking.

Will movie theaters survive? I don't know. Much is attributed to the "shared experience" but frankly, my fantasy would be to see films (projected in 35 mm if that was their original format) in an empty theater - no distractions, no one lighting up the house with their cell phone to check the time, no one whispering or talking, no one sitting near me with questionable hygienic practices, etc. Maybe I would let some people in who are sufficiently respectful of each other's movie experience...