Why Baltimore Is Great, or A Reason To Live (at least till Oct)

Micah Cohen · August 2002

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA @ The Senator Theater

Beginning September 20th for 2 weeks only, The Senator Theatre will feature the David Lean's cinematic masterpiece LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, starring Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif.

This restored print of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA will be shown in the 70mm roadshow format.

Aaron · August 2002

And can you believe that I've never seen this movie?

Aaron

TroyD · August 2002

shame on you!

Turn off Springer and run down to Ballbuster and get your rental on.

BDT

Aaron · August 2002

Troy, I just want to know how you became a "Polkologist."

Aaron

TroyD · August 2002

ahhh.....it's not something I'm proud of...

BDT

Ron-P · August 2002

Never have seen it myself, probably never will.

Peace Out~:D

RuSsMaN · August 2002

I won't see it either... eff that.

mjk91383 · August 2002

Originally posted by Ron-P
Never have seen it myself, probably never will.

Peace Out~:D

...just think of it as a popcorn flick of epic proportions!

on a more serious note, i found this movie to be rather enjoyable. it's probably too long for some people's taste, but i guess that's understandable.

i think the 2-disc set is actually going out of print (even though the price has recently dropped from $35 to $25), so if you don't want to be stuck with the single disc set down the road, you might want to pick it up now.

for micah --- i know how you feel! i recently saw 2001 in 70mm glory at atlanta's fox theater. the sound sort of sucked, but it was totally worth the seven bucks!

joe

Strong Bad · August 2002

I knew he was going to post something about this sooner or later. I saw the Ad in the newspaper last week about the return to the Senator.

Oh yes, I'll be there! Nothing beats the Senator!

Systems · August 2002

Wild guess--the Senator is a grand old theatre that's been "restored" after a decline, & shows lots of "art" & "foreign" movies & revivals? It's in an old part of town, & maybe it was a **** theatre for a while, back in the 70's, but the neighborhood has been "revitalized"? I'm just speculating, based on the usual way these old theatres go thru changes, if they survive at all. There's one near where I used to live that showed interesting movies (no, not ****, but I think it showed them in the 70's), but the problem I had with it was that the sound & picture were usually bad. There was a second-run cinema a few blocks away, & altho the movies were the same things that had been at the cineplex a few months earlier & the screens were small, the sound & picture were much better. So I could watch a decent-looking & sounding Terminator 2 for $1.50, or a first-run foreign movie with bad sound & picture for a minimum of 5 bucks (early matinee). I know the people running theatres like this are usually on a tight budget, but if you want to get today's moviegoers, you'd better spruce the place up & get good equipment. You can't get away with having a movie theatre that's like a campus film society screening. Just my rant, extrapolating based on some of the sarcastic response to Micah's well-meant post. I could be totally off-base. Wouldn't be the first time.

TroyD · August 2002

The Senator sounds like the Tivoli theater in St Louis.....last time I was in St. Louis they were having an Hitchcock festival.....very cool.

BDT

Systems · August 2002

well, i checked their website, & maybe there's hope after all. if their website is to be believed, they do it right. assuming that's the case, then micah's right to be enthused, & maybe some of you doubters might actually enjoy a movie that was made before your birth or when you were very little, har-har!

Micah Cohen · August 2002

Ron and Russ and anyone else who has never seen LOA: You really do need to see this film. Like CITIZEN KANE (which you should see as well), LOA is the pinnacle of filmmaking.

What makes it so? In sheer scope of topic -- especially today, with arabia chomping at the bit to devour us -- and sheer beauty of the filmmaking art, LOA is a vision of awesome perfection. It's a movie that washes over you with experience. It speaks to us guys, it's a "guy film" (no women in it) filled with death and great battles and big explosions and men leading other men into battle! Filled with great lines spoken by consumate actors, weighted with deep meaning. Especially today, as I said; you will learn that nothing has changed since Lawrence led the arab revolt against the Turks. (Oh, and it's a "true" story, which is totally cool.) It's a great adventure, a real epic story.

And the only real way to see it is on a really big screen. The Senator Theater is no converted **** palace. It's been a big screen film house since at least the early 30s: all decked out in neon and art deco decorations. (It's the theater they use to hide in -- playing VERTIGO -- at the end of 12 MONKEYS, among other things.) Recently, I think for the last STAR WARS movie, Sony Digital Systems came in and installed a superb state of the art sound system. Combined with the HUGE wraparound 70mm screen, it makes for a truly great movie experience.

In my opinion, you're not a real GUY unless you've been steeped in great GUY flicks like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, GUNS OF NAVARONE, BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, A BRIDGE TOO FAR, etc etc.

So, for me, seeing LAWRENCE at The Senator will be a peak experience of the season. I can't wait. You shouldn't pass this one up.

MC

Systems · August 2002

you shoulda lied to get 'em interested--talk about the graphic harem orgy that was restored to the version now in release, & the high speed camel chase that ends in a series of huge explosions . . . well, you did mention explosions, but not high-speed chases.

Micah Cohen · August 2002

I shouldn't have to do that. LOA has some of the most awesome battle scenes ever filmed. Thousands of extras storming Akaba! Blowing the huge locomotive off the tracks! (At The Senator, when the train comes barrelling off the tracks on that huge screen, it kills everyone in the first five rows!)

But more important, we're all manly men guys here. LOA is one of the most manly of manly films ever. NO WOMEN at all to get in the way of any manliness. BLOOD! KILL! RIDE OFF INTO THE SUNSET! (Or, in the case of LOA, ride "in from the sunrise" a la Omar Shariff.)

It's just tremendous. It is it's own argument!

LAWRENCE!

MC

TroyD · August 2002

Yeah, I'm with MC on this one. The greatest GUY flicks of all time were not made in the last 10 years, NOT recorded in DD 5.whatever etc etc.......

I'd also add to MC's list Magnificent Seven, The Searchers, ****, the list is endless. So many great guy movies are dismissed because they aren't full of cgi or not the latest in sound or what have you.

It's a long weekend, rent a couple of Bogart movies, now there was a GUY.....drinking whiskey straight, smacking around a few broads....YEAH!

BDT

F1nut · September 2002

The Senator has always been a first class movie theater and still puts those "stadium" places to shame, it's one of Baltimore's jewels. Micah, thanks for the tip..I'll be there.

Systems · September 2002

LOA--Well, having not seen it since I was too little to remember much of anything about it, I checked out the ltd edition at Ballbuster, & all I can say is it was effin' great. Sure, it'd be better at a real cinema, but don't skip it just because of that. Ballbuster near me doesn't have the Searchers, though. With their current 7-day rental of 5-day flix, I have Apocalypse Now Redux on tap for this weekend. Been a long time since I seen that one, too, altho this one has addt'l footage.

joe logston · September 2002

loa, got it on dvd, seen it in the big theater to, great movie

Micah Cohen · September 2002

Original Message

From: Cohen, Micah
Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2002 12:04 PM
To: Thomas Kiefaber (E-mail)
Cc: Robert Harris (E-mail)
Subject: "Lawrence" at The Senator
Importance: High

Tom (and Robert):

Last night I caught the late show of "Lawrence Of Arabia" at The Senator. The ultimate film in the ultimate theater -- it is as if The Senator was built for "Lawrence." They are the perfect match. The film is truly beautiful; the sound, impressive. I will probably end up there again before the short run ends.

Robert, it was great hearing Tom thank you in his little pre-movie announcement! I know I've said this to you before, and you must get tired of hearing it, but I appreciate how you excel at this thing you are passionate about: thank you for making this possible, for helping save these great films.

Ah, joy! A GREAT night at the movies, again!

Micah Cohen
Marketing Department
PolkAudio, Inc.
"The Speaker Specialists"
410-764-5232
800-223-5246x232
mcohen@polkaudio.com

TroyD · September 2002

Sucking up for free tix?

BDT

Frank Z · September 2002

How about those exploding camels during the harem orgy scene!

Micah Cohen · September 2002

Frank, LOL!

Nix on the free tix. The Senator is the only place I'd NEVER take free tix to. I'd rather pay my $8 and support the theater than mooch off Tom's good will.

It's really something to be PASSIONATE about art the way these two guys are. I am envious.

If you're near Baltimore, it's worth the trip to see LAWRENCE at The Senator. RAH said it's the best possible presentation of it. No foolin.

MC

TroyD · September 2002

It's really something to be PASSIONATE about art the way these two guys are. I am envious.

There is DAYS worth of material there.....

BDT

raycomics · September 2002

I would just like to add a few Movies to the List:

The Professionals: THE Western. (IMHO, a dead tie with the Mag 7) Starring Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan, Burt Lancaster, and Woody Strode.

The Godfather I II and III (no description needed)

The Great Escape (see comment above)

Why Baltimore Is Great, or A Reason To Live (at least till Oct)

Comments