The Arclight celebrated the opening of its new Cinema at the Galleria last night with a lot of glitz and fanfare at a "Red Ribbon" cutting ceremony.In tandem with the event, the American Film Institute invited special guests to screen one of three great films.
One of the offerings was a very oldie - but goodie - "Fast Times at Ridgemont High".
Audiences were also given a golden opportunity to take in a sneak preview of a captivating documentary about X-treme Skiing - "Steep" - which I caught at a screening just recently at the Fine Arts Theatre. Superb filmmaking!
Gregory Peck starring in - "To Kill a Mockingbird" - was the third choice and difficult to resist.
Yes, I opted for the classic!
The head of the Mid-Valley Chamber of Commerce, Nancy Hoffman, was on hand to present a certificate to Arclight CEO - Christopher Forman - to recognize the Theatre chain's contributions to the community.
"I witnessed the filming of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" here at the Galleria," Hoffman chirped excitedly.
"Yes, I'm a Valley girl," she beamed proudly to an eclectic mix of attendees which consisted of a handful of savvy local politicians, film personalities, and die-hard AFI film buffs.
Mr. Forman thanked everyone for turning out and noted that Arclight would continue their commitment - to not only screen movies that "people valued" - but endeavor to offer up a broad range of genres that appealed to a wider taste base.
The charismatic exec was quick to point out that were it not for Arclight, intimate movies like "JUNO" and "ATONEMENT", may have stalled in distribution talks.
Through two programs - POV (Point of View) and Arclight Presents - he underscored that bold-faced efforts to focus on quality and specialized bill of fare would continue to be a top priority.
Forman then introduced AFI CEO, Bob Gazzale, to the excited filmgoers.
Right off the bat, he blew AFI's horn a little.
To a rapt crowd, he noted that "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" was directed by Amy Heckerling, who was an AFI graduate.
The chatty exhuberant man proceeded to expound on AFI's new partnership with Arclight.
"Why Arclight?" he pointedly asked the tony crowd.
In answer to his own question, he offered up a snappy response.
"Because Arclight and AFI have the same goals and set of standards."
He capped the remark by boldly asserting that everyone is keenly aware that Arclight provides the finest filmgoing experience in the city.
In January, for example, AFI (in collaboration with Arclight) will screen a series of Classics of yesteryear for the theatre-going public to experience in a state-of-the-art theatre setting - "Vertigo", "Gone with the Wind", "Dr. Zhivago", "The Apartment", and "2001: A Space Odyssey", to name a few.
After thanking Mrs. Peck for attending (who waved graciously from the sidelines), he noted that in a recent poll, Mr. Peck's character - Atticus Finch - ("To Kill a Mockingbird") was named by film enthusiasts as the greatest hero of all time in the cinema.
At this juncture, Bob Gazzale parted with an anecdote.
He fondly recalled that when he aired a montage of clips from the AFI film archives at an event at his son's school - and Gregory Peck's face lit up the screen - one quizzical student excitedly asked.
"Who is that man? He's so handsome!"
He noted that it was a particularly poignant moment.
After all, one objective of the AFI was met.
In this instant case, an actor's image had been preserved for the enjoyment of the next generation.
Unfortunately, there was a hitch in last night's gala festivities.
When the lights faded and "To Kill a Mockingbird" sprang to life on the screen, it did so "mit out sound".
Yeah, the projectionist screwed up!
It boggled my mind to fathom - especially on "Opening Night" with all the big-wigs hobnobbing in the elegant foyer - how management could fail so miserably in this regard.
No quality control?
Most theatres instruct ushers to remain in the theatre until it is well-established that all the elements of the film are in sync and humming along smoothly at a screening.
Not at Arclight!
An oversight?
Hopefully, Management will iron out the glitches before the Theatre is unveiled on Friday to the theatre-going public.
Otherwise, all the glowing tributes flowing trippingly off the tongues last night, amount to nothing but empty promises.
