Considering the movie industry’s slowdown of new content and the amount of time many of us spend streaming, the prospect of running out of fresh entertainmentmay have crossed your mind. As the pandemic continues with predictions of spikes or another wave, the thought of settling in and isolating for the winter without a steady stream of distraction from the telly is enough to kickstart an early case of cabin fever.
Luckily, several independent arthouse theaters across the country have joined forces with select movie distributors to make brand-new releases of independent, foreign and restored classic films available for viewing in the comfort of your home for the cost of a single movie ticket.
“As theaters were shutting down in March, a number of our distributors recognized their films were no longer playing, and they still needed to use their local arthouse to connect with the audience,” said Greg Laemmle, president of Laemmle Theatres in Los Angeles. “Within 10 days of shutting down, we were up and running with Virtual Cinema.”
Laemmle Theatres joins exhibitors such as Grand Cinema in Tacoma, Washington, and Film Forum in New York City as web portals for Virtual Cinema films.
Plaza Theatre in Atlanta offers a similar service through Kino Marquee, along with Ciné in Athens and Avalon Theatre in Washington, D.C., among other exhibitors.
The benefit of streaming movies through Virtual Cinema or Kino Marquee is that part of the revenue benefits the theater, helping sustain it while people stay at home and possibly ensuring it reopens when it’s safe again to gather in large groups.
“Generally, exhibitors get their revenue from ticket sales; they’re not compensated for ancillary viewings like video on demand, blue ray, cable. Those revenue streams do not benefit your local arthouse,” said Laemmle. “In the virtual world, we are sharing in the revenue with the distributors. It’s the only revenue stream we have right now. So, if you’re a fan of Laemmle or Film Forum, you can support your favorite theater by going through their portal to access the film.”
Plaza Theatre will take digital movies a step further next year when owner Christopher Escobar, in partnership with the Atlanta Film Society, launches a subscription series of independent, cult and vintage films called PlazaPlay in January. For a monthly fee yet to be determined, subscribers will have access to a growing library of films to watch.
PlazaPlay will have a soft launch in December with educational content, such as masterclasses and discussions from the Atlanta Film Festival available on a rent-per-title basis.
The Plaza reopened its theater in September after putting a long list of COVID-19 protocols in place. Technically, the theater’s capacity has been reduced from 485 to 136, although Escobar said actual attendance, which is based on the purchase of four-seat pods, has been around 70-80.
But digital access for home viewing will remain a significant part of the Plaza’s business plan in 2021.
“For the next year, our approach is going to be safe indoor, safe outdoor and digital at-home. Being able to have all three is going to be an important part for us to be resilient and flexible no matter what happens," he said.
Programming through Virtual Cinema and Kino Marquee is usually about as far as you can get from your typical blockbuster fare. Expect thought-provoking documentaries, low-budget indie flicks, foreign language films and restored classics. Here are three recommended movies available for viewing:
“Monsoon.” “Crazy Rich Asians” costar Henry Golding portrays Kit, an urbane, thirty-something Londoner who returns to his birthplace, Ho Chi Minh City, to disperse his recently deceased mother’s ashes. Written and directed by Hong Khaou, this subdued drama traces Kit’s exploration of a city he barely remembers, having immigrated to England when he was a young boy. He visits a childhood friend whose family had also hoped to immigrate but was denied. The different paths their lives have taken hangs heavy over their awkward attempts to connect. Through a dating app, Kit meets Lewis (Parker Sawyers), an American streetwear clothing designer whose father fought in the Vietnam war. What starts out as a casual hookup deepens into a sweetly tentative relationship as the men bond over their families' complicated histories with Vietnam and their attempts to reconcile their inherited guilt. Opens Nov. 13.
“Citizens of the World.” Gianni Di Gregorio wrote, directed and co-stars in this bittersweet Italian comedy about three elderly gentlemen who spend their days getting together to break bread, drink beer and kvetch about how tough it is to live on their tiny pensions. But their real problem is they’ve fallen into a rut, visiting the same cafés and bars as their friends slowly die off or move away. One day, they decide to move abroad where they’ll get more bang for their buck. After much discussion and consultation, they zero in on the Azores as their destination. They prepare by cashing in bonds, selling off possessions, getting health checkups and learning Portuguese. Then a funny thing happens. In the process of engaging in new activities and encountering new people, they begin to have a change of heart. A sobering brush with Abu, a young refugee from Mali living in quiet desperation on the streets and eager to join family in Canada, puts the retirees' frugal lifestyles in perspective. The film is spoken Italian with English subtitles. Now playing.
“The Donut King.” On the surface, this is a rags-to-riches story of a Cambodian refugee, Ted Ngoy, who came to California in the 1970s without a penny and became rich by starting a multi-million-dollar donut empire. But this Alice Gu documentary is also a love story about a boy who hid for 45 days beneath his true love’s bed to court her in secret; a history lesson on the fall of Cambodia during the Vietnam war; and a food story about the universal appeal of fried dough. It’s also about how a man, who amassed a fortune and created a path for hundreds of refugees to legally immigrate to the U.S. and join his empire, lost everything he owned to a gambling addiction.
All’s well that ends well, though. Ngoy returned to Cambodia where he built a new empire in real estate, and many of the donut shops he left behind are enjoying a renaissance under the guidance of third-generation owners who are using social media and trendy toppings to propel donuts into the gourmet foodie space. Ultimately, “The Donut King” is a story about the perseverance of the human spirit and the pitfalls of hubris. Opens Nov. 13.
VIRTUAL MOVIE PREVIEW
Kino Marquee. $10 for five-day pass. Purchase through participating theater websites, including Plaza Theatre at plazaatlanta.com and Ciné at athenscine.com. kinomarquee.com
Virtual Cinema. $10-$12 for three-day pass. Purchase through participating theater websites, including Laemmle Theatres at laemmle.com and Film Form at filmforum.org.
