I have been eagerly awaiting the release of Grindhouse for a few reasons. 1. I love trashy movies, women in prison, kung fu, you name it. I think they are usually better directed and acted than people give them credit for. They also usually speak frankly on issues in a way a big budget film could. (The new film Shooter is a classic of this style. It is a radical film.) 2. Boobs and violence always get attention. And, 3. A WOMAN WITH A MACHINE GUN LEG!!!!
So, as I get ready to order my tickets I thought about many of the grindhouse experiences I have had.
Growing up, my family always went to the drive-in. The drive-in is the grindhouse of the suburbs. One of the first movies I remember seeing at the drive-in was a double bill of "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein". I can honestly say that this experience formed my sense of humor, and my worldview. My mom still can't believe that they let me see this movie at a young age. I always thank her.
My other experience is more generalized. People talk about the "Disney-fication" of Times Square. I can honestly say that in the past 10 years since I moved here, it's gotten worse. There were still a few sex theaters and run down movie houses when I got here.
I always romanticized NYC growing up. I knew I wanted to live here and watched Woody Allen movies, "All that Jazz", and any other movie showing what I thought was city life. Looking at Scorsese films let me see the gritty side. I knew from books and other things that I wanted to see movies in Times Square.
The best memory I have of seeing a movie in a crappy theater was my first few weeks here. My husband and I went to see "Summer of Sam" in Times Square. The theater we went to was paret of a complex of a few theaters and shady souvenir shop. This area is now a foot locker, Swatch Shop, and Toys R' Us.
At the theater we were in a full crowd. The floor was sticky, the seats were falling apart, and the crowd was rowdy. What a way to see the movie. I went to the bathroom at the end. I waited until plenty of people were there. To say the bathroom was a little "rapey" is a understatement.
For almost a year we went to that theater every weekend. By 1999, it was torn down and changed into the mini shopping mall it is today.
Off topic for a minute. We lived in Washington Heights and would go to a movie theater right next to our apartment, sadly, this theater is now a dollar store. Very sad.
So, with all this said, I'll see you at the grindhouse!
So, as I get ready to order my tickets I thought about many of the grindhouse experiences I have had.
Growing up, my family always went to the drive-in. The drive-in is the grindhouse of the suburbs. One of the first movies I remember seeing at the drive-in was a double bill of "Blazing Saddles" and "Young Frankenstein". I can honestly say that this experience formed my sense of humor, and my worldview. My mom still can't believe that they let me see this movie at a young age. I always thank her.
My other experience is more generalized. People talk about the "Disney-fication" of Times Square. I can honestly say that in the past 10 years since I moved here, it's gotten worse. There were still a few sex theaters and run down movie houses when I got here.
I always romanticized NYC growing up. I knew I wanted to live here and watched Woody Allen movies, "All that Jazz", and any other movie showing what I thought was city life. Looking at Scorsese films let me see the gritty side. I knew from books and other things that I wanted to see movies in Times Square.
The best memory I have of seeing a movie in a crappy theater was my first few weeks here. My husband and I went to see "Summer of Sam" in Times Square. The theater we went to was paret of a complex of a few theaters and shady souvenir shop. This area is now a foot locker, Swatch Shop, and Toys R' Us.
At the theater we were in a full crowd. The floor was sticky, the seats were falling apart, and the crowd was rowdy. What a way to see the movie. I went to the bathroom at the end. I waited until plenty of people were there. To say the bathroom was a little "rapey" is a understatement.
For almost a year we went to that theater every weekend. By 1999, it was torn down and changed into the mini shopping mall it is today.
Off topic for a minute. We lived in Washington Heights and would go to a movie theater right next to our apartment, sadly, this theater is now a dollar store. Very sad.
So, with all this said, I'll see you at the grindhouse!
