Iconic Cinema
Jul. 15th, 2012 04:06 pmThere was a time in movie history when an extreme shift occurred, thanks namely to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. In 1977 Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind were released. This, combined with Star Trek playing in syndication at the same time, triggered the coming of age of Geekdom. A lot of now-middle-aged individuals found a kind of new religion because of these movies, each of them deeply spiritual in their own right. Sadly, many of us did not get to see these movies in the theater for a variety of reasons; theaters were still sparse in many areas, we were too young to be allowed to go see them, or we learned about the movies too late to see them at the theater. The advent of the VHS allowed us to finally see the films years later, after we had long-since been immersed in their canons. I was lucky enough to see Star Wars in 1978, when it returned to the cinema that Summer. It was my first PG movie. It wasn't until 1983, when I spent part of my Summer with the Father Unit and Mary, that I got to see Close Encounters. They had a friend who owned a Betamax, and he screened that movie and Cat Ballou for us one evening.
I've noticed with increasing interest how movies that were released years ago, are being re-released in theaters, mainly because of the 3-D option. This made me think about how some of the classic films, from the 30s and 40s, enjoy homes in art house cinemas dedicated to Hollywood's golden age. And let's not forget the sacred nights of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, now a tried and true tradition that spread out from New York City until it touched lives world wide.
All of it has gotten me to thinking: my generation deserves...no, it fairly demands a platform to celebrate out Geek origins. It would please me no more than to open a cinema house, called Iconic Cinema, that caters to Generation X. For too long, we have been equated with cynicism and apathy; but we are the generation that gave rise to almost every great fan convention in modern times. It wasn't the first generation of Star Trek viewers who gave the Trek world life; it was their children (US) who began clamouring for more after seeing the shows in syndication. It was we who lamented for a proper Lord of the Rings movie, after many of us cut our reading teeth on the tales of Bilbo and, later, Frodo. It was we who grew up dreaming of virtual realities, thanks to the wholly alien inner world of Tron. And I could go on and on. Suffice to say, Simon Pegg's movie Paul would never have been made, had it not been for GenX and the movies that moved us so long ago.
If I had the money to invest, it would most assuredly be to create a meeting place for all these wondrous movies, and even TV shows. Not only would it allow those of us who never got to see the Big Two in the theaters, to finally realise that dream, it would also afford our children and grandchildren the opportunity to see these and many other movies in a format worthy of their greatness.
Maybe someday I'll get to do this.
I've noticed with increasing interest how movies that were released years ago, are being re-released in theaters, mainly because of the 3-D option. This made me think about how some of the classic films, from the 30s and 40s, enjoy homes in art house cinemas dedicated to Hollywood's golden age. And let's not forget the sacred nights of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, now a tried and true tradition that spread out from New York City until it touched lives world wide.
All of it has gotten me to thinking: my generation deserves...no, it fairly demands a platform to celebrate out Geek origins. It would please me no more than to open a cinema house, called Iconic Cinema, that caters to Generation X. For too long, we have been equated with cynicism and apathy; but we are the generation that gave rise to almost every great fan convention in modern times. It wasn't the first generation of Star Trek viewers who gave the Trek world life; it was their children (US) who began clamouring for more after seeing the shows in syndication. It was we who lamented for a proper Lord of the Rings movie, after many of us cut our reading teeth on the tales of Bilbo and, later, Frodo. It was we who grew up dreaming of virtual realities, thanks to the wholly alien inner world of Tron. And I could go on and on. Suffice to say, Simon Pegg's movie Paul would never have been made, had it not been for GenX and the movies that moved us so long ago.
If I had the money to invest, it would most assuredly be to create a meeting place for all these wondrous movies, and even TV shows. Not only would it allow those of us who never got to see the Big Two in the theaters, to finally realise that dream, it would also afford our children and grandchildren the opportunity to see these and many other movies in a format worthy of their greatness.
Maybe someday I'll get to do this.
