Now, anyone who knows me is aware that I’m a pretty big movie fan. I’m into just about all things cinema, from blockbusters to obscure Criterion Collection stuff to schlocky 80s action and slasher films and abysmal junk starring skulleted athletes. (See previous marathons featuring the oeuvres of Jean-Claude Van Damme and Hulk Hogan).
As for Fox? She’s not much of a movie person — even though she consistently manages to beat me when we bet on the Oscars. So imagine my excitement when she asked me if I wanted to check out the recently opened Row House Cinema, over in Lawrenceville.
Row House is a cool little one-screen theater that has all sorts of themed movie weeks, and I’d been itching to check it out for quite some time. Earlier this month, Row House had a themed week that even Fox couldn’t resist…Tight Pants Week, featuring the filmic works of Patrick Swayze, Prince, and David Freaking Bowie.
We were both pretty pumped to see three movies that we loved, but had somehow never watched on the big screen, so we set aside a day and got tickets for afternoon showings of Road House and Purple Rain, and then the midnight showing of Labyrinth.
Now, when I spot Road House on cable — even basic cable — without fail I drop everything, up to and including any baby that I might be holding. All things considered, I think I did a pretty good job of containing my excitement.
The screening itself was excellent — the sound and picture quality were great, and the crowd was just right: responsive, joyful, and maybe a little toasted from the beers being served by the adjoining bottle shop.
As the Purple Rain screening drew near, it was Fox’s turn to totally lose her cool. This movie also really benefits from a theater viewing — those musical performances just jump off the screen!
We took a break for dinner, and then returned for the crown jewel of the day — a midnight showing of David Bowie’s junk Labyrinth! This was a film I taped off HBO when I was a kid (alongside The Dark Crystal, natch), and then straight-up wore out the VHS tape. Still, there was a lot about Labyrinth that I either forgot or didn’t realize — like the fact that it was written by Monty Python alum Terry Jones, and that the Bog of Eternal Stench was basically an extended fart joke.
All told, it was a terrific day of high-quality cult classic viewing. Fox and I highly recommend checking out Row House Cinema — perhaps, for example, you could stop by for the amazing-looking early March series, “The Cult of John Carpenter.” We’ll be there, for sure!
Looks great! It (mostly off topic) gets me to pondering something that Fox’s mom mentioned to me the other night. She says that we first saw Pirates of the Caribbean at the tiny little Ambridge theater. I have no engrams for that memory and would swear we saw it on the big screen at Showcase. It is no fun having swiss cheese for brains…..
I had no idea there WAS a theater in Ambridge!