Conference 7.286::maynard

    I agree entirley. I have already posted my praise of the Fine Arts
    in the movies conference. It is even improving - on my last visit
    (to see Clockwise) when the lights went down it was actually dark.
    Every other cinema in the US that I have visiyed just bring the
    lights down to a vague gloom.
    
    Tim

    The Fine Arts also has some other things that the cinemalls lack
    besides REAL fresh-popped popcorn.  Parents who can't find, or don't
    wish to leave their infant with, a babysitter, will find a "crying
    room" upstairs in the larger of the two theaters.  This glassed-in 
    booth next to the projection room, has piped-in sound so that you
    can watch the movie in comfort while nursing or cuddling your baby.
    The other advantage is the membership card that entitles you to
    ten unrestricted admissions for thirty dollars.  That's $1.50 off
    the regular adult price.
    
    The owners, Terry and Julia Vaughan care about good movies, but
    if we don't come and see them, they can't afford to show them.        
    

    Absolutly. I saw Brighton Beach Memoirs there last night and found
    the theater to be a refreshing change from the usual canned
    expierience. They have murals painted on the walls, an actual curtain
    over the screen and the old time exit signs over the doors. The
    seats were comfortable and the snacks good. My only complaint was
    there was no butter available for the popcorn. Oh well, I'm probably
    better off without it anyway! The flick even started on time, can
    you stand it?!
    
    Dave.

    Oh, something else I forgot:  NO PREVIEWS (yay!).

    
    If only they would bring back the old tradition of showing "good"
    cartoons before the movie...
    
    re .4
    
    	I like previews!
    
    							Mark
    

    RE: .4  "no previews"
    
    The Maynard Fine Arts Theater DOES occasionaly show a trailer or
    preview of a movie they plan to show soon.  I don't object to this
    and, in fact, enjoy getting a look at something that may help me
    decide how much I want to see a particular film.  What I DO object
    to is the showing of commercials for the La Gondola Restaurant,
    etc., which is what has caused me to demand a refund from the Acton
    Twin-Twin twits on more than one occasion.  I refuse to shell out
    bucks to see a movie and then have the managements overhead subsidized
    by subjecting me to a lot of crap I wouldn't sit still for at home.
    

    Alarmed at the prospect of the Fine Arts going dark, a concerned
    patron has opened a discussion about what we can do to support this
    local resource.  If interested, please see Note 613 in UCOUNT::MOVIES.
    
    Press KP7 or SEL to add to your directory.
    

    I'm very sorry to have to inform you that the Fine Arts Theater
    in Maynard has been sold.  The new owners are the people who own
    the Acton Cinema and the Littleton Flick theater.  Terry will be
    staying on as manager for a transition period, probably until May.
    
    Possible changes that we may see include the installation of Dolby
    sound in theatre #1 and the subdivision of theater #2 into a pair
    of shoebox screening rooms similar to Acton/Littleton.  The programming
    will also most likely change to "Rambo meets Rocky on Elm Street"
    and the like.  Sophisticated viewers with a preference for foreign
    and art films will probably have to travel in to Cambridge/Somerville
    or curl up at home with their VCRs.  That's probably where they
    are already, which is why a great movie house has gone down the
    drain.

    What's up with the Fine Arts Theater - anybody know?  They've 
    stopped advertising and their phone's been disconnected.  
    Have they been sold again?  I miss them already...

    There's a sign which says "under new management".
    
    I guess we cross our fingers and hope for the best...
    
    -Steve

    Any word on the Movie House lately?

    Rumor has it that the Fine Arts is scheduled to open up its doors
    this week.  Driving by you can see activity in there.

    There's a sign on the door that says OPENING DEC 23.

    There's a poster that makes it look like the first
    movie will be  Salaam Bombay.

-Jeff

    They're back!  The people that own the building have decided to
    try and run the theater themselves.  They've opened with "Salaam
    Bombay" and "Crossing DeLancey".
    
    I hope they can bring it back and make a go of it.  It's pretty
    hard to see movies like this on a big screen without going in to
    Boston, or Harvard Square.
                         
    

Has anyone been here since they reopened?  We just haven't gotten 
there yet.  Anything different?

    RE: .15  "Anything different?"
    
    They've changed the main lobby around so that the concession is
    between the restrooms and the door to the big theater.  They tried
    ticket taking at the outside window next to the restuarant, but
    that seems impractical.
    
    They say they'll try the same type of art house programming that
    the Fine Arts has been noted for, and I would give them every
    encouragemnet in this, but they will probably find it better business
    to balance them off with some Hollywood hits.
    

    There haven't been any renovations -- the theatre on the right (as
    you face it) stills smells musty from the leaking ceiling.
    
    They seem to be showing newer, 'popular' movies, and they have 4:30
    matinees on week-ends, which makes for a nice break in my day. 
    The price is $5, which I believe it was before.  This week it's
    Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (which I saw Sat. and enjoyed) and Beaches,
    which I'll probably see this week-end.
    
    Karen
    

    
    The lobby renovation have not, in my opinion, shown any common sense.
    I guess that crowding the concession next to the main door was their
    method of attempting to get more of their expensive "goodies" to
    move, but it usually makes for a log-jam there.  
    
    Besides, who wants to wait out side in a line, practically down
    the street on a cold night.  
    
    -Mary B
    		
    

    Are they going to honor the old passes.  Believe it or not I still have
    one from a few years ago, when we bought several.
    

    RE: .19  "Passes?  We don' need no stinking passes."
    
    Let me know if they do honor them.  I really think it's worth their
    while to offer this option because they get money up front and don't
    have to pay the distributor for the head count until you show up
    and see a movie.
    
    

    For those who wanted to know if the theatre will still take passes, the
    answer is no.
    
    We went Saturday night and they were very nice about it but the manager
    said the previous owner had _chosen_ to honor them. 
    Evidently, I have had them a long time - since it was the Nickelodian
    and we are stuck. He didn't show any inclination to start selling them
    again either.
    
    Oh well, I'm just glad the theatre is still there.
    
    ML
    

    RE: .21  "No More Passes"
    
>    We went Saturday night and they were very nice about it but the manager
>    said the previous owner had _chosen_ to honor them. 

    If you wanted to make a legal case of it, I think they would have
    to accept them.  If they bought the rights to the name "Fine Arts
    Theater", I would expect they would have to accept all obligations
    of that corporation.  The passes are, in effect, an obligation.

    

    Does anybody know what's happening at the Fine Arts?  I see in the
    paper that they are only advertizing one film.  Should I deduce
    from this that the new owners are proceeding to carve up one of
    the two theaters into multiple screening rooms?
    
    What a sad waste if that happens to both theaters.  I hope that
    they will at least keep one of them full size.
    
    

They showed FOUR movies last Sunday: movies A and B for the 
afternoon matinees, movies C and D twice each in the evening.

I thought it was the same as usual, if I ignore the outside 
ticket sales window.  Now that I think about it, ticket sales 
seem to alternate, with emphasis on outside during inclement 
weather.  Oh well.

    I was also wondering what happened.  They are only showing one movie
    this weekend but I was pleased to see they still had the 4:45 showing
    on Saturday and Sunday.
    
    I wondered if they were just not drawing enough people to pay for
    renting two movies.  Boy, I sure hope they don't go out of business --
    even if I am stuck with 6 slots on my old movie pass.
    
    I think the time they showed the four was during school vacation
    (Easter).
    
    Mary Lou
    

    According to a manager I spoke with over the weekend, Theater
    #2 is in the process of being divided in two so that they can 
    "continue to show films that only attract a few people, like 
    'Salaam Bombay'".  He claims that there are no plans at this 
    time to split Theater #1, which will be used for more commericial
    draws.  

    	The Boston Chapter of Finlandia Foundation is going to present
    a single showing of the award winning, Finnish language color film
    "The Snow Queen" on Sunday, May 7th at 1:30 P. M. at the Fine Arts
    Theatre in Maynard.  The film is based on Hans Christian Andersen's
    famous fairy tale and has English subtitles.
    
    	Because it is our Spring Fund Raiser, tickets are $7.50 ($3.00
    for preteens) but they include a Finnish coffee table after the
    showing at the nearby Union Congregational Church.
    
    	We had intended to show the movie at our regular meeting hall
    in Arlington but then thought better of it when we found the friendly
    people at the Fine Arts. They are renting the theater to us for
    a very acceptable fee, including a professional projectionist. 
    We only had to agree to an early hour so as to be out of the theater
    by the time of their regular Sunday matinee.
    
    	"The Snow Queen" is a visually resplendent fantasy film combining
    a classic fairy tale with modern interpretation.  Its message is
    in universal praise of love, children's innocence and their power.
                                             

    I'm disappointed to see that they've chosen to screen "Nightmare
    on Elm Street V" when they could've picked up "Paperhouse" instead.
    
    If they want to go "mainstream" and compete with the cinemauls,
    good luck to them, but I'll plan on more trips to places like the
    Coolidge Corner, West Newton, Brattle, Cabot Cinema and Somerville
    Theater for those hard-to-find, but good films.
    

    Anybody know how come the Maynard Fine Arts is only advertising two
    movies these days?  Did they close one of the two shoebox theaters they
    carved out of the smaller theater?
    
    You'd think with the Acton quadruplex closed they would be picking up
    some business.
    

    I went to the theater last night.  They were showing three movies BUT
    is that theater going to the dogs!  It looks like who ever owns it is
    just milking it.  It is a dirty mess.
    
    I was in theater #3 for the 7 PM show.  I could smell dust.  There were
    only 14 people there.  They did run the other two shows but when we
    arrived at 6:45 there was no one in the other two theaters.
    
    The ladies room is filthy.  The locks on both the stalls are gone.
    
    I'd really think twice about going again.  Of course, I'm upset with
    the guy anyway.  He doesn't honor the pass that I had from the last owner
    and this is the first time we have been there since that little
    incident.
    
    Too bad.  It used to be such a nice place.
    
    Mary Lou

    Well, they seemed to be pretty busy Saturday night.  I guess they must
    be getting a lot of the Acton Twin Cinema business during the shutdown
    for renovations and new management transition.
    

    I noticed the paper says tonight [Tuesday] is bargain night - all seats
    $3.  I wonder if that's the only night.
    
    I don't know if they still have the baby room upstairs next to the
    projection booth, but my son started going to the movies from there
    when he was about three weeks old.
    

    RE: .32
    
    >I noticed the paper says tonight [Tuesday] is bargain night - all seats
    >$3.  I wonder if that's the only night.
    
    Not only was the $3 bargain night a temporary experinment that was
    dropped as soon as business picked up again after the Gulf War, but the
    regular adult admission has now been jacked up to $6.25.
    

    Anybody know what gives with the Fine Arts these days?  I've noticed in
    recent weeks they only seem to be advertising two movies, but today
    it's back to three.  Have they been closing one theater periodically
    due to lack of available product?
    
    I also noticed one day this week that they were advertising a movie and
    buffet supper combination.  Did his latest restuarant tenant move out
    or what?