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Bee Movie and Martinis - Now, THAT'S BeeMore

The COMING SOON signs are being taken down in Harbor East today. Landmark Theatres' newest project opens tomorrow. 7 screens, leather stadium seating, gourmet concessions, and - YES - a premium bar. What's not to love? Oh, I almost forgot to mention digital sound and digital projection.

Could anyone think of a better theatre company to open in Baltimore's hottest new area? I can't.

Landmark has only been around since 1974 and started out with just one screen: the historic  Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles. Landmark is still extremely small by exhibitor standards: 59 theatres in 23 markets.

However, whatever Landmark does it does exceedingly well. They not only open state-of-the-art movie venues, they also restore historic theatres across the country and fill them with the finest technology available. I've seen their work at the wonderful Inwood Theatre in Dallas, the Embarcadero in San Francisco and the Sunshine in New York City.

I'm guessing - just guessing, mind you - that one of the reasons all of their projects come together so perfectly, and so technologically aggressive, is due to one of Landmark's owners: Mark Cuban. If you don't know about him you really should check out the bio of a 49 year-old guy that began working in Dallas as a bartender and is now a Multi-Billionaire. (Yep... that's Billion with a B.)

 

Cuban (above) also owns the Dallas Mavericks. I'm betting that he would have some sage advice for our Orioles management. Let's hope someone asks him.

And, no I'm not comparing apples and oranges. I'm comparing bad management with good.

Free Movie Tonight - Charles Plaza

Living in Downtown Baltimore is a wonderful thing. Last Friday we were invited to a dinner party and we walked to it. Just four blocks. And after our fair share of great company and conversation, awesome food, and several exceptional wines we walked home. The air was cool and had that clean and earthy smell that reminded us that the true Baltimore autumn is just around the corner.

Today an email arrived from the Downtown Partnership. There's a free movie, Night at the Museum, tonight at Charles Center Plaza.

It's family fare, fun and fanciful. The cast includes Ben Stiller, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Robin Williams, Paul Rudd, and Anne Meara. Oh yes, and Brad Garrett as the voice of the Easter Island head. What's not to like?

Bring a chair or blanket, grab some food at EATS - our local food court - and enjoy what looks to be a balmy and beautiful autumn evening.

It all begins a 8PM.

Rolling Roadshow: A John Waters Marathon

Tomorrow evening the Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow arrives in Baltimore with three feature films: the original Hairspray at 8:30 followed by Polyester and Desperate Living. Oh, what a night! (Rolling Roadshow brings movies to locations where the films take place: Escape from Alcatraz on Alcatraz Island, A Christmas Story in Columbus, Ohio, they had a floating screening of JAWS... yup, and they hosted Poseidon Adventure on the Queen Mary.)

Metromix notes that Polyester and Desperate Living are Water's most "filhy films". And that's OK because the good folks with the Rolling Roadshow will be giving away free John Waters Barf Bags.

But wait, there's more... early arrivers will receive Limited Edition Odorama Cards for the Polyester screening. Just like the old days, yes?

So you can bring a little something to the fun, I'm posting the lyrics to Good Morning Baltimore. Practice, practice, practice... and sing along.

Sexy Aliens, Kids and a Jet-powered Turtle

Normally when I think of going to a city library to watch a movie it conjures up memories of seeing a bad print of an obscure art film in a stuffy room on a screen to small to see the subtitles.

Well, in Baltimore things are changing on that front. And, nowhere more profoundly that at the Enoch Pratt Free Library - 400 N Cathedral Street. Here's an early Head's Up. Mark the date: Saturday, February 24th. 1:30 PM. It's a double feature day in EPFL's Wheeler Auditorium!

How's this match-up for taking the chill out of a cold February afternoon: Attack of the Monsters (Japan, 1969) paired with Evil Brain from Outer Space (Japan, 1958)?

Here's how EPFL describes their feature attraction:

Attack of the Monsters (1969, 82 min.) Sexy female aliens kidnap two boys and are about to eat their brains when Gamera - the jet-propelled, fire-breathing prehistoric flying turtle who is "the friend of all children" - comes to their rescue. Gamera defeats Guiron, a monster with a Ginsu knife nose, while doing gymastics on a parallel bar and returns the kids to Earth, where they pray for "a world without wars or traffic accidents."

I'll meet you at the main entrance. I'll have the popcorn.