Reel Corner - January 2016

by Donne Paine

With the current state of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu Plus, the convenience factor in watching films has been a real challenge to theaters.

The current trend for theaters is to add to the experience of film viewing  in order to bring people out and away from their devices. Some theaters now offer comfy chairs, more menu items and even service to your seat—if your comfy lounge chair has a swivel arm table. There are even theaters offering 4DX experience which tilts your chair or vibrates it during a car chase, blows mist and wind if it’s in the film and even offer different odors if the film is involved with cooking. (Similar to Disney World theaters.)

Theaters are offering premium ticket packages and visual devises that even augment reality.

But what about film folks who are interested in having an opportunity to view good films more than anything else. There was a time when you had to travel to film festivals or pop into an arts cinema on a university campus to see foreign films or independent films. Not anymore. Two of our local theaters are moving forward with innovative ideas for film lovers.

Park Plaza Theater
Lucy and Larry Mann of Park Plaza Theater have joined forces with the Beaufort Film Festival.
It’s a real treat to have the winners of the Beaufort Film Festival shown here in Hilton Head.
New first-time-shown shorts and full length films will be shown the weekend of February 14th .

Coligny Theater
The Community Arts at Coligny committee, co-chaired by Marion Conlin and Blaine Lotz, is bringing back the Second Sunday Film Series this month. Once a Sunday afternoon must, the series will be launched with two award winning Merchant and Ivory  classics:  Surviving Picasso and Remains of the Day. With showings at 2:00 pm and 4:30 pm on January 10th theater goers may enjoy both films for $25 or one for $15. Proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity’s The Glen Project; Habitat’s first neighborhood for low income families on Hilton Head Island and a major milestone for the community at large.

OSCAR BUZZ
If you haven’t already caught the following performances, run out before the Oscar nominations and see if the following predictions hold true.
• Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
• Leonardo DeCaprio in The Revenant
• Matt Damon in The Martian
• Brie Larson in Room
• Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2016!

Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Wells Theater in Cambridge, Mass., where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. She was a 12-year member of the Hilton Head Second Sunday Film Society, and frequent visitor to the Sundance Film Festival. To support her habit of frequent movie going, Donne is an executive recruiter and staff development consultant. Are you interested in joining a film club? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..