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Commentary
St. Cloud needs cinema expansion
By John Behling
Published:
Monday, April 7, 2003
John Behling -- Staff Essay
This week and next in Minneapolis and St. Paul, the annual international film festival will be held, showcasing hundreds of films from all over the world; including works from Iran, Argentina, Israel and India. This week in St. Cloud, 20 films will be screening up to four times a day, most of which are "blockbuster" hopefuls designed and directed with dollar signs in mind.
Of course this isn't true for all Hollywood, big studio movies. There are always exceptions, yet the overwhelming tendency of mainstream films to be considered in terms of investment potential should worry those of us who want something more than cheap thrills for our $7.00.
There are films being made on lower budgets, in other countries and with thematic variety that could potentially broaden the horizons of the typical St. Cloud movie goer. But the question is: where will these films be shown? Apparently not at the Parkwood Cinema where every week the next would-be blockbuster opens to long lines, crowded theatres and concessions consumption. These chain theatres operate on the same principles that the studios do, filling their screens with the films most likely to draw in a profit and keeping the biggest money makers for months at a time.
But consider for a moment the consequences of this system. For starters, variety in themes goes right out the window. Studios competing for the same market tend to release similar films against each other. This is why racial mismatch comedies such as "Bringing down the House," and "Head of State," are released near each other. Another great comparison can be drawn between the meteor disaster dramas of 1998, Buena Vista Entertainment's "Armageddon," and Paramount's "Deep Impact." This summer, however the most blatant example of studio competition will be the dueling Alexander the Great films, Universal's "Alexander the Great," and Warner Brothers' "Alexander," both being shot this summer. Sadly, both of these films will take up a massive share of screen time in local theatres, raising the question "Do we really need two Alexander the Great movies?" I don't think so.
Now, if theatres' owners were in the position to say "No, we're only buying one extravagant adventure period piece this summer," the variety of films would increase enormously.
This variety would also be welcome in other areas of our media consumption. Rather than seeing the same trailers over and over, we might see an assortment of films being advertised before the feature. Magazine ads, tv spots and billboards would accommodate films made abroad, and films made by independent distributors.
But this, of course, will not happen. Advertising is the third party in the capitalistic trifecta that funnels our Friday options down to one or two carefully marketed choices.
So if variety in filmmaking is simply not ready for the mainstream, where exactly will lesser known films be distributed. St. Cloud could take a hint from Minneapolis with its Landmark chain of theatres providing alternative options for film goers in the metropolitan area.
The Landmark Uptown Theater, Lagoon Cinema and Edina 4 Theater provide a broad selection of films from the often ignored and under marketed category. Here you seldom see the same film twice, and the availability of international cinema becomes an important method for expanding cultural and cinema literacy.
SCSU, with its burgeoning ethnic diversity and excellent film studies program deserves a theater that will bring in films of substance and variety. While the Parkwood 18 may be happy with its current clientele and compliance with Hollywood's bland tradition of safe cinema for hire, there is certainly an audience waiting for a third party with considerable ambition and perhaps a common desire for variety on a Friday night.
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