Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FILM REVIVAL HOUSES
If you're a film buff, San Francisco is one of the best places in the country to hook
up with rare and generally unseen titles. Catching a classic movie in a real big-
screen revival house is part of the culture here—remember that scene in
Foul Play
when Goldie Hawn's date dies at one?
A classic single-screen cinema from the grand old days of the movies, the
1,400-seat
Castro Theatre
(429 Castro St., at Market;
%
415/621-6120; www.
castrotheatre.com)
is the revival house that every city used to cherish before TVs
took over. Every night, there's at least one classic film being shown, usually in
double-feature dollops, and many of them aren't available on DVD. A live organ-
ist is also on hand—well, he levitates out of the stage floor, really—to stitch the
evening together on a gorgeous Wurlitzer instrument. Programming is often sup-
plemented by mini-festivals, such as one celebrating a single Hollywood studio's
oeuvre or another dedicated to film noir. You might also find some excellent
Q&A's with world-renowned film-industry names. In early 2008, the theatre's
facade and long-broken neon sign received a restoration by the makers of the
movie
Milk,
which filmed in front of it, bringing the building back into vitality.
With it, a onetime neighborhood theater was transformed into a bona fide city
landmark. Entry is $9, even for double features, but there are frequent bargain
matinees for $7.
While the Castro fulfills the tarnished-Hollywood programming role that
TV's
Late Movie
used to fill,
The Roxie New College Film Center
(3117 16th St.,
at Valencia;
%
415/863-1087; www.roxie.com; $9)
is more about unusual docu-
mentaries and small films that might otherwise never have an audience or surface
on PBS in two years' time. The theater opened in 1909 and served time as a porno
house before finally being acquired by a local college (hence, the odd compound
name) and today, it prides itself on showing nonfiction film. The roster is usually
supplemented by a title that's currently popular, so don't expect to just show up
and see something rare—check the schedule.
For a less dramatic but more eccentric environment,
Red Vic Movie House
(1727 Haight St., at Cole;
%
415/668-3994; www.redvicmoviehouse.com)
is
another neighborhood institution that, like the Roxie, arranges screenings of popu-
lar films and worthy unknown titles alike. Probably because it's a co-op, and
partly to be defiantly anti-corporate, there's something of a thrown-together,
neighborly thing going on here—coffee arrives served in ceramic mugs, popcorn
in wooden bowls. Arrive as doors open if you want to stand a chance of snagging
one of the big comfortable couches (tickets for shows go on sale 20 min. before-
hand), otherwise, you may land on a lumpy seat or, worse, a pew. Seats are $8.50
(7:15pm and 9:15pm shows, usually) except for 2pm shows, when they're $6.50.
No doubt about it: This place has character. But the other revival houses are eas-
ier on the hindquarters.
LIVE MUSIC
San Francisco loves its music, and audiences here are passionate and daring, sup-
porting one of the widest palettes of options in the country. When it comes to
rock and more adventurous styles, a portion of the action happens at smaller clubs
and spaces in pop-up performances. See “A Clubbing Crib Sheet” (p. 202) for
websites you can use to learn lineups from home.
