Getting back to the roots of mergemovies!

Today is the beginning of a five-part series (more in this series will be spaced throughout the summer) exploring movie theaters (active and not) in and around Cincinnati, Ohio.  As the adage goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  So, instead of writing a ridiculous amount like I did for my recent Avatar post, this time I will let the pictures do the talking.

We begin with the 20th Century Theatre located on Madison Road just outside of downtown Cincinnati.  It opened in 1941 with the film Blood and Sand and closed its doors to cinema in 1983.  The first few times I visited Cincinnati, I was only to get a quick drive-by glance.  It wasn’t until this past January when I actually took the time to examine the  theater up close that I found it now regularly hosts concerts and special events.  Even through it no longer holds movie screenings, it great to see that it is still being used for entertainment purposes.  The theater was almost lost to demolition in the late 80s/early 90s and was saved thanks to a string of businesses and organizations that used the theater for a variety of reasons.

During the day, the marquee looks a bit worn, but in a good way.  It is a reminder that this theater, like many in the Midwest, has seen generations come and go, but still remains an important fixture in the community.  Birds perch on the “20th” lettering and fly in and out of the vertical “Century.”  At night the marquee partially lights up, illuminating the surrounding streets in an orange glow.  It gives the area an aura of electricity and excitement–even on a cold January night.

Check out the official website of the theater here: the20thcenturytheatre.com

Didn’t get nearly as much writing done as I should have over the long weekend, so I leave you with this list of films both current and upcoming (for the Midwest anyway) that you should check out if you get a chance.  Working hard on a short recap of the Ferndale Film Festival and the long overdue Redford Theatre review.  The picture above is from the Hi-Road Drive In in Kenton, Ohio that I stumbled across taking back roads from Cincinnati to Detroit.

Ocean of Pearls – now playing @ Maple Art (Bloomfield Hills, MI)

Inglourious Basterds and District 9 Double Feature – now playing @ Ford-Wyoming Drive In (Dearborn, MI)

Dial M for Murder (in 3D!) – September 11-12 @ Redford Theatre (Redford, MI)

Nosferatu (with the Alloy Orchestra) – September 12 @ Detroit Film Theatre (Detroit, MI)

500 Days of Summer – now playing @ Esquire Theatre (Cincinnati, OH)

New York, I Love You – starting October 30th @ Maple Art (Bloomfield Hills, MI)

Psycho (1960) and Psycho (1998) – September 8 and September 12 @ Gene Siskel Film Center (Chicago, IL)

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 – September 17-20 @ Wells Hall (East Lansing Film Society Screening) (East Lansing, MI)