|
William
wrote:
> You are not likely to see any > "art films" for the same reason that they have not been shown across > the street at Cinemagic 3 -- nobody comes. That's an important fact for all neighborhood boosters to remember. Cinemagic 3 is owned by a small operator who has always had the flexibility to engage small releases, and he would have been happy to show them at any time if they made money for him. Private enterprises cannot be forced to provide us with convenient Culture at our behest when we do not pay the culture heroes. If neighborhood filmgoers couldn't support art films in an affordable cinema in 1997, they're unlikely to defray the costs of a lavish movie palace in 2002. Art films seem to require a regional market. And a regional art market seems to want a chi-chi entertainment district to see films in, so that they can dine and club and windowshop while they're out. Is the rest of 40th Street ready to hold up its end of the log? Take a look at it and judge for yourself. The alternative, for a would-be hip neighborhood that hasn't reached critical mass, is subsidized art films. Aka "International House." -- Tony West |
