The fall of the house(s) of art (the Wal-Marting of cinemas)

[IndianaGreen]

I went to AMC Castleton Arts a couple of weeks ago to see George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck. The Key Cinema in Beech Grove just held the LGBT Film Festival.

Art cinemas are being Wal-Marted, as Ron Keedy said poignantly in the story below. The ultimate loser is the American people as more choices are taken away from our plate, and we are forced-fed the pasteurized and homogenized entertainment that corporate America wants us to feed us 24/7.

I hate what this country is becoming!

A socialist government will pay much attention to the arts and to artists, and will bring arts and theater to the masses.

December 1, 2005
The fall of the house(s) of art
As two art cinemas turn down the lights, a Fashion Mall multiplex comes to life.
By Joe Shearer
INtake correspondent

The closing credits are rolling for two Indianapolis art cinema mainstays.

AMC Castleton Arts is now defunct, and Key Cinemas will undergo a name and format change Dec. 2. In their wake, Landmark Theatres' new seven-screen location at the Fashion Mall (opening Dec. 9) promises to bring multiplex gloss to a traditionally minimalist independent film theater style.

<snip>

Owner Ron Keedy said the changeover was not by choice.

"I started filling out my calendar, and every time I called, the film company said, 'No, we're giving that to Landmark,'" he said.

The theater owner felt the forced change was akin to the nationwide trend of mom-and-pop shops being driven out by big-business chains.

"We were Wal-Marted," he said.

http://www.intakeweekly.com/articles/2/023669-7182-161.html

[democraticinsurgent]

1. Key Cinemas was a local treasure

I feel so badly for Ron Keedy and his company. They fought the good fight, for many years. Their location wasn't the best, and the theatre wasn't either.

But they worked hard for their vision and proved there was a market for independent cinema in Indianapolis. For their trouble, now they get to show second run Tom Cruise movies.

RIP Key Cinemas. ;-(

[izzybeans]

2. You have something their about the respect for art

My graduate school roommate grew up in a Soviet bloc country and his knowledge of literature, philosophy, and music was far greater than many of our professors. He is still the most resourceful person I've ever met.

[IndianaGreen]

3. Chavez is bringing art to the Venezuelan masses

in many cases, this art is expressed as revolutionary graffiti which is quite common in Caracas.

[izzybeans]

4. Are you familiar with Mexican Muralism

http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/jcummings/jcdiegofrida.html

[IndianaGreen]

5. Only a bit about Diego Rivera

and that is because he was so revered in Latin America.

[torporindy]

6. key cinemas

The good news is that Key Cinema is open again and showing art movies instead of second run ones.

[newyawker99]

8. Hi torporindy!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[torporindy]

9. hi

Thanks, New Yawker.

Yeah, I went to see Capote at the fashion mall cinema last Friday. Good movie, but the cinema rubbed me the wrong way as well. I'll stick to the southsdie. I saw Lous Malle's classic Elevator to the Gallows there last night. What a great film and I didn't hate myself afterward :)

[IronLionZion]

7. You actually have indie films in Indy?

OMG!

I definitely need to get out more. On a related note, I checked out the Keystone Art cinema on Saturday and it blows. Definitely walmarted big time. I saw Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World. The movie was nice, but I hate the fashion mall.