I found myself this month trying to adjust to the disorienting new rhythm of film exhibiton in Baltimore. There is a much more frenzied aspect to it, with hair-pin turns and sudden stops and starts now the norm. There is also a new screening hierarchy emerging that must be noted.
Certainly I have seen this time of year look something like this before. Having been through more than one "film drought" between Oscar season and the Maryland Film Festival, I know the signs and portents. Strange things have been showing on local screens, films that at other times of the year would not have had a shot at playing Baltimore. It is also true that these days we are drawing more water from the well, and some of what we are drawing is getting pretty shallow.
Extended metaphors aside, there is a new counter-phenomenon hitting area screens: the film that will not die. I cite the case of Atonement, a film I rushed out to see before the end of 2007, assuming that the area run would be brief. Boy, was I wrong. Atonement, a flim that won no major Oscars (apologies to all you "original score" lovers), managed to play at every film house in the city between December and March, even playing past the "DVD barrier," or very close to it. I enjoyed the film, had read the book, but dearly wished for the film to make way for some fresh experience.
Of course, I speak of the "DVD barrier" as if it still exists. For a time, Baltimore movie houses (especially the Charles) seemed to follow this system, not showing a film if the release date for the theater fell past DVD. I cannot count the number of times I saw the clever trailer for Another Gay Movie, a film that did not play at the Charles, perhaps due to a rushed-forward DVD release date. The old "rules" seem to be eroding, however.
Upon contemplation, the situation is a bit paradoxical, with some films playing for what seems like six months (see No Country for Old Men), while others play for six days. Typically, a big film is out on DVD the week it closes locally. Others are already available to rent when they play. The old window has collapsed, and this adds a new complication to Friday night's film choice.
If one were to describe the new heirachy that is emerging, it might be this: Landmark does what it wants, the Senator does what it wants, and the Charles takes what it can get. If the Senator does not have the number one movie in the country and wants it, it just adds it. The Landmark looks at the entire broad world of film, and cherry picks the ones that fit the program. The Charles waits and gets a few scraps from the table. The Charles has recently exhibited films that are castoffs from the other two at a point when the revenue potential/ interest has decreased greatly. Still, from a filmgoer's perspective, this means that if one just waits, maybe it can be seen down the street. Patience is a virtue, right?
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