Reviewing the seats, sounds and screens of local cinemas
Okay all you hot
shot editors out there:
How come no one
gives readers a prac
tical, useful and sen
sible guide to the
movie theaters in
town?
Oh sure, several publications fall all
over themselves to keep us up-to-date
with “thoughtful, insightful and in
telligent” movie reviews, but no one ac
tually critiques the houses themselves,
the places where the action is.
The Luxury Theater chain runs the
majority of film houses in Eugene, 11 in
all. Regular admission to Luxury
theaters is $4, but they also offer reduced
admissions ($2) on the first showings
everyday and on all showings Monday
nights. The Mayflower, just off campus,
has a further discount, a student night
Tuesday, with $2 admission for Univer
sity students on all showings that night.
The Luxury Theater’s two quads —
Cinema World at Valley River Center
and Springfield Cinemas in the Spr
ingfield Mall — are virtually identical.
Cinema World is located in a prime area
and is often given the better, bigger
budget films before the Springfield
theater, which is often relegated to
featuring the same films on a second run.
Springfield does, however, get a few
curious films from time to time, and
often plays double features, which
Cinema World rarely does. Both are com
posed of two large theaters and two
smaller theaters. Both have good sound
systems, and, unfortunately, undersized
screens.
The McDonald and The National
theaters are within easy walking
distance of campus, and usually feature
the box office giants.
The McDonald, a small scale version
of the 1940s film palaces, is one of the
older and classier theaters in Eugene.
The National looks like a cut-rate version
of the McDonald but, like the McDonald,
has a balcony which is opened for sellout
shows. The screens are sizeable but by
no means huge.
Unfortunately, both theaters suffer
from echoing sound systems when they
aren’t filled to capacity.
The Mayflower is the most interesting
and most unkempt of the Luxury chain.
Although usually used as a dumping
Illustration by Shawn Bird
ground for homeless films, Luxury
makes perodic attempts to attract the
nearby college audience with showings
of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,”
and an annual six week program of
Hollywood “Golden Oldies,” and with
its Tuesday students nights.
The major drawback to the theater is
the poor condition of the auditorium.
The walls are ugly, the seats need repair,
and the floor cries out for a major
scrubbing.
The Moyer chain is Luxury’s only real
competitor in Oregon. In Eugene the
chain owns five theaters and a tri-screen
drive-in. Regular prices are $4.50, with a
$3 bargain price on for Saturday and
Sunday matinees before 5 p.m. and all
showings Tuesday nights. Wednesday
showings are $2 with a Fred Meyer
receipt.
The West 11th Tri-Cinema is bigger
than either of Luxury’s quads. The
smallest of the West 11th theaters is
twice the size of Cinema World’s
smallest, while the largest seats more
than almost any other theater in Eugene,
barring the Oakway Cinema.
The major problem here is screen size.
The two smaller theaters have good
sized screens, but the larger theater has a
screen smaller than its Cinema World
counterparts. Sound, however, is tops
and the seats are wonderful. The biggest
problem for the average University stu
dent is. again, transportation.
The Valley River Twin is practically
next door to Cinema World, which can
only bode ill for Moyer. Price-wise and
selection-wise Luxury has it beat. The
twin has smaller screens and poorer
seating than Cinema World and sound
that is no different. With the higher
prices and all, it takes a film I’m really
dying to see to drag me over.
The Oakway Cinema and Fine Arte
Theater show second-run films in
cooperation with each other. The
Oakway, I’m convinced, is the finest
film facility in Eugene. It usually books a
double feature for a couple of weeks and
then sends it to Springfield’s Fine Arts
— a theater that is similar to the
Mayflower in decor but much cheaper —
$1.49. The Oakway’s regular price is
$2.50, with $1 matinees on Saturday and
Sunday.
Their selections are conventional for
the most part, but the prices can’t be
beat, especially for double features. On
top of that, the.Oakway has the single
largest screen in Eugene, coupled with a
superior sound system and great seating.
For a feature missed the first time
around, the Oakway is the ideal place to
catch it.
Cinema 7 is one of Eugene’s two art
houses. Located in the Atrium Building
on the downtown mall. Cinema 7 is a
small theater that features both older
classics and out-of-the-ordinary foreign
films, often on eclectic double bills.
The bills change weekly and are listed
ahead of time on nine-week calendars
available at the theater. The selections
are usually very good and often ex
cellent, providing a true alternative for
Eugene filmgoers who have had enough
of the box-office biggies.
Cinema 7’s major drawbacks are the
tiny auditorium and the toocozy
seating. Because of the auditorium size,
a small screen is a necessity, and seating
is close. Prices are regularly $3.50; $2.50
on Sunday, with further discounts to
film society members.
The Bijou closer to campus on 13th
Avenue and is, in many ways, a safer art
house. Playing already-proven foreign
and small-distribution films almost ex
clusively, the Bijou rarely takes chances
on eclectic works as Cinema 7 does.
However, runs are almost always two
weeks or more and the selections are a
cut above the usual Hollywood fare. The
seating is good and the screen is fairly
large. As an added bonus the Bijou runs
late-night features every Thursday
through Saturday nights, bringing in
cult classics, science fiction favorites
and sometimes a surprise or two.
Seats are $4 with reduced admissions
for Saturday and Sunday matinees.
Beginning this fall, the Bijou will sell
books of tickets at discount prices: 5
tickets for $15 and 10 for $25, thus enabl
ing regular filmgoers to receive dis
counts for all showings. Late-night
features are $2-$3, depending on which
night you attend.
Sean Axmaker
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