Friday, August 28, 1998
The University Daily Kansan
Section A·Page 7
Students pay big bucks at big screen
Patrons to miss seeing movies at cheap prices
By Chris Fickett
Kanson staff writer
Students are up in arms about the upcoming closing of the Hillcrest 5 Theaters.
Hillcrest, which has been operating as a $1 admission movie theater under Hollywood Theaters' management for the past year, will close Sept. 27.
When Jon Ratzlaff, Hillcrest manager, found out in late July that Hollywood would not be renewing its lease at Hillcrest, he said he and his employees were offered positions at Hollywood's Southwind 12 Theaters.
But while Hillcrest employees can continue work at another theater, KU students will not have the luxury of seeing a movie anywhere else in Lawrence for the same price.
"For crying out loud," said Dan Adams, Newton junior, when he learned that Hillcrest would be closing.
Adams also said that theater companies should be more understanding to students' budgets.
"I just paid $40 for a book. So, if I can pay $1 for a movie, that helps offset the costs," he said.
Andrew Morgan, Leawood sophomore, said he liked Hillcrest because if he missed a film at one of the larger theaters in town, he could still see it for a cheaper price at Hillcrest.
Morgan said that since Hollywood was operating in a college town such as Lawrence, they should offer a budget theater.
"They're a pretty faceless company," he said. "They're not about giving a good price to the students."
Jessa Halm, Alpine, Utah, junior, said that Hillcrest's closing would leave her with no options for viewing films in Lawrence.
“it's kind of setting a trend here,” she said. “First, with the Varsity closing, and now Hillcrest; there aren't any places to see a cheap movie.”
Ratzlaff had worked for the Varsity Theater when it operated as a bargain theater under Crown cinemas. When Hollywood bought out Crown, he was moved to Hillcrest, he said.
Ratzlaff said he did not know about the future of the Hillcrest building.
But, Adams said he was hopeful that another cinema corporation would occupy the Hillcrest building.
"Iam issuing a call to any movie people out there because we need cheap movies in this town," he said.
Corey Peck, Olathe sophomore, scoops popcorn for customers at Hillcrest Theater, 925 Iowa St. The movie house switched to a dollar theater in October 1997 and will close Sept. 27. Half of the employees are planning to relocate to Southwind 12 Theater, 3433 Iowa St., after the movie theater closes. Photo by Jay Sheperd/KANSAN
SUA hopes to fill entertainment void
Films on campus are student bargain
By Angola Johnson
Kansan staff writer
Students have expressed concerns that Lawrence's only cheap theater, Hillcrest, is closing next month.
Not quite true, said Jerry O'Leary, Spectrum films coordinator for Student Union Activities. KU students and the Lawrence community have another cheap alternative.
SUA shows popular and independent films five days a week in the Kansas Union, O'Leary said.
"Not enough people realize there's a movie theater on campus," O'Leary said. "We don't
have as much exposure as the other movie theaters. We want students to be aware."
One reason why students may be uninformed is that the theater has moved from Woodruff Auditorium to Alderson Auditorium. Woodruff is having its seats, ceiling and tapestries renovated and is scheduled to be completed by this spring.
"No one knows we've moved," O'Leary said. "We had a line of people waiting for the movie by Woodruff the other night for 30 minutes before we informed them where we were."
Julie Rock, Shawne freshman, said SUA needed to advertise in the organized living areas on campus.
"They might get more of a response if they put fliers in the dorms or the sororities and fraternities," Rock said. "Students are always looking for something to do that doesn't cost a lot of money."
Jim Kelly, Olathe junior, compared SUA films to films shown at Liberty Hall downtown.
"It's too bad that Hillcrest is closing, but SUA is a lot like Liberty Hall," Kelly said. "It's a good variety of films; that's why it's so neat."
Rock said she purchased the SUA movie card, which allows her into SUA films for the entire school year. For $35, a student can see about 40 movies.
SUA shows movies at 7 p.m.
and 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through
Saturday. Midnight shows run
Fridays and Saturdays. The
evening shows cost $2, and the
midnight shows cost $3.
"We're a lot like a dollar the
ater." O'Leary said. "You can see last spring's films or re-release a film to still bring in some revenue. SUA's in the same boat."
O'Leary said SUA chose films based on what was popular with students, what was recent and what appealed to the campus audience.
SUA also offers a variety of independent and foreign films. O'Leary said films from Italy, Asia and Russia were lined up for this school year.
"We don't only want minority students coming to the foreign films, but also American college kids," O'Leary said. "We have some really good films that students don't have access to. We wanted to get stuff that was appealing but hard to find. Liberty Hall doesn't have some of these films."
Review
54 loses chance to add up to better movie
By Jeremy M. Doherty Kansan movie critic
Nostalgia for the 1970s is at a peak in Hollywood. With the slew of recent films like Booie Nights and The Ice Storm focusing heavily on the decade's drug- and sex-fueled excesses, a movie about the Manhattan nightspot Studio 54 would seem more than likely.
Studio 54 began serving as the crossroads for hipsters, pop singers and movie stars in 1977. Cocaine dripped from every nose, and sex in the club's balcony was a nightly phenomenon. It all came crashing down when its owners, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, were nailed by the government for tax
evasion.
One would expect writer/director Mark Christopher's 54 to delve into this wild tale. Instead, he settles for fictional characters and some weak moralizing about the hubris of celebrity. In other words, this movie's a few boogies short of a Booie Nights.
Ryan Phillippe plays Shane, a poor Jersey kid in a Brady Bunch haircut who gets a job as a busboy at the club. His dreamboat looks get him the attention of Rubell (Mike Myers), the club's high-living and style-obsessed owner, who introduces Shane to a life of money, drugs and sex.
The film also introduces us to some of the club's hangers-on, such as an aspiring singer (Salma Hayek), a bartender (Breckin Meyer) who's jealous of Shane and a perpetually-stoned music producer (Sela Ward).
Myers makes a passable jump to drama here with his portrayal of the coked-out, homosexual Rubell. But thanks to Christopher's underwritten script, his performance resembles a variation on the "Coffee Talk" character he used to play on Saturday Night Live. Some tweaking could have elevated this merely good performance to greatness.
it's hard to believe from watching 54 that this nightclub was any kind of social mecca. The promiscuous sex
If you blink, you might miss Mire Campbell playing a soap star in a role that's little more than a glittery walk-on.
Kanson rating: ★★' 2 out of ★★★★
Running time: 9.5 minutes
used: "R" for profanity, sexual content and an obscene amount of disco music.
STUDIO 54
and wall-to-wall drug sniffing is never quite shocking enough to have spawned the stuff of legends.
There's nothing wrong with fictionalizing real-life events in the interest of good drama. But the sad, frenzied life of Rubell, who died in 1899 of hepatitis, itself is fascinating. Why Christopher ignored those opportunities in favor of the trite, obvious melodrama in 54 is indeed a mystery.
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