Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Take a ride on the Reading hard hat tour

Angelika Film Center
Angelika Film Center

The newly affixed Angelika Film Center sign is visible from the 15. It’s the tour guides who are nowhere in sight. A padlock and cyclone fence bar an entryway sealed tighter than Xanadu during Charlie Kane’s final days. A quick call finds my contact(s) bivouacked in a makeshift cement bunker just opposite the construction site that the folks at Carmel Mountain Plaza are nice enough to provide as temporary accommodations.

Does this hard hat make me look fat?

It takes more than one handler to usher Marks through the pleasantly reverberating hull of a theater in mid-renovation. A team of sherpa sisters, there to guide me through the potentially treacherous rubble, is spearheaded by none other than Reading Cinema’s fearless California Division Manager, Jennifer Deering. As if the hardest working person in San Diego theater management isn’t enough, the chain imports another two of its finest. From New York comes Creative Media Manager Kate Bost, whose impassioned knowledge of ballyhoo reveals a kindred soul. Rounding out the trio is Texas’ answer to cinephilia and old friend, Regional Publicity Director Jo Ellen Brantferger.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The last few walkthroughs of forlorn auditoriums such as this seemed to always occur just days before a wrecking ball made good on the landlord’s threat that the property had become too valuable to house mere movie theaters. But what I witness this sticky summer evening has nothing to do with bereavement. The tone is uniquely upbeat, unquestionably celebratory.

Jennifer loves the smell of popcorn in the morning. Never have I seen her this consumed with anticipation. Her arms and mouth move at such a rate the need of a calming hand on shoulder is in order. Were she able to execute a cartwheel, a trail of palm and footprints down the hall would no doubt be left in the dust. She isn’t alone. If I knew for a fact the chain had the insurance needed to cover damages incurred by such a stunt, I’d be double-back flip-flopping right alongside her.

Before one of the dozen new wall-to-wall screens is stretched — please retain the side-to-side masking — and all of the insanely comfortable recliner seats bolted down and plugged in, it’s plain to see this space is not destined to be one’s average San Diego County multiplex. There will be food. Gourmet food. As if popcorn and JuJu’s aren’t enough, the menu will include craft beers and “bites curated by veteran Food Network” executives. But don’t for a second mistake the Angelika for a restaurant that shows movies. Food, not servers, is allowed in the theater. And audience-interruptus be damned: there will be no turning on cellphones to place food and drink orders midway through the picture.

One pet-hate: reserved seating. Despite the occasional Roadshow attraction, movies have always been a strictly first-come, first-serve affair. Kate understands and appreciates my natural reluctance. Her research on the subject informs me that most patrons, once accustomed to picking their seats, view the policy as a perk. Jennifer knowingly adds, “Going at off hours like you do is not likely to affect where you sit.”

A coffee house, restaurant, three-tiered chandelier, and all other amenities combined mean nothing to a guy like me unless the programming, too, answers to a higher calling. Blockbusters will no doubt continue to pay the rent, while venturesome booking of independent, foreign, and specialty fare (that means classic films on DCP!) is bound to shake a few purists from the trees.

Yasujiro Ozu fans take note: with construction well underway, the trio assure me the end of summer will mark its grand opening.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Goose may have indie vibes, but they’re still a jam band

Fans turn out in force for show at SDSU
Angelika Film Center
Angelika Film Center

The newly affixed Angelika Film Center sign is visible from the 15. It’s the tour guides who are nowhere in sight. A padlock and cyclone fence bar an entryway sealed tighter than Xanadu during Charlie Kane’s final days. A quick call finds my contact(s) bivouacked in a makeshift cement bunker just opposite the construction site that the folks at Carmel Mountain Plaza are nice enough to provide as temporary accommodations.

Does this hard hat make me look fat?

It takes more than one handler to usher Marks through the pleasantly reverberating hull of a theater in mid-renovation. A team of sherpa sisters, there to guide me through the potentially treacherous rubble, is spearheaded by none other than Reading Cinema’s fearless California Division Manager, Jennifer Deering. As if the hardest working person in San Diego theater management isn’t enough, the chain imports another two of its finest. From New York comes Creative Media Manager Kate Bost, whose impassioned knowledge of ballyhoo reveals a kindred soul. Rounding out the trio is Texas’ answer to cinephilia and old friend, Regional Publicity Director Jo Ellen Brantferger.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The last few walkthroughs of forlorn auditoriums such as this seemed to always occur just days before a wrecking ball made good on the landlord’s threat that the property had become too valuable to house mere movie theaters. But what I witness this sticky summer evening has nothing to do with bereavement. The tone is uniquely upbeat, unquestionably celebratory.

Jennifer loves the smell of popcorn in the morning. Never have I seen her this consumed with anticipation. Her arms and mouth move at such a rate the need of a calming hand on shoulder is in order. Were she able to execute a cartwheel, a trail of palm and footprints down the hall would no doubt be left in the dust. She isn’t alone. If I knew for a fact the chain had the insurance needed to cover damages incurred by such a stunt, I’d be double-back flip-flopping right alongside her.

Before one of the dozen new wall-to-wall screens is stretched — please retain the side-to-side masking — and all of the insanely comfortable recliner seats bolted down and plugged in, it’s plain to see this space is not destined to be one’s average San Diego County multiplex. There will be food. Gourmet food. As if popcorn and JuJu’s aren’t enough, the menu will include craft beers and “bites curated by veteran Food Network” executives. But don’t for a second mistake the Angelika for a restaurant that shows movies. Food, not servers, is allowed in the theater. And audience-interruptus be damned: there will be no turning on cellphones to place food and drink orders midway through the picture.

One pet-hate: reserved seating. Despite the occasional Roadshow attraction, movies have always been a strictly first-come, first-serve affair. Kate understands and appreciates my natural reluctance. Her research on the subject informs me that most patrons, once accustomed to picking their seats, view the policy as a perk. Jennifer knowingly adds, “Going at off hours like you do is not likely to affect where you sit.”

A coffee house, restaurant, three-tiered chandelier, and all other amenities combined mean nothing to a guy like me unless the programming, too, answers to a higher calling. Blockbusters will no doubt continue to pay the rent, while venturesome booking of independent, foreign, and specialty fare (that means classic films on DCP!) is bound to shake a few purists from the trees.

Yasujiro Ozu fans take note: with construction well underway, the trio assure me the end of summer will mark its grand opening.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Temperature inversions bring smoggy weather, "ankle biters" still biting

Near-new moon will lead to a dark Halloween
Next Article

Todd Gloria gets cash from McDonald's franchise owners

Phil's BBQ owner for Larry Turner
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader