Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Cinemas in the Syracuse, NY area

This is topic Cinemas in the Syracuse, NY area in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 04-25-2009, 01:18 PM:

Anyone know of a good cinema to take in a movie? I'll be traveling there for a couple days, and will have some time to see a movie. Just wondered where I should go and where I should avoid.

Cheers!

AJG

Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 04-25-2009, 01:42 PM:

I once saw a movie at a multiplex at a mall in Baldwinsville, a suburb of Syracuse. It was a typical mall theatre and I am sure it is nothing you are looking for to see a movie. I have noticed some very nice looking theatres in Downtown Syracuse in the seventies and like all of our downtown theatres here in Honolulu, they probably are all closed so your best bet is a theatre at a mall outside of the city. By the way, from what I remember, the downtown area of Syracuse was rather drab looking.

-Claude

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 04-26-2009, 07:20 PM:

You really should visit Loew's State now The Landmark Theatre. We were passing thru Syracuse one night about 10yrs ago and saw "OKLAHOMA! Shirley Jones - Gordon MacRae" on the marquee. I stopped and as luck would have it, we were in time for the evening show.

It's a magnificent 1926 Thomas Mann design, as were many of the movie palaces in the Loews chain. And as true-to-form, these palaces were obscenely oppulent and ornate and, quite frankly, breathtaking, which is what they were intended to be. Sadly, browsing the site, it looks like they have abandoned film for live events. Nevertheless, it definately is a theatre you should check out as long as you are in the area.

[ 04-27-2009, 01:24 PM: Message edited by: Frank Angel ]

Posted by Aaron Garman (Member # 1653) on 04-29-2009, 03:50 PM:

Thanks guys. I ended up running out of time to get to the movies, but I did drive by the Landmark with lots of envy.

AJG

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 04-29-2009, 04:04 PM:

quote: Frank Angel
It's a magnificent 1926 Thomas Mann design, as were many of the movie palaces in the Loews chain.

Frank who is Thomas Mann? The theatre's architect was Thomas W. Lamb.

Posted by Joe Tommassello (Member # 4632) on 04-29-2009, 04:43 PM:

There used to be a huge film collector's convention in Syracuse every year. Do they still have that?

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 04-29-2009, 07:10 PM:

Yep, they have it in March, it's put on by the Syracuse Cinephile Society. Lotta great old films, mostly from collector's 16mm prints, but they screen some 35mm at the Eastwood Palace. Great dealer's tables, too.

Sadly, the golden era of Syracuse moviegoing is long gone. The Eckel (Cinerama!), the original Shoppingtown, The RKO Keith's, the Strand, the Cinema East, the Genesee, all gone. I'm glad the former Loew's State is still open, and the Palace is recently renovated. I spent many nights in some of those booths.

Here's a memorial page for the Kallet Genesee, where I ran many a reel, and another for the original Shoppingtown, which as you'll see had a pair of beautiful DP-70s that moved over to the new Shoppingtown. I dropped a just-changed-over-to full 6000 ft. reel off of one of these machines one night when in a sleepless haze (college plus two jobs) I forgot to push the reel latch down. Made a helluva noise.

Posted by Michael Townsend (Member # 5255) on 05-09-2009, 10:07 AM:

The Landmark Theater truly is a beautiful theater. Even though the theater is mostly used for live events, they still occasionally do show films. The premier of "The Express" was held there. Digital projection equipment was used which was brought into the theater through the roof via a helicopter. Dennis Quaid was here for the event.

Syracuse also has an International Film Festival which was held April - May 3. Bobcat Golthwait, an East Syracuse native, brought his film "World Greatest Dad" staring Robin Williams to the festival. An outdoor theater was also set up one night for the event