Screenings of Disney repertory films are quite rare, as steep prices and strict regulations tend to keep bookers at bay. A rare moment where attending a film felt like a true event. There were no ads, trailers, or credits, just a five-minute musical overture over a map of Cuba before the film and a souvenir program listing cast and crew information for each audience member. This special cinematic experience put together both parts of Steven Soderbergh's epic into a combined roadshow release. It was something straight out of a William Castle experience, and it was glorious. The pre-show revealed that he had an actual alien to show the crowd but had unfortunately escaped, and then, about 30 minutes into the film during its first major action sequence, Ray emerged dressed as an alien and battled his cohorts on stage. I can't think of a better sendoff than this history being brought back to the Uptown and its moviegoing community.Īnd now, for the heck of it, my five favorite screenings during my twelve years at the Uptown:Ī routine midnight screening made special by the legendary Rock & Roll Ray. On the eve of my departure, however, it was all put together for a 100-year anniversary. So much was scattered around the Twin Cities in a number of archives, not to mention unorganized boxes and file cabinets in the Uptown itself. During my tenth anniversary of employment, I created this blog as a side project to document the rich history of the building.
It was the theater's renovation and subsequent loss of film projection that motivated me to pursue a career in film & video archiving. The music is "Liu Lien" by Yao Lee, from Tsai Ming Liang's Goodbye, Dragon Inn, a film that best expresses my thoughts of the old Uptown. The above video was shot during the final week before its 2012 closure, with the auditorium camera shot placed right next to my favorite chair (ground-level, left side, furthest-back aisle seat). The feel, the atmosphere, the personality - all simply unmatched. The pre-renovated Uptown was my favorite place in the world. The first screening I ever attended at the Uptown Theatre was a midnight show of Omega Man on August 12, 2004.
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