To walk through the grand polished-wood and etched-glass doors of the Minor Theatre is to straddle the past and the future. Staircases descend into the small, warmly appointed lobby, filled with ornate items from a bygone era: historic photos, a grandfather clock and a typewriter on which customers peck out cheery thoughts and poems. The […]
movies
Posted inArts + Scene
Wrinkle in the Park
Past the convoy of trucks and catering tents, A Wrinkle in Time director Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th, Queen Sugar) and her crew were set up in Sequoia Park running through an action scene today. People stopped to warm up by a glowing heater and chat quietly while the cameras and actors worked farther down the […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Minor Affair
On Friday night, after a furious round of renovations, the Minor Theatre opened again in Arcata with a black-tie celebration and a night of local independent films. After a decade of corporate ownership, the movie house is in the hands of Josh Neff and partner Merrick McKinlay, who promise a steady schedule of independent, foreign […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Humboldt Style: Gala Glam
While Leonardo DiCaprio was selling his soul to that goat from The Witch for his Oscar, the Eureka Theater was flush with its own parade of gowns and tuxes at the Red Carpet Gala co-hosted by the Humboldt Del Norte Film Commission and the theater, celebrating 100 years of filming on the North Coast. The […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Show of Force
Wow. I mean … Just… Wow. I was ready to roll out the Star Wars puns and unleash all kinds of Jedi-like cleverness on this post, and then comes this picture of local Tattoo artist Justin Love with the helmet and those knuckles. Oh, and what’s that he’s driving? It’s a Ford Falcon. Well played, […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Uncorking Wine of Summer
Were you wondering if movie buffs at Portugal’s 2013 Duoro Film Harvest and the crowd at the 2013 Humboldt premier were the only people who’d ever see the The Wine of Summer? Well, so was local filmmaker Maria Matteoli for a minute there. But come Oct. 6 the film, shot both in Spain and here […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Omigod is That… ?
If you think you saw a Hollywood actress around town, you probably did. Rowdy Kelly, who is scouting locations for the production company Woodshock LLC, won’t confirm or deny whether Kirsten Dunst is in Humboldt for pre-production visit (and neither will Cassandra Hesseltine of the Humboldt Del Norte Film Commission), but the film’s IMDB page […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Ready for Your Close Up?
Have you always dreamed of being on the silver screen, your name splashed in bold letters in a dark theatre next to “Woman No. 3,” “Boy in Ice Cream Shop” or “Man Crossing Street”? Well, your big break is here. On Sunday, June 28, several independent movies filming on the North Coast this summer are […]
Posted inNews
There’s a New Theater Owner in Town
The Minor Theater is in new and, it sounds like, good hands. David Phillips and his wife LouAnna put the theater on the market several years ago, 40 years after purchasing the then-defunct building that was slated at one point to be leveled for downtown parking. The theater celebrated its 100th anniversary in December of […]
Posted inArts + Scene
NCJ Writers’ Favorite Christmas Movies
There are hundreds of Christmas movies to choose from and selecting the right one can be the daunting task that finally tips you over the edge into Christmas craziness. We’ve all been there. One second you’re browsing your DVD shelf and the next you’re on a fifth-story ledge with Miracle on 34th Street in one hand […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Local Girl Does Good: ‘The Wine of Summer’ Victorious in Portugal
Humboldt native and filmmaker Maria Matteoli was already celebrating the inclusion of The Wine of Summer in Portugal’s Douro Film Harvest – she and her crew had flown to Porto to attend the world premiere of the movie they crafted during 2011 in Spain and the streets of Eureka’s Old Town – when things got […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Growing Pains
Reviews Kick-Ass 2. Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass (2010) is that rare comic book movie that balances humor, violence and style with unique cinematic technique. This follow-up has some of the original’s essence, but so diluted that it feels more like a pale imitation than a proper sequel. The movie opens with Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) back […]