Tucked away in Hazard Center on Friars Road just off of Route 163 is one of San Diego’s newest and finest independent movie theaters: Madstone Theaters. For those looking for a new place to enjoy the movie-going experience, this theater is worth checking out. The screens are big, the sound is good, the theaters are clean and the employees are friendly. They also offer a wide range of movies at a cheaper price than most independent movie theaters.
This winter, Madstone Theaters is offering an additional selection of movies with the introduction of its Madstone Extra series. Each series concentrates on a different theme of movies and puts the best films in each category back on the big screen once more. The series are Then & Now, Kid’s Stuff, Midnight Rocks, Shock Therapy, Classic Cuts – Indie Classics, Classic Cuts – Classic Classics, Big Loves and Full Frame.
Then & Now takes a look at directors from their humble beginnings to their later successes. The series kicks off on Jan. 26 with two movies by Alfred Hitchcock. Watch Hitchcock’s 1940 mystery-romance, “”Rebecca,”” about a young wife upset by her husband’s memory of his first wife and the mystery surrounding her death. Then stick around for “”The Paradine Case,”” Hitchcock’s 1948 success about the trial of a lovely woman accused of murdering her blind husband. The next films are from Martin Scorsese, the first one being his 1973 “”Mean Streets”” about two boys getting into trouble, showing on Feb. 9. Follow that up with Scorsese’s 1990 hit, “”Goodfellas,”” about at Irish kid growing up in the Mafia, which truly showed what a powerful director Scorsese is. On March 9 David Lynch is highlighted, first with 1990’s “”Wild at Heart”” about a man on a road trip with his girlfriend while trouble seems to be looking for him, and then with “”Lost Highway”” from 1997, a disturbing film noir. Finally, Miguel Arteta gets a chance to show his progress on March 23, first with “”Star Maps”” from 1973, the story of a young boy forced into prostitution, followed by “”The Good Girl,”” last year’s success starring Jennifer Aniston.
Kid’s Stuff is a great idea if you have a child in your life or if you are a child at heart yourself, since this series gives the viewer a sample of wonderful children’s films. The first film in this series to be shown on Jan. 18 and 19 is “”Oliver!,”” Dickens’ classic tale made into a musical. The second film is “”Annie,”” an upbeat story of a lovable redhead full of song and dance, showing from Feb. 1 and 2. On Feb. 15 and 16, the theater will show “”Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,”” the story of a young boy with the chance to enter the fantasy world of the famed candy-maker. “”The Secret Garden,”” the story of a young orphan who learns to love life again, will be playing March 1 and 2. The next film is “”The Neverending Story,”” the story of a young boy who is taken into his favorite book for a series of adventures, playing March 15 and 16. “”The Black Stallion”” plays March 29 and 30, and teams producer Francis Ford Coppola with the writer of “”E.T.”” to bring this classic children’s story to the big screen.
The Midnight Rocks series are for those night owls who believe that the mornings are for sleeping and the nights are for rock ‘n’ roll. All the films in this series begin at midnight. The series kicks off Jan. 24 and 25 with “”Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars,”” the movie that takes you back to David Bowie’s final performance as Ziggy Stardust. “”Stop Making Sense”” shows the Talking Heads live and at their best on Feb. 7 and 8. March 7 and 8 brings back the semi-autobiographical production of “”Pink Floyd: The Wall,”” while March 21 and 22 brings “”Velvet Goldmine,”” the mix of fantasy and reality in ’70s London rock.
Shock Therapy brings some of the best horror films of all time back to the big screen. “”Rosemary’s Baby,”” the story of the creepy couple next door plays on Jan. 17 and 18. “”The Fly”” from 1958 brings back the mad scientist on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. “”Last House on the Left”” marks Wes Craven’s first venture into the horror genre with a film about two murdered hitchhikers on Feb. 28 and March 1. “”Don’t Look Now,”” the chilling tale of a couple seeking to put their daughter’s death behind them, plays March 14 and 15. “”Suspiria,”” the story of a young American ballerina who goes to a famous ballet school in Europe only to discover that it is only a cover for a group of witches, plays on March 28 and 29.
Classic Cuts – Classic Classics is a chance for those who have never seen some of the most famous movies of all time to see them as they were intended to be seen, on the big screen. The famous “”Bonnie and Clyde”” from 1967 plays Jan. 31 through Feb. 6. “”The Umbrellas of Cherbourg”” from 1964, an entirely musical movie of young lovers torn apart by money and fate, plays Feb. 24 through 27. “”Last Tango In Paris”” takes a new look at the male-female relationship from March 14 through 20. The ever-famous “”The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”” from 1967 plays March 21 through 27. The series ends with Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 black comedy about the A-bomb in a post-holocaust world: “”Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb,”” which will play March 28 through April 3.
Classic Cuts – Indie Classics are classic independent films that should not be missed on the big screen. “”The Brothers McMullen”” tells the story of three Irish Catholic brothers coming to terms with their lives and each other Jan. 17 through 23. “”Stranger Than Paradise”” tells the story of man who has his life turned upside down by the arrival of his Hungarian cousin, playing Jan. 24 through 30. “”Sling Blade”” made Billy Bob Thornton a star when he wrote, directed and starred in this tale of a man-child Feb. 7 through 13. “”Go Fish”” is a funny and smart look at the lesbian dating scene in San Francisco, showing Feb. 14 through 20. “”Buffalo 66″” is the debatably autobiographical film of model Vincent Gallo playing Feb. 28 through March 6. “”Blood Simple,”” a film noir about a man who hires a private detective to kill his wife, is playing March 7 through 13.
The Big Loves series is for those romantics who want Valentine’s Day to last for months, or just those movie-goers who like a good love story now and then. This series kicks off on Jan. 19 with “”An Affair to Remember,”” which is about a ladies’ man and a wholesome woman who are both engaged to other people, but who fall for each other. Next is “”Casablanca,”” perhaps the best-known love story of all time, on Feb. 2. “”The Philadelphia Story”” from 1940 is a comedy about a woman set to marry until her ex-husband and a reporter show up, playing Feb. 16. “”The Apartment,”” which plays March 2, is the story of a man who falls for one of his boss’s mistresses. “”Wuthering Heights”” is taken from the Emily Bronte novel of impossible love and will be shown on March 16. “”Doctor Zhivago,”” about an orphan who becomes a doctor and marries an aristocrat while falling in love with a nurse, on March 30.
The final series is Full Frame – Big Screen, True Stories and feature documentaries brought to life on the big screen Feb. 21 through 23. The first film in the series is “”Return with Honor,”” about the return of American pilots after their nine-year stay in a prisoner of war camp. The director of the film, Frieda Lee Mock, will conduct a Q&A after the showings. “”The First Year”” follows five teachers through their first year of teaching in the Lost Angeles public school system. “”The Two Towns of Jasper”” takes a biracial look at the town of Jasper after the racially motivated murder of James Byrd, Jr. “”The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg”” looks at the career of the baseball star. “”Startup.com”” looks at the ups and downs of Internet companies over the last several years.
So this quarter, when you’ve seen all the over-hyped movies at the malls, come on down to Madstone Theaters. Whether you want an independent film at a good price, a new release without having to fight for a parking space, or to check out an old favorite on the big screen, there is always something for you at Madstone Theaters. Check out www.mastonetheaters.com for more information.
