Landmark Theatres closed its Hillcrest Cinemas over the weekend. Some of the final screenings were packed with more customers than the cinema had seen in years. However, for those mourning the loss of the art-house venue, let me remind you: San Diego still has fabulous places to see movies.
I have never seen myself as a film critic. Instead, I would describe myself as a film activist. My hope is to inspire people to go out to a cinema to see a movie or to a festival to seek out new discoveries. Yes, I also try to steer people away from certain films (looking at you, "Forrest Gump"). But I love movies, and I just want to share the best ones with other cinephiles. While the loss of Hillcrest Cinemas is sad, I appeal to those mourning its closure to support the cinemas and film festivals that remain, which continue bringing unique and amazing films to San Diego.
Digital Gym Cinema is now the last art-house theater in the city of San Diego. This weekend, you can find Palestine's Academy Award submission, "From Ground Zero"; the documentary "Soundtrack to a Coup d’État": and the latest showcase from German Currents Kino.
For even more adventuresome, one-of-a-kind programming, check out Popcorn Reef, the passion project of Eddie Gurrola. Gurrola champions cult and grindhouse cinema with titles like "Strip Nude for Your Killer," "Street Trash," "Franky Freako," "Slaughterhouse Death Metal" and "Watch Them Come Blood."
Gurrola defines Popcorn Reef as: "It’s about knowing that no matter what's going on in Hollywood today, there will always be a place for the magic and the spectacle of cinema, even if it’s relegated to a little reef in the middle of the ocean. We host bold cinema events that showcase our favorite cult films and blockbuster movies of the past, and we also highlight new films that continue to keep the larger-than-life-ness of what we love about this form alive in the zeitgeist today."
But finding venues to show cult and indie films can be a challenge. Gurrola is grateful to a trio of venues he regularly programs.
"Right now, we're at the Regal Mira Mesa, and I'm really excited about that because it brings a certain flavor to the films we show. It's like, wow, we're seeing this at a Regal theater — and it's an off-the-wall movie that you can't see at a Regal most of the time," Gurrola said.
This Wednesday, the film will be "The Guyver" from 1991, Unearthed Films’ new 4K restoration, fully uncut and in its R-rated form.
Gurrola said, "'The Guyver' is one of those films that you really have to experience to fully understand. Based on a Japanese manga series, co-starring Mark Hamill as a washed-up CIA agent in a performance you’ll be thinking about for days after, and featuring the same incredible style of special effects and creature designs that you saw in 'Society.' Directors Steve Wang and Screaming Mad George put together what one could argue is a quintessential representation of early '90s fantasy cinema."
Gurrola notes in his promos that the film screening at the Regal multiplex is "the first retro screening in San Diego with reclining seats."
Many of the Popcorn Reef screenings include special guests, either in-person or virtually. For "The Guyver," producer Brian Yuzna will engage in a virtual Q&A with the audience after the film.
Popcorn Reef also screens films at the Adams Avenue Theatre in Normal Heights and the Tenth Avenue Arts Center in downtown San Diego.
"That's a performing arts center that does a lot of really awesome stage productions. And we've been able to convert that into a movie experience with a giant screen that we roll it on wheels, and we have been trying to make that feel like an old school grindhouse cinema," Gurrola said.
I love that he refers to it as "the IMAX of Grindhouse."
"That's what we were trying to go for," Gurrola said. "Beyond Fest up in L.A. did a few screenings of films at the IMAX headquarters that they opened up to the public. It's not that big, but I noticed that the way they position the screen is very much closer so you can kind of feel like you're floating in the screen. And so that's kind of what we tried to do with, at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center, where you can feel like you're really immersed in the screen."
It may not be state-of-the-art, but it's the perfect way to watch cult films that many of us only experienced on VHS. Immersion is the best way to enjoy the fever dreams of Italian giallo cinema.
"Giallos are Italian murder mysteries," Gurrola explained. "It's kind of the blanket way to describe a giallo. They're Italian horror movies, but it doesn't have to be a horror movie to count as a giallo. They serve as, like, the prototype for the slasher. They're known for really stunning cinematography and really amazing visuals — somewhat psychedelic, like colorful visuals, beautiful women, a lot of fashion emphasis."
At the end of the month, three giallo films featuring scream queen Edwige Fenech will screen. Giallo titles are often as enticing as the films themselves: "All the Colors of the Dark," Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key" and "The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh."
Gurrola is happy with his trio of current venues, but he knows he has his work cut out for him. The closure of Hillcrest Cinemas reminds us that filmgoers' habits are changing as more people in the post-COVID era enjoy home theaters and on-demand convenience.
"I do all this pretty much on my own. We've got Alex now who's our new intern. He's helping out. But it's sometimes stressful because it's kind of a little seat-of-your-pants thing where, like, I don't know what we're gonna show in February yet," Gurrola said. "Hopefully, this year, it's gonna be a lot more consistent, and we're gonna be at all three places continuing to deliver those different things."
While I will miss Landmark's once-vibrant presence in San Diego, I am excited about what you can still find on big, small and even makeshift screens throughout the county.
