Archive for the 'Michigan Theater' Category

A Novel Idea

Monday, June 30th, 2008

Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page 

The recently published mystery novel Frames is partially set in an old movie theater in Los Angeles.  Reading this entertaining book by Michigan author Loren D. Estleman was made a lot more fun by my experiences at the Detroit Film Theatre, Michigan Theater, and Redford Theatre.

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Traveling by Cinema

Monday, May 26th, 2008

Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page 

If the rising price of gasoline is making you rethink your vacation plans for this summer, the movie ticket agents at the Detroit Film Theatre, Michigan Theater, and Redford Theatre can help you travel back through time with rich programs of classic movies.

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Projections

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page 

The blank film lay on the table in the Grand Foyer of the Michigan Theater, waiting for visitors to the 46th annual Ann Arbor Film Festival to mark up frames to produce a series of images that would later be projected on the main theater screen.  A few feet away, some toy animals and a moveable projector awaited other filmgoers’ attempts at stop-motion animation.

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Weekend Impressions (March 2008)

Sunday, March 23rd, 2008

Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page 

Notes from a movie palace weekend (March 14-16, 2008):

After enjoying the focused intimacy of the Redford Theatre (Friday, March 14, 2008) and the Detroit Film Theatre (March 15), the spaciousness of the Michigan Theater on March 16 hit me very strongly. Steven Ball’s organ playing drifted out into the Grand Foyer and the street energy of downtown Ann Arbor continued into the Michigan’s auditorium.

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Here Comes Buster

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008

Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page 

If I had to pick one film that tied together the interests of most visitors to the Detroit Film Theatre, Michigan Theater, and Redford Theatre, it would be Buster Keaton’s 1927 silent comedy The General. A close second would be The Phantom of the Opera (1925) with Lon Chaney. 

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More Than Just Words

Sunday, February 17th, 2008

Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page 

An 81-year-old American silent movie and a current French film recently gave Michigan Theater audiences the chance to see how movies can entertain through different kinds of non-verbal communication.

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Honoring History

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page 

I made my second visit today to the Detroit Historical Museum’s fascinating exhibit about movie theaters in Detroit.  Detroit: The “Reel” Story is a valuable record of local history, and any movie buff should hurry to see this show and find out how the Detroit moviegoing experience has evolved through the years.

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Pride of Ownership

Sunday, January 6th, 2008

Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page 

As the proud new owners of the Michigan Theater, the Michigan Theater Foundation celebrated the 80th anniversary of this beautifully preserved movie palace in grand style. 

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Memories of ‘07

Monday, December 31st, 2007

Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page 

The hopeful, vulnerable face of the six-year-old Russian boy in The Italian, and his moving journey from an orphanage to maybe a real family and home (Detroit Film Theatre and Michigan Theater).

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A Real Movie

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007

Detroit Movie Palaces Home Page 

I hardly know where to start to describe the richness of the experience of seeing A.I.: Artificial Intelligence on Dec. 10, 2007 at the Michigan Theater. As the film drew to its end, I kept thinking how thankful I was to see such a beautiful film in such a beautiful setting.

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