AMC Theaters at Towson Commons Closing

According to a Towson Patch article the original anchor tenant’s last day will be Friday, May 15 to make way for renovations.

[A new theater] is planned for the long-stalled Towson Circle III project, but until then movie lovers will have to trek to the Regal cinema in Hunt Valley, the AMC cinema in Owings Mills or The Senator Theatre in Govans to get their fill.

And, some more changes apparently are coming to the Belvedere Square retail area:

• Daedalus book store in Belvedere Square to close (Baltimore Messenger)
• Belvedere Square losing local tenants, gaining national chains (Baltimore Sun)

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Films & Festival This weekend @ The Senator Theatre!

Come down & support the theatre’s operations (proceeds from tickets & sale items go to keeping the lights on & longtime employees-now-volunteers for their time)!

New schedule begins Friday April 17, 2009:

The Last Season

The Life and Demolition of Memorial Stadium
(2002 – 50min)
Starts Friday, April 17th Through Thursday,
April 23rd at 6pm @ The Senator Theatre

The Silencing of the World’s Largest Outdoors Insane Asylum.

A Charles Cohen & Joseph Matthew Film

Friday, Saturday & Sunday at 6:00pm

“Recession Buster” Admission is $5 [cash only, please]
Stay over for “Divine Trash” at no extra cost.

The documentary captures the almost ritualistic reaction to the demise
of Memorial Stadium. The Film captures a steady stream of onlookers
during the year and half that the wrecking ball swung, creating a
time lapse view of a city wrestling with its blue collar past.

Click here for film information

* * *

Divine Trash

(1998)

Starts Friday, April 17th Through Thursday,
April 23rd at 7:15pm @ The Senator Theatre

WINNER
Filmmakers Trophy ~ Best Documentary
At The 1998 Sundance Film Festival

A Steve Yeager Film

An In-Depth Look at The
Early Career of John Waters
(1998)

“Recession Buster” Admission is $5 [cash only, please]

The life and times of Baltimore film maker and midnight movie pioneer, John Waters, Intercut with a 1972 interview of Waters are clips from his first films and recent interviews with his parents, his brother, Divine’s mom, actors and crew, other directors and more. Also included is footage of Waters making his early movies.
In sweet ways, this documentary is also a celebration of Divine (1945-1988).

Click here for film information

* * *

Stop Making Sense

Last weekend “Stop Making Sense”
rocked The Senator!

It’s The Same as it Ever Was!

This Friday, April 17th & Saturday, April 18th it’s
Back By Popular Demand For Encore Presentations
Friday & Saturday only at 9:00pm.

Relive The Senator’s legendary 1984 engagement on
the big screen, cranked up with state-of-the-art sound!

A Jonathan Demme Film

(1984)

“One of the greatest rock movies ever made.”
Leonard Maltin

Edward Guthmann – San Francisco Chronicle
Wesley Morris – San Francisco Examiner

“Recession Buster” Admission is $5 [cash only, please]
Stay over for “Secret World Live” at no extra cost.

An innovative concert movie for the rock group The Talking Heads.

Click here for film information

* * *

Peter Gabriel

Secret World Live

(1994)
Friday & Saturday 10:30pm

A Francois Girard Film

Featuring:
Come Talk to Me | Steam | Across the River | Slow Marimbas
Shaking the Tree | Blood of Eden | San Jacinto | Red Raid
Kiss That Frog | Washing of the Water | Solsbury Hill
Digging in the Dirt | Sledgehammer | Big Time
Secret World | Don’t Give Up | In Your Eyes

“Recession Buster” Admission is $5 [cash only, please]

Click here for film information

* * *

Saturday, April 18th & Sunday, April 19th
@ The Senator Theatre

The Senator Theatre
& The Belvedere Improvement Association
Present

The 14th Annual
Belvedere SpringFest
An Earth Day Celebration

Featuring

BARAKA

(90min)

BARAKA (an ancient Sufi word for the essence of life) took filmmakers to 24 countries on a worldwide 14 month odyssey capturing breathtaking images to tell the story of earth’s evolution, human culture diversity, and humankind’s ecological impact on the earth. BARAKA is a
stunning visual and auditory masterpiece when presented on the big screen at “Baltimore’s Premiere Showplace.”

Admission is FREE
(Donations appreciated)

12:00 – 1:00pm (SATURDAY ONLY) :
We’re “Drumming up Support” for The Senator with a one-hour drum jam.
(Bring your own drums and shakers, or use ours!)

1:00 – 2:45pm (SATURDAY & SUNDAY):
BARAKA showtime for Saturday & Sunday is 1:00pm.

* * *

Monterey Pop

(1968)
Saturday & Sunday only at 2:45pm

Filmed at the Monterey International Pop Festival

A D.A. Pennebaker Film

Performances by:
Scott McKenzie, The Mamas & The Papas, Canned Heat,
Simon & Garfunkel, Hugh Masekela, Jefferson Airplane, The Who,
Big Brother & The Holding Company, Country Joe & The Fish,
Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar & Janis Joplin

“Recession Buster” Admission is $5 [cash only, please]
Stay over to see “HELP!” at no extra cost

A documentary of the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, focusing on the audience as well as performances by such artists as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin & The Who.

Click here for film information

* * *

HELP!

Featuring: The Beatles

(1965)

Stop worrying! HELP! is on the way!
Saturday & Sunday only at 4:15pm

A Richard Lester Film

“Recession Buster” Admission is $5 [cash only, please]

Ringo becomes the target of human sacrifice when he puts on & can’t get off a ceremonial ring he received as a gift from a fan from an obscure cult! John, Paul & George must help him find a way to rid him of the ring before the cult leaders (Leo McKern, Eleanor Bron & John Bluthal) find him… Or the mad scientist (Victor Spinetti) & henchman (Roy Kinnear) who want the valuable ring so they can, dare I say it? Rule the world!

Click here for film information

O’Malley Passes the buck, as does DBED, etc.

While we’re on the subject of politicians and what appears to be their, “I don’t want to get involved” stance on The Senator’s situation, let me share another response. This one from Maryland’s top executive… Or rather, should have been.

Maryland Governor (& former Baltimore Mayor) Martin O'Malley

I wrote a letter to Maryland’s Governor Martin O’Malley regarding The Senator and asked for his aid in helping the “community-owned non-profit, multi-purpose entertainment & educational” vision move forward.

One would think that the former mayor of Baltimore City, home of The Senator Theatre, would be more than willing to step up and at least vocalize support for the theatre and all the good it has done for community and business in the area.

Especially when the area includes Belvedere Square, a an area across the street from the theatre that stood dormant for more than a decade and O’Malley himself called, “a stark symbol of decline”.

An area that was revitalized with city and state funding that Mayor O’Malley backed (with urging from the community, including Senator staff) and even got in a bit of hot water trying to convince citizens to patronize.

Christian Johansson, Secretary, Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development

Instead, what I received was a letter from Christian Johansson, the Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Business & Economic Development (DBED), in which I am thanked for contacting the governor and am told what an iconic treasure The Senator is.

Hannah Bryon, Assistant Secretary; Tourism, Film & the Arts

I am then referred to a Ms. Hannah Byron of the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts, who is representing DBED on Mayor Sheila Dixon’s steering committee that is charged with determining the viability of the theatre as a non-profit.

Okay, so I send a series of questions to Ms. Byron via email and shortly receive a response!

I am forwarding your questions to Bill Henry.

That’s it.

Bill Henry, Balto. City District 4 Councilman

I’m not kidding here. District 4 Councilman Bill Henry. The man who told supporters present at the March 16 Town Meeting (called by the SCT) to contact their state officials and ask why they haven’t gotten involved.

Well, Bill, I went “straight to the top” of Maryland state government and after one letter and one email I’ve been sent down the political sliding board, right back to you. Any other suggestions?

To other supporters: Have you received responses from state or local officials? If you have and you would like to share them with others, send them to me and I’ll post them on the Politician’s Responses to Senator Plight page. Or, if you’ve put them online already, just send me the link!