Happy 110th Birthday, Somerville Theater! I went to the movies at the Somerville Theater many times between moving back to Metro Boston in 2001, and the COVID pandemic in 2020.
I had been inside the theater, in 1993 or 94, for a WERS concert, but not for the movies: in 1994 I lived right up the street from Davis on Highland Ave, but that was during fallow times, I'm not even sure they were showing movies then?
In the big theater, my favorite spot was on the aisle, on one of the outside sections. With the angle of the aisle, this gave me extra legroom, and no one sitting directly in front of me.
Parking could be a challenge: I enjoy the challenge of cruising for an open meter, and in Somerville, metered parking was free after 6pm (they tightened up this rule in the 2010s). Going to a matinee was worse, because you had to feed a 2 hour meter as close to showtime as possible while also getting a good seat, which meant the meter would run out before you could feed it again.
I saw many mainstream Hollywood movies at the Somerville Theater, and a handful of classic movies in 70mm too. I dug through the archives, here's Somerville By The Numbers:
- Total movies watched at the Somerville Theater, 2002-2019: at least 60
- First: probably my second date with Emily, the Wilco documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, 2002
- Last: JoJo Rabbit, 2019
- In 70mm: Dunkirk, Poltergeist, 2001, The Untouchables, The Hateful Eight
- Birthday Parties: my 40th, we rented their "microcinema" and watched Commando and 48 HRS.
- All three modern Star Treks, in 2009, 2013, and 2016
- Edgar Wright: Hot Fuzz, The World's End, Baby Driver, Scott Pilgrim
- Tom Cruise: Oblivion, Knight and Day, Mission Impossible Fallout, Edge of Tomorrow
- Matt Damon: Jason Bourne 3 and 4, The Adjustment Bureau, Interstellar
- Best: It's hard to argue with 2001 A Space Odyssey, and especially because it's only worth watching on a big movie screen.
- Worst: the Godzilla reboot, the Total Recall reboot, the Clash Of The Titans reboot, all forgettable.
- Most Fun in the Theater: the crowd for Scott Pilgrim was awesome; I had a great time at Pacific Rim. Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy also went over great.
- Favorite: of all 60 movies, I've probably watched Hot Fuzz the most!