Ouch, We're Losing A Theater

Wow, went to look at movie times for this weekend on the off chance we could get to one, and read that the owners of the historic Varsity Theater in downtown Chapel Hill went dark after last night's shows and closing its doors. Very sad! I mean, it was not perfect -- uncomfortable seats, films starting without sound occasionally, generally shabby feel, but still, it was an old theater in the middle of town and i saw tons of great movies there...in recent years the "Hollywood" quotient has been higher than in the past, but in the 80's it was the only art house theater in town, a high school weekend ritual...i definitely sat through multiple viewings of fine films like "Stranger Than Paradise," "Liquid Sky," "Betty Blue," "The Thief, The Cook, His Wife and Her Lover," and much of the David Lynch oeuvre at the Varsity. So many more through the 90's and was there more recently to see "Slumdog Millionaire," "Milk" and something i can't remember...there are other options in Chapel Hill, but the screens are smaller and the vibe slightly...antiseptic? Tough times. The Indy has the story.