Summer cinema scene: enhancements at local theaters

School is out for summer vacation and family trips are planned, but for those visiting Ithaca or having a staycation there are plenty of activities to look forward to. For the hot summer days with a high ultraviolet (UV) light index, the local cinema is a great place to cool off and have fun. 

Ithaca boasts three popular movie theaters: Cornell Cinema, which has various locations across Cornell’s campus; Cinemapolis near the Ithaca Commons; and the Regal Ithaca Mall. 

Unfortunately, Cornell’s cinema runs on a college semester schedule and is not open this summer, but director Molly Ryan said that she is working to keep the theater open for summer 2024. More details on that will be shared as those dates approach.

“In the future, I’m eagerly hoping to bring back a proud tradition of Cornell Cinema, which is Cinema Under the Stars,” Ryan said. “It is an outdoor screening series on the Willard Strait Terrace, which overlooks the lake. We’re in the process of fundraising for a new technical setup to support that, so stay tuned for more details for next summer.” 

Cornell Cinema does, however, have a packed fall schedule that is open to students and the general Tompkins County community. 

“We’ll start screenings in late August, and there are a few things that I can mention at this time. One is that we are partnering this fall with Cinemapolis and the Wharton Studio Museum for a film series focusing on the pioneering Asian American actress, Anna May Wong, who is considered the first Asian American Hollywood actress,” Ryan said. “She was in the first ever two-strip Technicolor film and also experienced a transition to sound cinema. So, her career encapsulates a lot of these industrial shifts, which actually were pioneered locally.”

Ryan explained that Eastman Kodak in Rochester and Theodore Case in Auburn were pioneers of color and sound film technologies. Cornell, Cinemapolis and the Wharton Studio are using this opportunity to trace the technical trajectory and celebrate this local filmmaking history. This will be during Silent Movie Month in October. 

For the majority of the fall, Cornell Cinema’s student board decided to run a cult film series to explore what it means for a film to be a “cult classic” and how that concept has changed over time. Ryan said there will be some well-known films such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” but lesser-known films will also be mixed in, so there will be something for everyone. 

“One other series I’ll mention is this idea of the greatest films of all time. The British Film Institute publishes their Sight and Sound magazine every 10 years, which includes a list of the greatest films of all time,” Ryan said. “I think they go up to 250 films. This is an exciting moment where critics and scholars decide which films are the greatest. What I think is so fascinating about this process is that the lists change over time, and this year is the first time that a woman filmmaker was at the top of the list.”

For more information on Cornell Cinema or their fall schedule, visit their website at https://cinema.cornell.edu/ or call the office at 607-255-3522.

While Cornell is not open until the fall, Cinemapolis has a schedule that is keeping Executive Director Kate Donohue quite busy. The spring introduced some shifts at Cinemapolis, with the screening of two mainstream movies: “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Across the Spiderverse.” Donohue said that the decision to include occasional mainstream films was done to draw new people to the theater who may not normally visit.

Donohue emphasized that locally produced and independent films will still be the theater’s focus. In June, Cinemapolis held Ithaca Pride events that were not solely film screenings but were all locally and community focused, such as a live comedy event and guided discussions following the screening of a documentary on Lorraine Hansbury. 

Donohue plans to continue this diverse theater experience throughout the summer and generally throughout her time with Cinemapolis. This is true of an event that the theater hosted June 24.

“The film is a Connie Cook documentary. It is about a local politician who was a Republican but was a deciding vote to protect abortion rights in New York state. It’s something we’ve actually screened before, but I think it’s really exciting and important to be screening it now in a post-Roe world,” Donohue said. “There [was] an attorney present to provide updated information about the legal landscape that we are living within now around abortion rights and reproductive justice. It’s free and it’s open to the public and the filmmaker, as well as people who knew Connie will be here to talk about it. I’m really excited for it.”

There are many films, some more widely known than others, that Cinemapolis will screen this summer. The list includes “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “Asteroid City,” “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer” and “Once Upon a Time in Uganda.” 

In September and October Cinemapolis will have its first ever Reproductive Justice Film Festival, organized by the filmmaker of the Connie Cook documentary. There will also be screenings as part of Cine Con Cultura, a festival celebrating Latin American filmmakers. Additionally, the theater will have its first-ever Ithaca Experimental Film Festival, which is being organized by graduates of Ithaca College. 

To view the full list of summer films, visit https://cinemapolis.org/coming-soon or call 607-277-6115. Cinemapolis also has a newsletter available via email for those who want news sent directly to their inbox.

Perhaps one of the biggest theater questions locals have had is in regard to Regal Cinemas and their announcement in September 2022 that some of their theaters would close.

For the Ithaca Regal, it is business as usual, employees told Tompkins Weekly. Moviegoers can still purchase tickets on their website the day of a showing or well in advance. The theater also received its liquor license in December and will be slowly implementing alcohol sales for moviegoers. Alcoholic drinks are limited to two drinks per person. 

Liquor licenses in New York can be quite pricey, especially for a company that recently filed for bankruptcy, so it is safe to say that Regal Cinemas, since they are still investing in their Ithaca location, will be open here for the foreseeable future. 

To purchase tickets or view showtimes, visit the Regal’s website at https://tinyurl.com/2qre6anw.

With various options at Ithaca’s theaters, there is something for everyone to enjoy this summer while escaping the heat. Stay tuned next week for our feature on outdoor summer concerts in Tompkins County.