About
Seats 615 is a blog about my thoughts on seeing every movie shown at the Cinematheque, an art house film theatre located on the East Side of Cleveland, Ohio. The movies at the Cinematheque are lovingly curated by a real French knight (no kidding!) named John and a jovial giant named Tim. These are the real, full-frame old and new masterpieces, shown unapologetically in analog format.
The Cinematheque’s been ranked as one of the best movie theatres in the country by The New York Times. But John and Tim’s persistent hustle to fill seats is a sobering reminder that I live not in the Big Apple, but rather in one of the most economically depressed cities of the Rust Belt. And to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have the time or stamina to make these movie treks, if I hadn’t lost my job writing for the area’s greeting card company last November.
But what better time and place for great art to do its job to uplift and motivate?
Mind you, I don’t intend for this blog to turn into a collection of full-on movie reviews or personal rants. I’m a bit cynical, or at least somewhat careful, about what role criticism plays in the enjoyment of art. It’s just my modest hope that something I write will lead someone somewhere to take a closer, harder look at a movie, and begin to appreciate films not just as product, but filmmaking as a process and the filmmaker as the author. Highfalutin yes? Humbling, yes again.
The Cleveland Cinematheque has a seating capacity of 616. I’ve taken up one seat—hope you’ll join me…
