Arcata Needs Your Help: Bring Back Our Independent Movie Theatre

Arcata used to have a delightful movie theatre, the Minor, which showed independent movies and didn't torture the audience with 10 minutes of blaring junk food ads prior to starting the movie.

Now the Minor is just another corporate cookie cutter.

Help us get back a movie theatre that respects and honors our unique community. Send a short letter of protest, letting them know that you will be boycotting the Minor Theatre during the month of August, to the Minor Theatre:

doni@catheatres.com

and send a copy to the fearless leader of this march for freedom, Kathy Marshall, at:

kmschoolboard@reninet.com

Kathy's letter in this week's Arcata Eye follows, below.

Thanks,

TLC
________________________________________________

It’s DVD month

Dear Arcata Moviegoers,

Well, I’ve finally reached my breaking point. With my last letter complaining about the new management of the Minor Theatre I was not yet ready to say the word “boycott.” But I’m ready now! I keep hoping to see the Minor’s commitment to independent film screenings come back to its pre-new management level. But it hasn’t.

Coming Attractions describes itself as a “first run theatre,” defined by Wikipedia as, “A theater that runs primarily mainstream film fare from the major film companies and distributors, during the initial release period of each film.”

I can see every first-run Hollywood movie at the Minor and everywhere else. Their self-proclaimed status as a first run theatre, along with the decided lack of contact information on their website, gives me little hope that Coming Attractions will ever be particularly receptive to this community’s diverse taste in movie fare.

So, I’ve decided that if there is a Hollywood production that I absolutely must see I will patronize the Broadway or Mill Creek, I never expected either of those venues to be anything but mainstream.

DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST I WILL NOT GO TO THE MINOR FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER... not even to see an indie. Instead, I will add any indie title to the list I keep for DVD rentals at Video Experience or Figuerido’s. Anyone care to join me?

Oh, and one more thing... I wonder why CA can offer corporate discounts (their website makes the following offer, “CORPORATE MOVIE TICKET DISCOUNT PROGRAMS Save up to 35 percent on Movie Tickets Reward your employees or use as a promotional item”) but they can’t offer movie cards to the general public at a discount any longer. If their management’s assertion that movie card discounts are illegal is correct, wouldn’t you think that any other discounts would also be illegal? After all, it all amounts to the same thing... a discount.

So, how about it Arcata? Join me in boycotting the Minor Theatre during the month of August. Let them know how you feel by e-mailing doni@catheatres.com (this e-mail address was not on the CA website; I got it after several phone calls to the Minor theatre). Carbon copy those e-mails to me at kmschoolboard@reninet.com and I will keep track of the numbers of you willing to join me in this effort.

Let’s affect them where it will really counts, in their bottom line.

Sincerely,

Kathy Marshall
Sunny Brae