A review of the Barbie experience from Dave Weinstein, Friend of the Cerrito Theater:

Sure, streaming may be fast and easy, but nothing can beat being in a movie theater when the lights dim and a really fun film comes on and you feel part of a real audience, some of them friends, many of them neighbors.

Seeing ‘Barbie,’ a wacky, fun fantasy about a girl’s toy that is at the same time a critique of partriarchy, brought this home. First, it was great to see a film sell out—day after day—at our favorite movie theater. The pandemic wasn’t good for movie theaters, or for the movie going experience.

It put many out of business in Berkeley and (at least temporarily) closed the Albany Twin. And audiences have often been thin in the theaters that remained open. (Not so on the Albany Twin’s final night in operation, which my wife and I also attended. Ah, but that evening was tinged with sadness, as the crowd was there to bid farewell to a neighborhood institution, as well as to catch a film.)

No such sadness prevailed during the showing of ‘Barbie.’ Fans, some in pink, many of them young girls, lined up outside, chatting and expectant. My wife and I talked to a young couple, new to town, who settled in alongside us—our usual spots in the first row.

They said they love El Cerrito and the Rialto Cinemas Cerrito.

The audience was polite, quiet—except when we all laughed. It was the wonderful, peaceful mood in the theater, a sense of return to something good. No more mask mandates (and no rules against masks either!), no more social distancing. It was just a fine feeling.

Here’s hoping more and more people rediscover the joy of attending real movies in real theaters. See you at the movies.

Dave Weinstein

Rialto Cinemas is continuing its Free Family Matinee and Big Screen Classics series.

The Free Family Matinee series features kid-friendly movies on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month. They will show at 10 am at Rialto Cinemas Cerrito, and at 11 am at Rialto Cinemas Elmwood and Rialto Cinemas Sonoma County in Sebastopol. The films in this series will be:

• Aug. 5 – 6 The Karate Kid (1984)
• Sept. 2 – 3 The Dark Crystal (1982)
• Oct. 7 – 8 Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
• Nov. 4 – 5 A Cat in Paris (2010)
• De. 2 – 3 Gremlins (1984)

The Big Screen Classics series features films from the classic era of cinema. They will show on the second Thursday of each month at 1 pm at all three Rialto theaters (the Cerrito, the Elmwood, and the Sonoma County). The films in this series will be:

• Aug. 10 The Trouble with Harry (1955)
• Sept. 14 You Can’t Take It With You (1938)
• Oct. 12 The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
• Nov. 9 What’s Cooking (2000)
• Dec. 14 White Christmas (1954)

No admission fee will be charged for any of these screenings. Tickets will be available beginning the Friday before each screening. More information is available at rialtocinemas.com.

By now you’ve probably heard that the Albany Twin Theater on Solano Avenue has closed its doors. Its last day of business was Thursday, June 15. The closure of the Albany was a sad event for local film lovers.

An organization called The Friends of the Albany Twin has formed to save the theater. They are collecting contact information from like-minded people, along with people’s levels of interest. If you sign up, you can receive emails, news of events, petitions, notices of meetings, and other information, depending on your level of interest. The goal is to create a unified effort to bring the Albany Twin back to life.

To submit your contact info, click here:

Friends of the Albany Twin Contact Form

Thanks for your interest!