Simi Valley Star from Simi Valley, California • 17

Weekender riday Dec 1G 1983 The Enterprise Page 17 Theater opens 2 new screens Gets new name as well from for it" recalled Jett Movie review well made film Silkwood but far too cool uninvolving By Bill Warren role Shown Theater Continuing Continuing show) Call 1 213 972 7654 disrupted and finally is anything but unsafe practices final 7:30 San ernando Valley Continuing a in is "Chapter Two" is playing at the Stage Door in Agoura 28311 Agoura Hoad Thursdays through Satur days through Dec 22 and then Jan 5 29 Tickets are $5 on Thursdays and ridays and $6 on Saturdays or information call 1 213 889 3421 Ventura County Opening 3 DANCES IN: The musical comedy will hit the stage at Oxnard Civic Auditorium with a cast composed of a number of local people The show which opens today featuring Laura Baker (not pictured) in REVELATION: In true feelings for Los Angeles area' Opening By Mike arkash The Enterprise Staff after the initial cost of construc tion" said DeMers explaining the value of adding two more screens to attract people The grand opening celebration which business people the mayor' the city council and other local individuals will be invited takes' place on Thursday Prices at the theater will remain the same $450 for adults and $250 for children under 12 "I think it will be very beneficial to the theater" DeMers said excited about the grand opening I think the community will have a better choice" The theater ill be 'running ap proximately the same hours with the two new screens although with InnPpr hnnrQ durinn fhn Chr icf rr nc 1UC I I 1 Will I0U1IUO period During the Christmas the movie house will open at 12:30 pm each day Regular hours will begin at 6 pm daily and at: noon on Saturday and Sunday Generally the theater in Larwin Square has run and will continue to screen movies different from the Mann Sycamore 0 Theatres in Simi Valley a musical spoof of the famous Bram Stoker novel will open Dec 31 at The Magnificent Moorpark Melodrama and Vaude ville Co 45 High St Moorpark or more information call 529 1212 a drama about attempted rape runs at the Coronet Theatre 366 La Cienega Blvd Los Angeles Call 1 213 659 6415 for information The play runs riday ana taturaay at 8 pm with performances at 2 pm and pm on Sunday 6 i a tender moment Dolly (Cher right) proclaims her Karen (Meryl Streep) in a seine fioin the movie Christmas by Truman Capote at the Mark Taper orum's Sundays at the Itchey oot Itchey oot Ristorante 801 West Temple performances on Sunday at 1:30 pm and 5:30 Monday at 7:30 pm and Wednes "Rodgers and Hart A Musical is running at the irelite Dinner Theatre 3560 Market St Dinner show perfor mances for the musical will play Thursdays through Sundays until Jan 22 There will be no shows Christmas weekend On Thursdays through Saturdays the doors open at 6 pm and dinner is at 6:30 pm The show follows dinner On Sun day the schedule begins one hour Saturdays at 8:30 pm and Sundays at 5 pm ending eb 5 NEW SCREENS COMING The Larwin Theatre is unveiling two new theaters to give the Mann Sycamore 6 a run for its money Now that the Larwin has four a 'script "Nora Ephron and Alice Arlen Nichols was signed to direct: his first feature since 1975 and "Silkwood? the movie became a reality Was it worth the trouble? The answer is yes and no as it so often is Nichols and the writers work so very hard to be dispassionate about the story that they become un passionate as well hard to become involved in what we are 'seeing and a serious pro blem We care about Karen Silkwood but we also know that doomed so already a reluctance to become too caring we run the danger of being emo tionally upset we hang back even farther than the film does And the last scene of Karen departing with a brave little smile a song on the soundtrack and a shot of her car that's held for a long long time is so maudlin and cliched as to be somewhat rebuffing to an audience is the only really cliched scene in the film however) The story really about the unsafe practices at the Kerr McGee plant about the radicalization of a restless intelligent woman When we first meet Karen Silkwood in the midst of a satisfactory love affair with Drew (Kurt Russell) and living with him and her lesbian friend Doily (Cher) but she is dissatisfied with her life Without even being aware of it far brighter than the people around her cut off from her children by a hostile ex husband feeling disconnected from her job 4 Karen is ripe for a change in her life And it comes with a growing involvement in her union She even makes a secret trip to Washington with other union representatives which has two major consequences Stone (Ron Silver) an opportunistic union lawyer encourages her to make reports on the dangerously unsafe practices at the plant and she also has a brief affair with him This leads to complications in her personal life As Karen becomes more and more deeply involved in getting the goods on the plant her life becomes endangered 1 The film polemic on plants that refine plutonium it (See Page 18) Bob Dawsonstaff above are Kristi Baker center NASHVILLE Tenn (UPD Sometime between age 12 and 15 Joan Jett picked up a bad reputa tion lot of people thought I was going to whip out a gun and blow rr i uivii ntjdub on Jen said But I'm just very determined like any pei son seeKing a career The bad reputation came Larwin Theatre after de cades under that name is un dergoing a major facelift major surgery in fact as it adds two new' screens to the formerly twin theater and changes its name all effective' today The new name will lie the Great Western 4 Theatres and two new theaters of 200 seats each are' scheduled to open today (Great Western owns the theater and others throughout the West The theater has been 'closed pending the renovations ilms to begin today are of a with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John in the large theater (still the largest walk in screen in Ventura County 'with roughly 600 seats) starring Meryl Streep and Cher' in the smaller: theater (about 300 seats) and in the two new theaters "To Be Or Not To Be" with Mel Brooks and Anne being one of the first women to pick up an electric guitar and dedicate her life to "raunchy rock Iler childhood started out in nocently enough irst she wanted to be a nurse then an astronaut A then a policewoman But she even tually chose another form of public service rock music It was her idea to form the all girl and comedy through Jan 1 1984 at the (See THEATER LIST Page 19) becomes an altogether new charac ter If it wasn't for her distinctive eyes and nose she simply would not be recognizable as the actress who played "The rench Lieutenant's She is thoroughly Karen Silkwood in attitudes gestures voice it is simply perfect no seams showing perfor mance and will' undoubtedly get her another Oscar nomination She certainly deserves it? "idflier on the the musical about the joys and woes of a poor Jewish family in Russia continues through Jan 29 at the Showboat Dinner Theatre at the Swedish Inn 19817 Ventura Blvd Woodland Hills Tickets are $18 for riday performances $19 for Sat urday performances and $17 for Sunday performances Prices in clude a buffet dinner or more information and reservations call 1 213 884 7461 Bancroft and "The Man Who Loved with Burt Reynolds and Julie Andrews The Reynolds film is rated and the rest are "PG" Ron DeMers the new manager of the theater said actual construction began on the two new screens about a 90 days ago although plans for the additional screens were in the works more than two years made the name change to identify it with Great Western" DeMers said probably be adding two or three new people These employees will usher and serve refreshments Including DeMers and one new employee already hired the total stafLnum bers 15 No new projectionists will be added to the staff of three A1' single projectionist at a time will move to second booth sandwiched on the ground floor between the two small theaters to set up the films there" overhead stays the same "My Sister at the Megaw Theatre 17601 Saticoy St Northridge 1 213 881 8166' with Martin Azarow of Simi Valley in the role of the landlord The comedy by Joseph ields and Jerome Chodorov runs Wednesdays through Meryl Streep continues in her astonishing career In Mike Nichols' welLmade but somewhat uninvolving she plutonium plant employee who died mysterious in 1974 Hirsch was ordered to turn over all his research materials on the film to Kerr McGee but? refused long court cases followed involving manyrespected members of the movie community inally the US Court of Appeals in Denver found in Hirsch's favor which granted filmmakers the same' first amendment 'protections tradi tionally afforded to print journal ists Hirsch and Cano commissioned earlier Tickets for shows are $1850 per person which includes dinner or information call 1 642 8515 or 1 656 3922 'Executiver''' producers Buzz Hirsch" and Larry Cano went through precedent setting troubles in obtaining the rights to the story of Karen Silkwood the Kerr McGee the stage musical will run at the Oxnard Civic Auditorium 800 Hobson Way with a' cast from Simi Valley Los Angeles and even some folks from Utah beginning today at 8 pm The show will also run Saturday at 2 pm and 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm Monday at 8 pm and riday Dec 23 at 8 pm Tickets are $8 $9 and $1450 or information call the auditorium at 1 486 2424 Tickets can be charged by calling 1 800 82 ANNIE' got letters from the public because the theater was running rated pictures Then they ran PG and nobody came 7 it's a mainstream picture like or people come out for movies' Ward said "The people don't sup port the theaters in that town (Simi Valley) unless real mainstream Maybe they want to spend their money on pictures where they might have to take a chance That's why we have the dollar day" Ward added noting the dollar day would continue to be a special feature in the future As to hy it took two years to add the new screens Ward explained the holdup was in the planning "In Simi Valley they go through things three or four times When you submit a set of plans to someone and they say want you to make these I don't expect they will come back three and four times for (additional changes) I couldn't believe what was going on" Ward said that inspectors would come up with new requirements on the spot including adding requisite changes like a new sprinkler system for an old garage which does not even belong to Great Western but which is adjacent to the theaters! Ward said the theater was asked to do a number of off site improve ments "I don't mind doing them if I know about it up front" Shakespeare" a one man show with lan McKellen at the Westwood Playhouse 10886 LeConte Ave? 1 213 208 5454 running Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:30 pm Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 pm and Sundays at 7:30 pm through Jan 1 1984 but more of a gentlemen's agree ment "We don't fight with the Mann We don't bid we just go after the (juality product" As to box office success: depends on what picture you're Ward said the Mann pretty much plays films from Warner Bros and Orion studios and occasionally some Paramount films "We play 20th Century ox re leases)" said Ward "If both theaters want the same movie we negotiate with the Mann and the film companies" Ward said would go to bidding if the gentleman's agreement breaks But adds ward all the major movies will play in Simi Valley atne time or another Great Western will focus on more mainstream material' while the Mann with its six theaters may run some films like Greyi ox" (a beautifully photo graphed western Ward said all the big pictures will be playing in Simi Valley With the opening of the theater Simi Valley will have 10 walk in movie theaters one more than Thousand Oaks "At this time we have 10 screens and one drive in and for the time being we really have enough You anv more theaters in Simi Valley for many in Simi Valley are a strange said Ward "We figure them He noted the Mann Theatre people told him they Teller" magic George W'ilhelmstafr screens (about 1200 seats) it is also changing its name to Great Western I Theatres The movie house is due to reopen today the title and from left Kelly Suiter Renee Sands Nancy Baker Ashley Youkstetter and Leanna Beth The Bakers are sisters (See listings for more information) By Mike arkash The Enterprise Staff The moviegoing public here abouts is just about impossible to figure out says Bill Ward vice president of Great Western Theatres Great Western owns the Larwin which is undergoing' a name change and having two new screens added Wards voice takes on a bewildered plainitive note when he 1 tries to fathom just what it is Simi Valley and Moorpark people want when it comes time to take in a flick "Simi Valley is not a theater going public like up in Ventura LA County" Ward said in an interview this week about the (now the Great Western 4 Theatres) Ward noted that Simi Valiev residents nn thn nvnracro ci have a high income but that money? is not being spent on filmgoing adding the two screens set to debut today) as a defensive measure four against six" The 'change has been in the planning stages for about two years Great Western has owned the Larwin lor about 2 2 years 41 not like the old days when the Larwin was the only game in town Now the theater has to compete see against tne Mann Sycamore 6 Theatres However Ward claims the bid ding process to rent movies for the theaters is not a heavy competition Joan Jett outlasts bad reoutation rock 'n' roll band in 1972 called the Runaways and hit the road five years of touring The band played the kind of overtly sexual music that was unheard of were just normal teenage girls who swore a little bit and smoked and drank now and again but we had a jailbait image and got put aown Local moviegoers impossible to figure says film chain chief Mb I M'JBHHhHI I 1' (BOW i lit wiLBB si 1 I I i tn al 5.