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There are few things in LA we have such a love-hate relationship with as that Disney-fied shopping Valhalla known as The Grove shopping complex at Fairfax and Third. Therefore, we introduce a new feature, Good Grove/Bad Grove, to celebrate and bemoan the best and worst of the place that gave Century City an inferiority complex and bumped up property values around Park LaBrea.
Today's entry: Pacific's The Grove 14 Theatres. There's no question this is a beautifully designed theater with big, comfortable seats, awesome sound and everything LA's many, many film geeks demand. We love the cavernous lobby and the retro marquee out front. We even like the little bellhop uniforms the employees wear (though we suspect the employees themselves might disagree).
What we can do without are the crowds. If you want to see a movie that's even marginally popular anytime near the weekend, you'd better make your plans far in advance. Even still, you'll spend almost as much time waiting in line as you will watching the flick — first the ticket line, then the ticketholders line, where you'll need to arrive up to an hour before the show if you want a good seat.
Remind us again why this is better than the Arclight? And don't say the ticket price. Peak price at the Grove is $12.50, which — when you add in $2.00 for parking — actually tops the Arclight's $14.00. (And the savings for going to an off-peak show is a mere 50 cents — $10.50 vs. $11.00.) Arclight also spares you the endless pre-show of commercials.
We love you, Grove 14, but you're just not worth it. Sorry, but you're part of the Bad Grove.
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Nothing is better than the Arclight.
Grove, smove...
The Arclight has a assigned seating, full bar, fresh caramel corn, digital projections, the friggin' Cinerama Dome, and 21+ Showings where you can bring your tasty adult beverage into the theater.
Not to mention that after the movie you can walk a couple of blocks and have dinner at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles.
Everything about the Grove sucks. Tear down a portion of a major landmark to make a fake version of community area in a shopping fortress?
Q:Mike Davis where are you?
A: Arclight C21,C22.
Did someone just compare the Arclight to The Grove Cinemas? Isn't that like comparing Filet Mignon to Ground Beef (respectively)? The Arclight is quite possibly one of, if not the best thing to happen to Sunset Blvd. since Tullah the trannie on the corner of Van Ness started giving discounts on 1/2 & 1/2. Have you been to the 21+ screenings? I saw Anchorman there -- a funny movie with alcohol equals an even funnier movie -- and to top it all off there was a Channel 9 anchorman there! I saw that Metallica documentary and the director spoke afterwards. I saw the Alien Director's Cut release on the Dome -- and had my usual "accident" at the same point every time. The Grove? I only go there if I'm bored and don't have a problem putting up with talking grandmothers and/or crying babies with cell phones that go off. And did I mention the reserved seating? I've been spoiled so much, I actually have to go see my shrink after I have to see a movie without assigned seating. BUT, and maybe this is just me, I miss the old dome. You know -- the one with the stale popcorn and the bad movies. I saw John Carpenter's Vampires there -- it sucked, but it was on the dome. But the reserved seating does rule. And NO, I'm not associated with the Arclight...but if they did want to send me some free tickets, I wouldn't argue. That or maybe a coupon from Tullah.
MY GROVE SUNDAY MATINEE EXPERIENCE - Paid $9.50 to see a film (cheap price since it was the first show of the day!) There were seven, count them SEVEN truly uncreative commercials, (remember when only the coolest commercials were allowed in theatres?) Then I was subjected (yet again) to Manny Perez talking about repesting copywrites, blah, blah, blah. I swear that commercial has been running for years, or maybe I see too many movies.
People, unite, please don't stand for this anymore and COMPLAIN TO THE THEATRE. The reason we pay so much for movies is so that we won't have commercials. What's next, a ten minute commercial intermission cut into the film???!!!