Red River 101
Concord's long-awaited independent movie theater opens tonight. Here's everything you need to know about what it costs, what it's playing, and what you can eat while you're watching.

Concord Monitor
October 19, 2007
By Joelle Farrell

Red River Theatres is at 11 Main St., right next to Gibson's Bookstore. The cinema takes its name from the nonprofit group that formed in 2001 with the intention of building a theater to show films that might not otherwise show in Concord.

Now Playing:
There are the three movie choices for opening weekend, with descriptions from the Red River Theaters website:

In the Shadow of the Moon
Rated PG
Run time: 100 minutes

"A rousing celebration of human endeavor, In the Shadow of the Moon begins in the early 1960s, with President Kennedy's stated ambition to put an American on the moon before the end of the decade, and culminates in Apollo 11's successful lunar landing and the extraordinary global impact that event had."

Showtimes: Fri., Oct. 19: 6:00, 8:15 Sat., Oct. 20: 1:30; 3:45, 6:00, 8:15 Sun., Oct. 21: 2:30, 4:45, 7:00 Mon., Oct. 22; Tue, Oct. 23 & Thu., Oct. 25: 6:00, 8:15 Wed., Oct. 24: 8:30

Paris je t'aime
Run rime: 120 minutes
Rated: R

"Twenty celebrated directors from around the world, including the Coen Brothers, Gus Van Sant, Gurinder Chadha, Wes Craven, Walter Salles, Alexander Payne and Olivier Assayas, have come together to portray Paris in a way before never imagined."

Showtimes: Fri., Oct. 19: 8:40 Sat., Oct. 20: 4:00, 9:30Sun., Oct. 21: 5:00Mon., Oct. 22; Tue, Oct. 23 & Thu., Oct. 25: 8:40 Wed., Oct. 24: 9:00

Red River
Runtime: 133 minutes
Not rated

"The classic 1948 Western starring John Wayne, in which the lead characters undertake an epic, nearly impossible, but ultimately successful, journey. Our founding volunteers were inspired by this film when selecting the organization's name!"

Showtimes: Fri., Oct. 19: 5:30Sat., Oct. 20: 1:00, 6:40Sun., Oct. 21: 2:00, 7:40Mon., Oct. 22; Tue, Oct. 23 & Thu., Oct. 25: 5:30

Tickets and seats:
Matinees cost $5 for all ages. Shows 5 p.m. and later cost $8 for adults and $6 for military members, students, or seniors (ages 62 and up).

The box office opens a half-hour before each show and tickets can also be purchased online and printed out at home.

There are three movie screens at Red River, including two theaters with stadium-style seating (meaning a head shouldn't block your view unless the person in front of you is some kind of super-tall mutant).

The Lincoln Financial Cinema seats 166 and will play In the Shadow of the Moon this weekend. The Stonyfield Farm Culture Cinema seats 109 and will play Paris je t'aime and Red River this weekend.

The Jaclyn Simchik Memorial Cinema seats 48 and is equipped with high-end DVD equipment and video-conferencing capabilities.

Money:
It cost $1.8 million to build Red River, with $150,000 left to go. That's right people, open your wallets. You think just because the candy's cheap you can go every week and not feel a little guilty for not donating?

Well, if you'd like to feel better about yourself and get a few nice benefits, Red River offers several ways that you can become a member. Give $60 and earn the title "Flick Fan," which includes $1 off admission to shows and a free show on your birthday. Plus $40 of the donation is tax deductible. Join as a couple for $100 and make sure that even if he forgets your birthday, at least you get a movie. It's $150 for a family to become Flick Fans.

Give more, earn advanced titles and sweet perks. At $500, you're a "Supporting Actor," which gives you and a date $2 off admission and free popcorn. You also get 10 free guest passes for the people you thought wouldn't get you a Christmas present, but then they did.

If you're rolling in it, considering becoming a "Producer" with a $5,000 contribution. You and three of your cronies get free admission all year long, and each time you come to a show, you get free popcorn, soda and coffee. You also get 20 guest passes, six passes to S.N.O.B. Film Festival and four free rentals of Screening Room: When you've got pockets this fat, you might as well show the family vacation video on the big screen.

The Big Scary Parking Garage:
Chill, people, it's not that difficult. Why fight for a metered spot on Main Street when there are 510 spaces available in a parking garage? Take the Pleasant Street extension down to Storrs Street (which runs parallel to Main Street behind the theater). Hang a right and turn where you see the large "P". Take a ticket and proceed to the second or third level, you can access the theater from the stairs or elevator.

Parking is free after 5 p.m. weekdays and on the weekends, which is when the movies show. If you're an early bird and you park in the garage before 5 p.m. on a weekday, you'll have to pay your ticket before you can leave the garage. Bring the ticket with you to the movie. There's a machine on the third floor of the parking garage. Put your ticket in, pay what it asks for, then take the ticket back. On your way out of the garage, insert the ticket into the ticket eater and you're done.

Food
Many parts of Red River could arguably be "the best part." It's downtown, it shows cool movies, the seats are comfortable. But having popcorn AND beer with your movie? Probably the best part.

The concessions and the prices are head and shoulders above other theaters. No longer will you have to stuff your purse (or pants) with snacks and sodas for you and your friends. There are several high top tables and chairs near the concession stand, or movie-goers can bring their food inside with them.

For the busy people who didn't have time for dinner before the movie, Red River is here for you. Sandwich options include meat, vegetarian or salad (as in tuna, chicken or egg salad). It's $6 but hey, better to part with a little cabbage than experience one more night of the "Oh God I ate too much popcorn" feeling.
Soup and coffee will also be available. There's a fancy make-your-own-coffee machine that lets you "girl out" if you want a Milky Way Latte or a chai. If you have a reputation to uphold, black coffee and tea are also available.

Feel like blowing your high-calorie load on something a little more sophisticated than a Kit-Kat bar? Red River will sell pastries from a featured baker, new each month. First baker up is Concord Cooperative Market.

You know how at the movies you have to pay $50 for popcorn, a soda and a pack of gummy worms? Guess what, Red River is a concession steal. This is your license to pig out. Candy costs $1 only, but these are regular size M&M's, folks, not the "promoting obesity" size. Popcorn costs $2.50 for a small, $3 for a medium and $4.25 for a large, and soda sells in the same sizes, at $1.50, $2 or $2.50.

OK, I know, you're bursting to know about the booze. For $2.50, you get 12 golden ounces of Miller Lite. For $3.50, you can enjoy two local brews: Tuckerman's or the Woodstock Brewery's Pemi Pale Ale, or a Sam Adams or a Mike's Hard Lemonade.

For the wine lovers, there are two reds: a cabernet and a merlot, and three whites: a chardonnay, a pinot grigio and a riesling. A glass, which is about five ounces, costs $5.

This is a high-class joint but in the interest of safety, alcoholic beverages will be served in plastic, not glass, containers.

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