Pinching Mimsie Starr

If you read my open letter to St Michael’s a few months ago – a letter that was, in its intent, far more sincere than I discovered some people assumed – you’ll know that Melbourne’s Astor Theatre, a cinematic emporium whose cultural importance cannot be overstated, was under threat of closure.

By virtue of circumstance, St Michael’s Grammar School, the owners of the extraordinary art deco building that houses the Astor, was cornered into the role of the villain. It was clear that they were only acting in the best interests of their students, but those interests were working in direct opposition to the survival of a unique cultural institution, and one many of feel very, very passionate about. To use a cliché that I trust St Michael’s advises its students against using in their own writing, they were damned if they did, and damned if they didn’t. I did not envy them.

The community rallied, and turned out in force for the massive Save The Astor rally this past June, but what followed was a worrying silence. There was a sense that something was going on behind the scenes, but nobody on the outside of the bubble knew what that was. Last week, we found out.

Lionel Barrymore:             not Ralph Taranto.

St Michael’s Grammar has relented, and sold the building to businessman Ralph Taranto.

Who is this man? A ruthless corporate figure, one who’d no doubt be played by Lionel Barrymore in the film, who would tear the building asunder and sell it off, molecule by molecule?

Thankfully – gloriously – no!

Ralph Taranto loves his cinema, and having spoken to some people who have had dealings with him, it sounds like this love is genuine and sincere. Taranto clearly has a passion for keeping the Astor going, and he’s already committed to extending the business’s lease, as well as giving the building some much-needed refurbishments.

Right now, you probably want to give him a bear hug. Get in line.

Mr Taranto is definitely a hero in this situation, but he’s not the only one. (Although, as my Hell Is For Hyphenates co-host Paul Nelson pointed out to me, the saving of the Astor Theatre has a strikingly-similar narrative to the saving of its spiritual sister, the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles. Not least because the Astor was saved by Ralph Taranto, and the New Beverly was saved by the nominatively-similar Quentin Tarantino!)

It strikes me that we should also be thanking some of the higher-ups at St Michael’s Grammar. They deserve a significant amount of the credit for this result, because they were under no obligation to sell the building. Zero. It seems apparent that they did so because they recognise that they are themselves part of the community, and the community had made its feelings very clear. If you’re wanting to give Ralph that hug, St Michael’s deserves, at minimum, a high five.

It goes without saying, but none of this would have happened without the incredibly tireless efforts of both the Astor Theatre itself and the Friends of the Astor organisation. I know at least one of the key figures prefers not to be singled out for credit, so we’ll simply credit the larger entities.

So, what next? A suggestion that you, the reader, support the Astor?

No. Definitely not. To ask you to ‘support’ the Astor is to suggest that it’s some sort of responsibility, a task you do out of duty*. And if it was such a thing, it would never have survived the past eighty years.

Tomorrow night, the theatre will play a double featuring two of my favourite films of the year: The King of Devil’s Island and Declaration of War. Great films on their own, but the pairing is inspired.

There’s a David Lean retrospective starting on Saturday, featuring Brief Encounter, Blithe Spirit, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Doctor Zhivago, The Bridge Over the River Kwai, and the brand new restoration of Lawrence of Arabia. (The first time I saw Lawrence was in 70mm at the Astor. The second time was in 35mm at the Astor. I can’t wait to see their 4K digital print looks like.)

Then there’s the amazing four-hour Woody Allen: A Documentary, a Wes Anderson retrospective, a Russ Meyer ‘Vixen-Fest’, the George Romero Night/Dawn/Day trilogy on the one night, the Back to the Future trilogy on the one night, the extended version of Kenneth Lonergen’s Margaret, 2001: A Space Odyssey in 70mm, Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet in 70mm, a Jodorowsky double of Holy Mountain and El Topo, the Lord of the Rings extended edition trilogy on the one day, a double of Cabin in the Woods and Drag Me To Hell… and all of that within the space of only three months. Not only is the above just business-as-usual for the Astor, but I actually left out a whole lot of incredible stuff. Go take a look if you don’t believe me.

This is one of those rare instances when everybody wins. St Michael’s still gets to use the Astor for school events. We get to keep our beloved cinema. And much like the classic films it so frequently plays, the building itself will be subject to a gorgeous restoration. The only way this could be better is if I was allowed to live there.

So don’t feel obliged to ‘support’ the Astor; just visit it every night for completely selfish reasons. When I’m back in Melbourne, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.

* That said, you should definitely join Friends of the Astor.

MIFF Congeniality

Just a quick reminder to all of you in Melbourne that I’ll be appearing at two free events at the Melbourne International Film Festival tomorrow!

From 5:30pm to 6:15pm, myself and The Bazura Project’s Shannon Marinko will be hosting A Nervous Kind of Laughter, talking about the great edgy American comedies of the 1970s: films by Woody Allen, Hal Ashby, Mike Nichols and more. Appearing on the panel with us will be Adam Zwar (Wilfred, Lowdown), Judith Lucy (The Late Show, Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey) and MIFF special guest Bobcat Goldthwaite, director of Shakes the Clown, Windy City Heat, Sleeping Dogs Lie, World’s Greatest Dad and God Bless America.

Come down to the Festival Lounge at the Forum Theatre and listen to us wax lyrical about one of the greatest periods of cinematic comedy.

Then you’ve got forty-five minutes to get something to eat and then come back for the MIFF Comedy Night. From 7pm, I’ll be MCing a night of film-themed stand-up comedy featuring Danny McGinlay, Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall, Matt Kenneally, Geraldine Quinn, Harley Breen and Bobcat Goldthwaite.

This is the sort of night that’s perfect for everyone. If you’re a MIFF addict, you probably need a night off from the screen-staring. But if the sessions have proven too pricey for you, then hey, these are free. Sorted!

Wednesday 15 August 2012 at the Forum Theatre, 154 Flinders Street.

5:30pm: A Nervous Kind of Laughter

7pm: MIFF Comedy Night

Quick Update

I try not to avoid doing it, but I occasionally complain on social media about the sheer amount of work I’m doing from day to day. So when people ask when they’re going to see the fruits of these labours, I have to beat them to a bloody pulp for their insolence, then – after a bloody shoot-out with police – go on the lam with a different passport, some quicky cosmetic surgery, and a sassy, gun-toting sidekick.

So, to save time, I thought I’d do a brief update on some of the things that have begun to see the light of day, presented in an unnecessarily exciting tone:

me on this month’s Hell Is For Hyphenates podcast, talking about the films of July (The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-man, Not Suitable For Children), the career of Sarah Watt, and the films of Todd Haynes. Our guest this month was John Richards, he of the TV show Outland and the TV-themed podcast Boxcutters, both of which rank among my list of favourite things. Somewhat coincidentally, the same day we recorded Hyphenates, I guested on the most recent Boxcutters, debating Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom. It’s a brilliant podcast (despite my contribution) and anyone who’s been following the show and feels passionately either for or against it should really have a listen.

my new column in Encore Magazine, in which I get nostalgic about classic Australian film and TV. I kick off with a look back at The Games, the brilliant Olympics-skewering show by John Clarke and Ross Stevenson. I also have a piece in the forthcoming Big Issue, looking at how recent films have handled the tricky topic of bullying. It’s possibly more entertaining than I just made it sound.

me at the Melbourne International Film Festival on Wednesday 15 August, talking about the wave of American comedies of the 1970s, alongside Bobcat Goldthwaite, Judith Lucy, Adam Zwar and my Bazura Project co-host Shannon Marinko. That’s in the Forum Lounge from 5:30pm to 6:15pm, and it’s a free event, so you have no excuse not to attend. But you should stick around for the MIFF Comedy Night (also free!) from 7pm to 9pm, also in the Forum Lounge. I’ll be MCing, and guests will include Bobcat Goldthwaite, Matt Kenneally, Danny McGinlay, Geraldine Quinn, Harley Breen, and more! They’ll all be telling their best film tales, and you should definitely attend.

That’s all for now. More to come soon. Thanks for your indulgence.