With the recent release of the new iPhone 8, a fresh iOS, and
the hotly anticipated iPhone X right on its heels, thousands of people are in
the process of updating their phones. So the time seems right to add a shiny
new app or two to the download queue. At the top of any cinephiles
list should be Kodak’s Reel Film app, developed right here in Rochester. Also
available for Android and accessible online at reelfilm.kodak.com, this nifty
little app allows users to locate nearby theater venues that offer the
opportunity to catch a movie projected on film.
Launched
late last year, the idea for the Reel Film App first came about back in 2015,
when Quentin Tarantino’s 70mm roadshow presentation of “The Hateful Eight” was
touring the country. Sites like Fandango often don’t include format information
for screenings, which is a problem if the format itself is a draw for certain
audiences. “Providing visibility to the venues showing these real, unique films
is really what it’s all about,” says Matt Stoffel, Web Strategy and Development
Manager for Kodak.
That initial
spark of an idea was followed by a year of development, which involved
communicating with staff from theaters across the country, who helped guide
what the app would ultimately look like. “It was really a national effort,”
says Mobile and Web Developer Larry Herb. These assisting theaters included our
very own Little and Dryden Theatres, as well as the Alamo Drafthouse
and the New Beverly in Los Angeles.
Their input
helped make the app a useful resource to film fans the world over, with 174
participating theaters across the nation, as well as Ireland and the UK. And
the database is actively growing, with new venues constantly being added. The
rebranded Kodak Center Theater (200 West Ridge Road) is just one of the most
recent additions, fresh to the app’s database as of last week.
The app
provides an option to set up notifications for local screenings (the proximity
automatically starts at 50 miles, though an update allowing you to adjust that
setting should be coming in the near future). Plus, the official Twitter
account constantly tweets out all the film screenings happening each day, so
there’s no reason to miss a single frame of celluloid showing anywhere in your
area.
In addition
to film screenings, the app also features a section devoted to in-production
movie projects shooting on film. At the heart of Kodak Reel Film app is the
company’s commitment to maintaining the accessibility of film. Says Stoffel,
“We want people to understand that it’s still around, it’s still totally
viable, and it’s really something special.”
Coming Attractions:
The “Banff
Radical Reels Tour” will be showing selected highlights from the annual Banff
Mountain Film Festival in Alberta, Canada. The festival features the best films
from around the world with focus on outdoor adventure sports. The “Radical Reel
Tours” screening will be held Wednesday, October 4, 7 p.m. at RIT’s Ingle
Auditorium. Tickets $12-$20. Visit rittickets.com or call 475-4121 for more
info.
For the
month of October, the Little Theatre and Fright Rags’ collaborative Saturday
Night Rewind film series will be expanding from its usual monthly screenings to
become a weekly showcase for classic horror movies. Beginning with a “Creepshow” double feature this Saturday at 7 p.m., other
selections include “Hellraiser” and the original
“Halloween” with actress P.J. Soles in attendance (look for an interview with
the actress in this space next week). There’s even a mystery film screening on
Saturday, October 28. Check thelittle.org for a complete schedule.
Presenting
three days of horrific cinematic treats, the fourth Upstate New York Horror
Film Festival will be held Friday, October 13 through Sunday, October 15 at the
Villages Screening Room (1471 Long Pond Road). The festivities include a timely
screening of “Friday the 13th” at 10 p.m. on Friday, and continue through the
weekend with screenings of 150 short and feature-length independent horror
films. Various ticket options and packages are available; check the festival
Facebook page for more information.
Hoopla!, a
collective made up of Rocky Horror enthusiasts from across Western New York
will host “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at The Cinema Theater (957 South
Clinton Avenue).
The evening
will feature a screening of the cult classic film, with a full shadowcast performance and audience participation. The show
starts at 11:30 p.m. Tickets are $5, and prop bags are available for $2.
If you
missed your chance to see Jordan Peele’s instant classic horror-thriller “Get
Out” on the big screen, the Little’s got you covered. The theater will screen
the film in conjunction with the Rochester Association of Black Journalists, as
part of their ongoing Black Cinema Series series on
Friday, October 27, at 7 p.m. The film will be followed by a panel discussion.
The Dryden
Theatre screens East German drama “The Architects” on Saturday, October 28 at
7:30 p.m. The film, about a middle-aged architect struggling with construction
on his first major commission, was the last film completed in the East German
film studio system before the end of the German Democratic Republic. A Q&A
with director Peter Kahane will follow. eastman.org
Have information about an upcoming film event or
screening? Send details to adam.lubitow@gmail.com.
This article appears in Oct 4-10, 2017.
