Archive for the ‘Journey to the West (movie)’ Category

Journey to the Film Bar   3 comments

I have been aware of an independent movie theater for a couple of years now called the Film Bar, but I had never visited it. I found out last week that this fantastic Chinese film called JOURNEY TO THE WEST was being shown there all this week, and decided that I had to see it. Sunday afternoon, April 6, 2014, Corencio and I headed off to check out this fabulous place.  I took the camera along, and this is what I found.

 

2014-04-06 06.12.30

The time is about 6 p.m. There is still plenty of daylight. The wires visible above the building suggested something to the downtown painter and this wall has been turned into this rather bizarre scene. i got this picture because I wound up parked across the street from it, and it is too strange to ignore.

2014-04-06 06.13.02

I am parked in front of this building. Mr. Piano Teeth is also watching the poles.

2014-04-06 06.14.03

My desintation is across the street. I think I’ll walk around and check out the neighborhood.

2014-04-06 06.14.25

Looking towards the center of town on 2nd Street.

2014-04-06 06.14.31

Hotel Westward Ho, a survival from early Phoenix, is about 2 blocks away.

2014-04-06 06.14.53

The area is protected by an angel. She also serves drinks.

2014-04-06 06.14.58

Perhaps she is the owner of the Angels Trumpet. She adorns the south wall of it.

2014-04-06 06.15.52Front door to the Film Bar. No external box office here.

2014-04-06 06.15.56

Another view.

2014-04-06 06.16.41

Some people inside were singing and dancing.

2014-04-06 06.17.36

The walls are full of art, and also hung with art.

2014-04-06 06.17.49

The sports lounge in the bar. Buy a drink, walk around a corner, and watch soccer.

2014-04-06 06.18.16

Yep! It’s a real bar.

2014-04-06 06.18.47

Art for sale. Meant to appeal to a Bohemian crowd, but the painters want real money for this work. I don’t see anything here that I would pay 2 or 3 hundred dollars for, but what do I know? These originals may be worth fortunes some day.

2014-04-06 06.18.58

More art. The naked blonde is somebody’s muse. She appears in more than one picture on the walls.

2014-04-06 06.19.26

Bathroom doors.  I love it when artists get creative around the bathroom.

2014-04-06 06.19.40

The Grinch plays chess!  Who knew? See the blonde. She doesn’t seem like a happy muse.

2014-04-06 06.21.04

Entrance to the theater. I bought our tickets at the bar, got admitted here. They only staff it when a movie is about to start.

2014-04-06 06.29.58

Blue screen and theater seats. Cameras aren’t allowed, but I’m not trying to photo their movie.

2014-04-06 06.30.43

 There is a back way out. We didn’t use it. The movie was very enjoyable, and I find the Film Bar a pretty cool place, but at $9 a ticket, I won’t be going there often. However the film opened my eyes to a whole world of Chinese fantasy I only vaguely knew about before, and thanks to youtube, I will be watching a lot of it in the future.

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If  you’ve ever gone to an independent or art theater, or if you’ve seen Journey to the West, or would like to, why not leave a comment?

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