There’s a move afoot to bring back the old drive-in that many of us grew up with and miss in this day and age of multiplex cinemas. Whether playing the movie using good old fashion 16mm 1970s style projectors or the more modern DVD guerrilla drive-ins are gaining ground as a great way to see older, or indie, movies.
For the past four years John Young, a 38-year-old web developer and driving force behind the West Chester Guerilla Drive-in, has been showing films from a projector mounted on the sidecar of his 1977 BMW motorcycle.
He has presented more than a dozen movies at locations suited for the theme: “Meatballs” at a canoe rental centre, “Caddyshack” on a golf course, and most recently, “Ghostbusters” at Fort Mifflin, a favourite haunt of paranormal investigators.
It’s not exactly an evening at the local multiplex – and that’s the point.
“What a great idea. What a great way to see a movie,” said Jim Haighey, of West Chester, one of more than 60 people watching “Ghostbusters” projected in front of the fort’s 211-year-old Citadel. All had to first find a hidden AM receiver in West Chester transmitting a secret code before being e-mailed the location of the movie.
Source: The Globe and Mail
However these various guerrilla drive-ins decide to show their movies it gives a whole new meaning to “community theater” In many cases these MobMovs (the shorthand for mobile movies) begin to take on the feeling of community tailgate parties.
Of course anyone running these “MobMovs” are urged to keep it legal by getting property owner approval to show the movies on their property and to from movie distributors. Many of the distributors will charge you anywhere from $150 to $300 per showing. These costs are generally alleviated by donations from the people attending the showing.
Some MobMov resources for you to check out
West Chester Guerilla Drive-In HollyMobMov MobMov.org
[picture courtesy of The Globe and Mail / Joseph Kaczmarek / AP]
