popular thinking

PUTTING THE COOL IN COOLIDGE CORNER: Brookline's Coolidge Corner Theatre puts the "independent'' in independent cinema and the "art'' in arthouse.
That has become an increasingly rare combination to find, not just here in the Hub, but anywhere.
Most metropolitan areas have at least one cinema that screens the latest indie films such as Murderball or March of the Penguins. But where else can you find live wrestling, a concert performance by Thor, author readings, video game tournaments, puppetry, Buffy, the Vampire Slayer sing-alongs and transsexual singing nuns?
"There are very few independent theaters anymore,'' said Clinton McClung, the Coolidge's program director. "A lot of the cinema nowadays seems like it's programmed by a committee in California somewhere. This is what a movie theater should be like.''
In his five years at the Coolidge, McClung has introduced more eclectic events to the Brookline cinema's two screens. Meanwhile, other Boston venues have shut down and nationwide consolidation has put more screens into fewer hands.
Having a place like the Coolidge "is such a good, good thing,'' said Garen Daly, who serves on the board for the Museum of Bad Art and used to own and book the Dedham Community Theater.
Daly praised past and current owners with keeping the Coolidge afloat during lean years when many other small cinemas closed. "Within the industry, they are one of the premium theaters in the country,'' he said.
George Mansour, a longtime Boston movie booker, concurred.
"I think they were always in the center of doing unusual things,'' Mansour said. "They're possibly doing more now, because there's so little leeway in programming movie houses.''
For his part, McClung said it requires a lot of work and imagination to keep audiences intrigued.
"You can't just show a cool movie and expect people to show up,'' he said. That might bring in 50-60 people, but with rooms seating 250 and 600, respectively, that won't pay the bills.
"With the Brattle, the Harvard Film Archive, the MFA and all the mainstream theaters, there's a lot to do in this town, too,'' McClung said. His focus: "A you'll-only-see-it-here kind of thing.''
In the next week, the Coolidge wraps up its Monday Summertime Blues series with a performance by the Keigo Hirakawa Quartet and a Louis Prima documentary, and a live concert by Thor with his new film, The Intercessor.
For August and September, highlights include offensive animation, insane puppetry, a series of 1970s cult films and a naughty Catholic night that includes a troupe of singing transsexual nuns called Systyr Act.
"I think that's much more exciting than just showing a film,'' McClung said.
McClung has yet to figure out the money and logistics to throw a midnight horror show that would include hypnotists and mayhem.
"We want to squirt blood on the audience, and have skeletons falling from the ceiling,'' he said. "I'm going to do it someday. I promise.''

Visit the Coolidge Corner Theatre: official site.
Read my story in the Herald: Crazy flicks and wacky happenings? Coolidge has it cornered