I spent an enormous amount of time at the Old Hyde Park 7, the defunct movie palace that Cobb Theater recently remodeled into CinéBistro. I saw Pulp Fiction there on opening night, Schindler's List, too. I fondly recall sneaking into a screening of the Bruce Willis soft-core thriller Color of Night before I was of R-rated age, deftly dodging ticket-takers and theater managers in my quest to ogle co-star Jane March's boobs. That type of chicanery is impossible these days, as CinéBistro is strictly 21-and-up due to the alcohol sales. Fortunately, the management isn't looking to exclude the kiddies altogether, and have planned a series of holiday features.
Per Cobb COO Jeremy Welman, "The Family Holiday Series is a part of a bigger family-friendly approach we will take with select family-oriented films throughout the year. The holiday season … creates the perfect opportunity to open up our theatre to children." The family screenings are already underway, with pre-6 p.m. shows of A Christmas Carol running daily, and The Nutcracker (starts Dec. 5, Hyde Park location only) and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (starts Dec. 23) waiting in the wings.
Children are of course welcome at these screenings — though they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. That's too bad for parents looking to dump the kids for a few hours while they do some holiday shopping, but probably in the best interest of the theater and the rest of us. As part of the deal, CinéBistro has prepared a special kids' menu for the Holiday Series, including a "special dessert" and drink, to go along with the state-of-the-art theaters and the beautiful leather chairs.
The Family Holiday Series will continue through the end of the year at both the Hyde Park Village and Wesley Chapel CinéBistro's locations. Check out cobbcinebistro.com for more information.
This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2009.