Premier Theatres

THE CAR: THE PEOPLES FASCINATION WITH THE MACHINE [Part 4]

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:35:10 +0000

FAILED CARS IN THE MARKET: UGLY BUT HEY…. LOOK GREAT TODAY

The American people have had a long love affair with cars. Whether it’s a teenager’s new found independence or a grown man’s show of status and power, cars represent much more to people than just a way to get from one place to another. Cars make a statement about their owners–or at least how their owners wish to be perceived.

That being the case, there are likely no car owners who want to be perceived as hideously ugly, poorly engineered, or hazardous to life and limb. For that reason and many others, a lot of cars become consigned to the dustbin of history, forever branded embarrassing failures.

Some are off-putting because of styling as enticing as a leisure suit. Some earned a reputation as a danger to the driver…and everyone else on the road. The reasons for their failures are varied, and while some of the companies that manufactured them recovered, many didn’t. Which cars have been among the biggest failures in automotive history you can view a list below:

1. Crosley Hotshot

The Crosley Hotshot was the work of Powel Crosley Jr., an Ohio industrialist who owned Crosley Broadcasting and the Cincinnati Reds. Despite this impressive resume, he was unsatisfied. Crosley longed to make cars, and in 1939 he founded Crosley Motors. Despite his success in several different businesses over the years, however, the car company never took off, and it became a black mark on Crosley’s otherwise impressive career.

2. Dodge Custom Royal

During a long drive, there’s nothing like music to take your mind off the tedium. Today, people play iPods through their car speaker systems so that they can be spared another radio commercial, but in 1956 drivers had no such option and they were at the sole mercy of their car radio’s disc jockey.

3. Amphicar

When trapped in bumper-to-bumper bridge or tunnel traffic, it must occur to many commuters that the whole sorry experience could be avoided if it were possible to cross a body of water in a car. In 1961, former racecar driver Hanns Trippel of Germany decided to tackle this challenge head-on, and he developed the Amphicar, an amphibious conveyance that could cross rivers, streams, and lakes, while all the poor saps in conventional cars sat fuming.

4. The Chevrolet Corvair was a compact, rear-engine car made during the 1960s. Initially, it was popular with consumers and it sold well. However, in 1965, consumer advocate Ralph Nader released the book “Unsafe at Any Speed: The Designed-In Dangers of the American Automobile,” which focused on the car’s less attractive attributes , such as suspension problems and the anti-sway bar that management had decided to remove toreduce production costs.

Nader testified before Congress, calling the Corvair “the leading candidate for the un-safest-car title.” The attention damaged the car’s image beyond repair, and its sales fell by half within one year of the book’s release. The last Corvair rolled off the production line in 1969.

5. Ford Pinto

In September 1970, Ford introduced the Pinto, a budget car that sold for a mere $2,000 . In the pursuit of economy, however, corners were cut that made the car alarmingly unsafe. The fuel tank was behind the rear axle and equipped with a fuel-filler pipe that burst in rear-end collisions, engulfing the car in flames.

When this came to Ford’s attention, the company determined the cost involved in correcting the problem. A memo was later made public revealing that Ford’s cost-benefit analysis put the cost of fixing the problem at $11 per car, a total of $113 million, while simply paying out-of-court settlements to horribly charred motorists would cost a mere $49 million . The car maker chose to pursue the second course of action, and once Mother Jones magazine exposed the memo in 1977, the company had no choice but to conduct a full recall and pay damages to those who had been in rear-impact accidents.

The Pinto went out of production in 1980. To this day, however, its name remains synonymous with engineering incompetence and corporate malfeasance. As recently as 2004, the Pinto was named one of the worst cars of all time by Forbes magazine.

6. DeLorean DMC-12

John DeLorean was an American automobile executive who developed the GTO, the Grand Prix, and the Firebird. Despite being involved with such iconic cars, he’s best known for the one that bears his name, the DeLorean DMC-12, which rolled out in 1981. What first got people talking was the unique gull-wing design of the doors. Once people stopped marveling at it and decided to drive it, however, their enthusiasm quickly evaporated.

The DMC-12 took more than 10 seconds to go from zero to 60 miles per hour, something that would make most Toyota 4 Runner owners take their cars to the shop. The 2.8-liter V6 was lethargic at best, particularly when its job was to power a car with as heavy a build as this one. After a year of flagging sales, the British government ordered the car’s Northern Ireland factory shut down, and the DMC-12 ceased production in 1982. It had another moment in the spotlight, however, when it appeared as a time machine in the 1985 Michael J. Fox movie “Back to the Future.”

7. Pontiac Aztek

The 2001 Pontiac Aztek was an object lesson in the phenomenon known as “Death by Committee.” On the inside, it was a sturdy, reliable ride that scored high on J.D. Power and Associates’ Customer Satisfaction Index. So far, so good. There was one small problem, however: The car was absolutely hideous. According to Time magazine, when it was introduced at the Detroit Auto Show, the audience could be heard gasping in horror.

The article went on to state that the look of the car was the result of excessive tinkering and fiddling by designers. By the time they were done fighting over it, they had reached a compromise worthy of Henry Clay, in that all parties were equally dissatisfied with the end design. No one else was particularly fond of the car either, and it ended up on Timemagazine’s 2007 list of the worst cars of all time , as well as its list of the worst inventions of all time and the top spot on The Daily Telegraph ’s list of the ugliest cars of all time .

8. Ford Edsel

Perhaps no car on earth is as identified with failure as Ford Motor’s Edsel. It was discontinued more than 50 years ago, and yet the name “Edsel” is still popular shorthand for a very expensive failed product.

Made by Ford and named after Henry Ford’s son, it was manufactured from 1958 until 1960, but never caught on with consumers. In reality, there was nothing particularly wrong with the car. It’s true that it was overpriced, it didn’t get great gas mileage, and the design of the vertical grill was somewhat ill-advised. However, the Edsel was no lemon, and its failure in the marketplace was due more toexcessive marketing hype and an economic downturn in 1957 that made the car’s sticker price prohibitively high. Still, rightly or wrongly, the Edsel is unlikely to ever shake its image as the ultimate failed car.

This was our list of 8 cars that failed, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section.

Triple Feature at the Drive-In this weekend [Showtimes: May 18 - 24/2012]

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:34:25 +0000

Weather is looking great and more exciting than that is our triple feature nights! Yes they are here and we cant wait. This weekend May 18th to May 20th you get to enjoy 3 movies. AND on SUNDAY ONLY we will be adding is 4th feature. Below you can view the list of movies for the 3 & 4 features this weekend and also the showtimes for the 21st to the 24th of May. Take advantage of this great weather and get to the drive-in for a fun warm summer night. Movies are always bigger and better under the stars.

You can now enjoy movies in Digital the biggest & best picture around!

5 DRIVE IN THEATRE , OAKVILLE

NOW IN DIGITAL!

“Friday, Sat &Sun– May 18-20″

SCREEN #1

Lorax G 9:20 pm

Avengers PG 10:55 pm

21 Jump Street 14A 1:30 am

Cabin in the Woods 18A 3:25 am (SUN ONLY)

SCREEN #2

What to Expect when You’re Expecting NR 9:30pm

The Dictator 14A 11:25pm

Safe 14A 1:00 am

Goon 18A 2:45 am (SUN ONLY)

SCREEN #3

Lucky One PG 9:30pm

Dark Shadows 14A 11:15 pm

Wrath of Titans 14A 1:20 am

Project X 18A 3:05 am (SUN ONLY)

“Mon-Thurs – May 21 – 24″

SCREEN #1

Avengers PG 9:20pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:50pm

SCREEN #2

The Dictator 14A 9:30pm

What to Expect when You’re Expecting NR 11:00pm

SCREEN #3

Dark Shadows 14A 9:40pm

Lucky One PG 11:40pm

STARLITE DRIVE IN HAMILTON ONTARIO

IN DIGITAL!

“Friday, Sat &Sun– May 18-20″

SCREEN #1

Lorax G 9:20 pm

Battleship PG 10:55 pm

American Reunion 14A 1:00 am

Act of Valor 14A 3:00 am (SUN ONLY)

SCREEN #2

Avengers PG 9:25pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:55pm

Safe 14A 1:45 am

Goon 18A 3:20 am (SUN ONLY)

SCREEN #3

Dark Shadows 14A 9:30pm

Lucky One PG 11:20pm

Wrath of Titans 14A 1:25 am

Project X 18A 3:10 am (SUN ONLY)

“Mon, Tues & Thurs – May 21, 22 & 24″

SCREEN #1

Battleship PG 9:20pm

American Reunion 14A 11:25pm

SCREEN #2

Avengers PG 9:25pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:55pm

SCREEN #3

Dark Shadows 14A 9:30pm

Lucky One PG 11:35pm

MUSTANG DRIVE IN LONDON ONTARIO

Now DIGITAL!

“Friday, Sat &Sun– May 18-20″

SCREEN #1

Lorax G 9:20pm

Avengers PG 10:55pm

Wrath of Titans 14A 1:30 am

Project X 18A 3:15 am (SUN ONLY)

SCREEN #2

What to Expect when You’re Expecting NR 9:25 pm

The Dictator 14A 11:20 pm

Safe 14A 1:00 am

Goon 18A 2:45 am (SUN ONLY)

“Mon, Tues & Thurs – May 21, 22 & 24″

SCREEN #1

Avengers PG 9:20pm

Lorax G 11:50pm

SCREEN #2

The Dictator 14A 9:25 pm

What to Expect when You’re Expecting NR 10:55 pm

SUNSET DRIVE IN BARRIE ONTARIO

FIRST WEEK WITH DIGITAL!

“Friday, Sat &Sun– May 18-20″

SCREEN #1

Avengers PG 9:20pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:50pm

Safe 14A 1:45 am

Goon 18A 3:30 am (SUN ONLY)

SCREEN #2

Lorax G 9:25 pm

Battleship PG 11:00 pm

American Reunion 14A 1:15 am

Act of Valor 14A 3:15 am (SUN ONLY)

SCREEN #3

Dark Shadows 14A 9:30pm

Lucky One PG 11:15pm

Wrath of Titans 14A 1:20 am

Project X 18A 3:05 am (SUN ONLY)

“Mon, Tues & Thurs – May 21, 22 & 24″

SCREEN #1

Avengers PG 9:20pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:50pm

SCREEN #2

Battleship PG 9:25 pm

American Reunion 14A 11:35 pm

SCREEN #3

Dark Shadows 14A 9:30pm

Lucky One PG 11:30pm

Please visit the website for more information:

5 Drive-In Theatre, Oakville

Mustang Drive-In Theatre, London

Starlite Drive-In Theatre, Hamilton

Sunset Drive-In Theatre, Barrie

Drive-in Theatre News: [Movies]

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:36:08 +0000

If you are planning in advance to visit the drive-in, here is a little update for you;

We will be playing Men in Black ||| with The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Beginning of May 25, 2012, at all of our drive-in locations. This mean, 5 Drive-In Oakville, Mustang Drive-In London, Starlite Drive-In Hamilton and Sunset Barrie Drive-In.

Here is the awesome Men in Black 2012 Trailer, we are so glad the original cast, writer, and director are back:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And here is the Pirates trailer, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Russell Tovey, Brian, and Hugh Grant, Blessed all in one film? Sold.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Hugh Grant stars in his first animated role as the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. It’s a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!

In other news about Will Smith’s Men in Black |||:

Will Smith gifted a “Men In Black” Uniform to Roger Federer at ATP Mutua Madrid Open 2012 Award Ceremony. Watch Highlights here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dark Shadows Is Released Today

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:44:57 +0000

To one and all, we’re only a few hours away from the screening of Dark Shadows. The new Dark Shadows movie from Tim Burton and Johnny Depp is released at 5 Drive-in Oakville, Starlite Drive-in Hamilton, and Sunset Drive-in Barrie, following more than five years of production.

Dark Shadows has already done brisk business in France, where the movie released midweek, commanding double the audience of blockbusterThe Avengers. “Dark Shadows could beatAvengers in certain territories but might not be able to match Avengers‘ overall weekend international gross,” comments The Hollywood Reporter. “Burton’s film got off to a strong start Wednesday in France, grossing roughly $770,000 to beat Avengers on its third Wednesday.”

It’s now over 41 years since the original show left television screens, but its influence remains far-reaching, in the work of Tim Burton and many others working in the film industry today. The new film is dedicated to the memory of Dark Shadows creator Dan Curtis, but perhaps this also is a good time to remember some of the show’s other creative leading lights – writers Art Wallace, Sam Hall, Gordon Russell, Violet Welles, Malcolm Marmorstein, Ron Sproat and Joe Caldwell, directors Lela Swift, John Sedwick and Henry Kaplan, original producer Robert Costello, and most of all, our recently-departed original Barnabas, Jonathan Frid.

Eve Green’s Dark Shadows Interview with Tribute

Click here to view the embedded video.

THE CAR: THE PEOPLES FASCINATION WITH THE MACHINE [Part 3]

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 20:39:04 +0000

Part 3: Hollywood Car Movies

Cars and movies go together like peanut butter and jelly, and for more than a century Hollywood has commingled cars with cinema, each time forcing us to flock to theaters like the obedient lemmings we are. And when affordably priced DVDs started showing up, a lot of us started accumulating collections of car movies that rival our collections of stolen road signs, rubber scraped from defunct drag strips, and Hot Wheels.

There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of films that could fit into a loose definition of “car movie a perfect car movie should first and foremost feature hotrods. But not every movie does that and some have the compensating virtues of compelling storylines and amazing car chases. So the films here range from car-centered to just good action; from car-obsessed to cars incidental; from blockbuster to never-heard-of-it. Some of them are really good movies while others are on the list because of strong elements amid the muck, strong historic significance, or just curiosity factor. And some are pure garbage, but garbage we love. Cars , stars , and the fascination continues.

Having the right car can really make a movie.

So in honour of our four-wheeled friends, below you can see the coolest cars ever to appear in movies. It was a difficult task. Let’s just say, there is a load of movies with cars in them. But just so you know, Driving Miss Daisy does not feature on this list Enjoy:

26. 1973 Ford Falcon
Films: Mad Max

25. 1964 Lincoln Continental
Film: Animal House

Great film, great car. Perfect!!

24. 1980 Lamborghini Countach
Film: Cannonball Run

Forget the fact you have to be a particularly flexible dwarf to drive one – the Countach is still a very special car.

23. Shelby Mustang
Film: Gone in 60 seconds

Even Nic Cage looked good in this car – it’s that good.

22. 1977 Camaro Bumblebee
Film: Transformers

Unfortunately, not all of them turn into robots.

21. 1958 Plymouth Fury
Film: Christine

Great car, with a lot of attitude.

20. 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe
Film: American Graffiti

A classic movie car.

19. Lotus Esprit
Film: The Spy Who Love Me

Click here to view the embedded video.

Not only does it look cool, but it can also shoot down helicopters after turning itself into a submarine. Now that’s cool.

18. 1976 Ford Gran Torino
Film: Starsky and Hutch

Click here to view the embedded video.

The best car ever at driving through trash cans.

17. Aston Martin Vanquish
Film: Die Another Day

The only good thing in this film.

16. 1981 Porsche 928
Film: Risky Business

We almost cried when it ended up in the river.

15. 2002 Nissan 350Z Fairlady
Film: The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift

It takes a lot to stand out in a series of films dedicated to cool cars.

14. 1967 Pontiac GTO
Film: XXX

Beautiful car – shame about the driver.

13. Frankenstein (Modified Chevrolet Corvette)
Film: Death Race 2000

If you ever find yourself in a race to the death, you’d want to be in this car. Or maybe the car from Death Proof. Hmmmm.

12. 1970 Dodge Challenger
Film: Death Proof and Vanishing Point

Brilliant car that was re-used in Death Proof.

11. Ferrari 250 GT California
Film: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

OK, we did cry when it got smashed up.

10. 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am
Film: Smokey and The Bandit

Burt Reynolds is so cool he can wear a cowboy hat, have a dodgy moustache and play a character called ‘The Bandit’ and nobody questions his sexuality.

9. General Lee
Film: The Dukes of Hazzard

Made the film almost watchable – almost!

8. Batmobile
Film: Batman series

Our personal favourite is the 1989 version, but any would do.

7. 1963 Volkswagen Beetle
Films: Herbie series

Not even Lindsay Lohan could make Herbie uncool.

6. The Mach 5
Film: Speed Racer

OK, the film was pants, but the cars were something else.

5. 1964 Austin Mini
Film: Italian Job

Click here to view the embedded video.

One of the coolest ever films deserves one of the coolest cars.

4. Ecto-1
Film: Ghostbusters I and II

It needed a lot of work, but who wouldn’t want to own it?

3. 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT
Film: Bullitt

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is just another excuse to see the greatest car chase in movie history.

2. Aston Martin DB5
Films: Various James Bond films

Even Jeremy Clarkson could look cool in this car.

1. 1981 Delorean
Film: Back to the Future series

Let’s not beat around the bush here. The Delorean is a terrible car. The Delorean in Back to The Future is the coolest car ever to appear in a movie.

Please check back soon for some more car culture stories. If you have missed Part 1, and Part 2 you can view them here:

The Car_ Part 1

The Car_ Part 2

Showtimes: SUNSET DRIVE IN BARRIE ONTARIO May 11 – 17/2012

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:35:34 +0000

Sunset Barrie Drive-in Theatre: Showtimes for May 11-17/2012

Friday&Sat – May 11&12

SCREEN #1

Avengers PG 9:10pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:40pm

SCREEN #2

Lucky One PG 9:15pm

Dark Shadows 14A 11:05pm

SCREEN #3

American Reunion 14A 9:20pm

5 Year Engagement 14A 11:20pm

Sun, Tues & Thurs – May 13, 15&17

SCREEN #1

Avengers PG 9:10pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:40pm

SCREEN #2

Dark Shadows 14A 9:15pm

Lucky One PG 11:20pm

SCREEN #3

5 Year Engagement 14A 9:20pm

American Reunion 14A 11:20pm

Showtimes: STARLITE DRIVE IN HAMILTON ONTARIO NOW PLAYING IN DIGITAL!

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:33:49 +0000

Starlite Drive-In Theatre, Hamilton, Show Times for May 11 – 17/2012

Friday&Sat – May 11&12

SCREEN #1

Lucky One PG 9:10pm

Dark Shadows 14A 11:00pm

SCREEN #2

Avengers PG 9:15pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:45pm

SCREEN #3

American Reunion 14A 9:20pm

5 Year Engagement 14A 11:20pm

Sun, Tues & Thurs – May 13, 15&17

SCREEN #1

Dark Shadows 14A 9:10pm

Lucky One PG 11:15pm

SCREEN #2

Avengers PG 9:15pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:45pm

SCREEN #3

5 Year Engagement 14A 9:20pm

American Reunion 14A 11:20pm

Showtimes: MUSTANG DRIVE IN LONDON ONTARIO May 11 – 17/2012

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:30:58 +0000

NOW IN DIGITAL!

Mustang Drive-in London Showtimes for May 11-17, 2012

Friday&Sat – May 11&12

SCREEN #1

Avengers PG 9:10pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:40pm

SCREEN #2

American Reunion 14A 9:15pm

5 Year Engagement 14A 11:15pm

Sun, Tues & Thurs – May 13, 15&17

SCREEN #1

Avengers PG 9:10pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:40pm

SCREEN #2

5 Year Engagement 14A 9:15pm

American Reunion 14A 11:15pm

Showtimes: 5 DRIVE IN THEATRE , OAKVILLE NOW IN DIGITAL!

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:27:22 +0000

5 Drive-in Oakville Show Times for May 11 – 17/2012

Friday&Sat – May 11&12

SCREEN #1

Avengers PG 9:10pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:40pm

SCREEN #2

Lucky One PG 9:20pm

Dark Shadows 14A 11:10pm

SCREEN #3

American Reunion 14A 9:30pm

5 Year Engagement 14A 11:30pm

Sun-Thurs – May 13-17

SCREEN #1

Avengers PG 9:10pm

21 Jump Street 14A 11:40pm

SCREEN #2

Dark Shadows 14A 9:20pm

Lucky One PG 11:15pm

SCREEN #3

5 Year Engagement 14A 9:30pm

American Reunion 14A 11:30pm

Celebrities We Watch

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:16:52 +0000

Al Pacino and Christopher Walken

David Lee Roth, Sean Penn and the Beastie Boys

President Obama and Will Ferrell

Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway and Paul Newman, 1974

David Bowie and Bing Crosby

Paul McCartney and Zooey Deschanel

Johnny Depp and Paul McCartney