Cinemark's Luxury Loungers, complete with heat control, will be part of the redesigned Cinemark Movies 10 in Plano.
Photo courtesy of Cinemark
Cinemark Movies 10 in Plano, which for the past 25 years has offered residents of Plano and the surrounding area second-run movies at discounted prices, is being transformed into a luxury, first-run theater by its parent corporation.
The upgraded auditoriums will feature a variety of new amenities that many other theaters have nowadays, including state-of-the-art picture and sound quality; electric-powered, plush, oversize recliners with footrests, cup holders, and heat-controlled seats; and reserved seating.
According to a Cinemark spokesperson, the theater, located on the southeast corner of the Park Boulevard and Coit Road intersection, will also offer a renovated lobby and concession stand that will now feature Pizza Hut pizza, beer, wine, and frozen cocktails in addition to the standard fare of popcorn, candy, and sodas.
All of this new stuff comes at the cost of ticket prices being in line with other first-run theaters in the area. There will be special discount pricing for Senior Mondays and Discount Tuesdays for anyone who can't stand to pay full price.
The theater is now closed and is expected to re-open in mid-October, possibly in time for the October 18 release of movies like Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Zombieland: Double Tap.
Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers.
Director Steven Soderbergh is one of those filmmakers who — aside from the Ocean’s series — never seems to make the same kind of movie twice. He is somehow able to adapt his abilities to all sorts of different stories, making each of them as compelling as any other. His latest masterclass is in the London-set film, The Christophers.
Lori Butler (Michaela Coel), who restores art for a living, is approached by brother and sister Sallie and Barnaby Sklar (Jessica Gunning and James Corden) with a scheme. They want her to become the new assistant for their aging father, Julian (Ian McKellen), a famous artist known for a series called “The Christophers,” in order to gain access to unfinished paintings from the series and complete them herself.
Lori accepts the deal despite having some uneasy feelings about Julian, with whom she had a bad interaction years ago. Julian is just as wary, both because he knows of his children’s interest in the unfinished works, and because he would prefer to be left in peace. Although the trepidation on both sides continues for the bulk of the story, a grudging respect arises between two artists who know skill when they see it.
Directed by Soderbergh and written by Ed Solomon, who last collaborated on No Sudden Move, the film is astonishing in its ability to be compelling with such a small story. Much of the film is spent inside Julian’s multi-story home as Julian and Lori have low-level confrontations about a variety of things, including the meaning of his art, her abilities, the fate of the remaining “Christophers,” and more. Each conversation brings out more detail about their worldviews and their thoughts about their lot in life.
Much of the success of the film lies in the performances of McKellen and Coel. The 86-year-old McKellen has not lost his ability to astonish with the spoken word, and the monologues he delivers are engrossing even when they’re about mundane things. Coel, best known for the 2020 HBO show I May Destroy You, is a great foil for McKellen, never backing down from his challenges and giving her own unique takes on her lines.
While the film can be enjoyable for non-art lovers, those who appreciate the vagaries of the art world will have a lot to chew on. Soderbergh and Solomon debate a lot of aspects of art, including whether it’s possible to separate the art from the person making it, why some art is valued more than others, the ethics of forgery, and more. Because the film is about a fictional artist, it gives the filmmakers a bit more freedom in their criticisms.
Aside from McKellen and Coel, Gunning (Baby Reindeer) and Corden are the only other two people who get significant screen time in the film. Both of them are, let’s say, acquired tastes, and each gives an elevated performance that matches the energy of their respective characters. Tilly Botsford makes a nice impression in a small role as Julian’s masseuse.
Soderbergh’s last three films — Presence, Black Bag, and now The Christophers — have nothing in common other than the expert filmmaker helming all of them. When you can make a ghost story, a spy film, and a small film about artists equally interesting, you know you’re doing something right.
