Video Archives Cinema Club!

When Quentin Tarantino reopened the Vista Theatre last November, he also announced that he would be adding a microcinema that would host 16mm and VHS screenings. This April, that microcinema arrived: the Video Archives Cinema Club! Accessed through the lobby of the Vista, it’s a 30-seat screening room, just as beautiful as the rest of the Vista, that now screens films from Tuesday to Saturday, including matinees and midnight movies.

My first visit to the Video Club was to see a matinee of two Bulldog Drummond “escapades” on VHS! I had never heard of Bulldog before, but this was a popular series of “gentleman adventurer” novels that was adapted into movies throughout the 20s and 30s. We watched 2 films from 1939: “Bulldog Drummond’s Secret Police” and “Bulldog Drummond’s Bride” both starring John Howard as Drummond. With both films not even an hour long, they were delightfully snappy escapades filled with buried treasure, exploding wine bottles, chases, escapes, a little bit of romance & a lot of slapstick humor. My friend Matt Landsman is the Video Club’s manager, and did a wonderful introduction, and he was also joined by Tarantino himself with a surprise appearance! Quentin of course programmed all of the month’s screenings, but said these were 2 of his favorite Bulldog films.

I had a fantastic first experience at the microcinema, and can’t wait to return!