Chris Jay, audience gripped by 'Guardian' premiere

SpringhillTheatre
Originally uploaded by alexandyr1.

Chris Jay, who attended the premiere of "The Guardian" Friday at the Springhill Theatre, filed the following story and photo. Jay is one of Shreveport's most passionate cinephiles.

"'The Guardian' debuted in Springhill last night to a crowd of approximately 150 at the recently-rennovated Spring Theatre, a beautiful art deco theatre originally constructed in 1946. Though guests Charles Rapp (a unit production manager of 'The Guardian') and Sheri Boucher added some excitement to the event by sharing insight into the filmmaking process, the real excitement began when 'The Guardian' lit up the screen. I've discussed the pros and cons of theatre-going with countless people over the years, and the most compelling case I can make for seeing a film with a crowd was in evidence Friday night: When a film has an entire audience completely in its grip, there's a magical feeling in the room that cannot be replicated by a home theatre. Andrew Davis, director of 'The Guardian,' knows how to craft a thriller, and he had the Springhill audience eating out of his hand. We collectively laughed, gasped, and choked up at all of the right times. From the moment that the real action kicks in around the one-hour mark, even the concessions staff had wandered into the auditorium, eyes glued to the screen.

"Costner and Kutcher are without a doubt the stars of the show, but the 'Best Supporting' role of the evening definitely goes to Shreveport-Bossier City. Watching the film with a Springhill crowd, it was wonderful to hear the excited whispers as familiar landmarks like Superior's Steakhouse, The Phillin' Station, and Barksdale Air Force Base appeared on-screen. Audience members were especially thrilled to see what appeared to be a Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs shirt in the film's closing moments. Springhill obviously loves Shreveport, Kevin Costner, and Ashton Kutcher - in that order.

"A note to cinephiles: If you have yet to see a film in the stunning, neon-enshrouded Spring Theatre, you don't know what you're missing. Plan to make an evening visit to the Spring Theatre. Just strolling down the aisles of this rare old-time moviehouse is worth the price of admission. To me, The Spring Theatre is to movie houses what Kevin Costner is to actors: The built-to-last, classy kind that they aren't making any more of."

Great stuff, Chris, and many thanks.