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SITE OF THE DAY i Lights, Car Nickelodi AMY SHANNON Staff Writer "Welcome to the dungeon," said Dale Campbell, motioning for me to sit down among mounds of paperwork, exposed insulation and some old brick walls. The underground business office of the Nickelodeon moviehouse on Main and Pendleton was not quite a true dungeon, but it certainly gave me the feeling of being in a cluttered basement with its cast-away sofa, table, chairs, mismatched desks and the six-packs of beer and soda stacked in the corner. Campbell, the full-time manager and programming director, described the Nickelodeon as a non-profit, community-oriented movie theatre which features the types of films not shown at regular, commercial theaters. The movies at Nickelodeon are not the ones likely to be listed on the marquee at a multiplex cinema. "We try to fill the niche by finding the best of the movies which don't make it to town, or those movies which only played for a short time, not long enough for people to realize what the movie was," Campbell said. Unlike Nickelodeon, the commercial theaters only schedule movies with large opening weekends, and although Columbia has many different theaters, the same movies are shown all over town, Campbell explained. That leaves Nickelodeon to fill the gap in the market with films that may not have received as much hype as Hollywood blockbusters. Decisions. |n Our flexible leai Now P Carter'Haston w rruperuc& * * i d CLOTHESLINE Hi lijsj neras, Acti< eon gives The film genres at Nickelodeon encompass a wide variety, including Cannes Film Festival winners, local productions, independent movies, tdocumentaries, Classics, foreign films, Kurt Vonnegut adaptations and Spike Lee productions, to name just a few. Most of the foreign films come from Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, and Iran. Recently, some foreign productions have become harder for Nickelodeon to find. In Germany, the government stopped subsidizing movie productions so the number of motion pictures has dropped from 150 per year to four. In Italy, almost all the great Italian directors are dead, and no one has stepped up yet to take fill their places. And since many of the Australian directors have moved to the United States, their films are no longer the same as they once were. But the French continue to make movies and a large number of the regulars at Nickelodeon enjoy watching French movies more than any others. Above all, however, the audience at Nickelodeon wants a little bit of a challenge as well as entertainment, Campbell said. They like to see other people's perspectives of the world, such as the insightful Iranian nims, which capture the lives of average Iranian citizens living with next to nothing. "The third-world poverty level drives it home. If s more enlightening . Derisions. Whaley's A Mill ses can fit almost any si re-leasing for summer a haley's M 211 Main St. 254.780 (mon-fri) 9:30-5:30 -v w ETC ON WEDNESI KJ )n! alternate than what you see at a commercial movie theater," Campbell said. In its role as community-oriented movie theatre, Nickelodeon has scheduled several films during February to celebrate Black History Month. In March, selections will focus on Women's History Month. In the past, World AIDS Day and World Amnesty Day have also been highlighted with special programs. Nickelodeon also reaches out to the community by inviting local and visiting filmmakers to speak about their current projects and answer questions after their works are presented at the theatre. Campbell said during these presentations, USC media arts students often talk with the filmmaker to gain insight on filming techniques. In fact, Nickelodeon receives a * lot of support from USC, according to Campbell. Many students and professors attend the movie showings, and the majority of board members of the Columbia Film Society are USC professors. The Columbia Film Society is the official organization behind the Nickelodeon, and the board of directors helps decide upon film selections. The board's involvement is based upon one of the Nickelodeon's founding ideas, which is "listening to the community and programming things people want to see," Campbell said. Actually Nickelodeon was started 18 years ago by two USC students, I . Derisions tuation or need! nd fall! 11 MO am. UNIVEK3II 1 OF SOUTH CAROLINA CLOTHESLINE PROJECT T-SHIRT MAKING SESSIONS: Week Tno Tuesday, February 25,199' 3:00 - 5:00 PM Russell House - Room 203 Wednesday, February 26,19 6:00 - 9:00 PM omen s (^uad - Sims Ciassroc ErSwiESS ???m^JSSSSSSSS DAY Much Music \>e to Columbh < ' '' - $ \& ^ , ? ' 'C. A, 't, w Z V* Pill} - W Ji m ! is I ? - wtFrm t fcgf ?| -* #U B - - J The Nickelodeon, pictured above, is at the corner of campus. The theater offers Columbia residents a chan Carl Davis and Linda O'Connor. A was allowed to sele< media arts major and a drama major, Davis and O'Conr respectively, both served on the fed up with this s; Russell House theater planning decided to go on th committee for choosing movies. They develope Even though the off-beat, Independent Film alternative films picked by Davis potential member and O'Connor drew large crowds of friends for $10. Th students, the other committee money" for a proj< members would always choose typical, rented space, commercialized films, Campbell said. Davis and O'C Since each committee member showing movies in House Specialties *~r,sNs>s^ * Confederate Fried Steak Minder choice beef, battered in I rand Spices; aeepfriea H % .. * St. Louis Cut Spare Ribs Hi**'' Pork Ribs marinated in wine an * Arkansas Traveler I \fender$ced beef served over c : topped wilhblack-eyed peas ai gravy * Eggplant Parmigiana Fresh eggdkmt hghlMxitlered topped with provolone cheese 799?0196 "still Righi 794-9000 | WR, 1255 Knox Abbott Dr. ^J West Columbia ADAM GAFNEYor MICHAEL TOKAR Genuine loi ' We try to fill the niche by finding the best of the movies which don't make it to town of those movies which only played for a short time. Dale Campbell manager and director The Nickelodeon 11 a moviegoers ' -f ' - V * V ': ? HIllIK* Jm!wm I BhB: TORI O'HARA The Gamecock Main and Pendleton streets, just a few blocks from ee to see releases not offered at bigger theaters. :t only one movie, Building. From its start there, the tor soon became film society experienced a fair amount /stem, and they of success, so they leased the building eir own. on Main Street, where Nickelodeon d t.hp irtea of an is located today. Society and sold The film society's following kept ships to all their growing, and after a while the theatre is provided "seed reached financial solvency, ector, films, and The name of the theatre comes from the Nickelodeon machine, a innr^fnby NICKELODEON page 5 the USC Nursing ^ "X ? HPoil|^ial$ * Deli Selection | \ 11:30am to 4pm Daily 10 oz, Ribeye ,. \ Wednesday ? :lour i Fajitas . ' " f^ursday ?: d spices Texas StyleSmolcy ornbread, Friday 4 id brown 16oz. T-Bone with Baked Potato Delivery (PM Only) and Take-Out on Hie Corner, Still Right on Hie Price." RjflE & i mm GRADUATE 7o Ji'r'er Commitment s*?p9s IES INCLUDE GMR'BATES