HE salutes Kristen Stewart for having recently bought the century-old Highland theatre (5604 No. Figueroa in Highland Park). The post-pandemic slump closed the place down in early 2024, but soon it’ll be a going concern…great!
Stewart’s plan, naturally, is to spruce the place up (it’s actually a triplex) and start showing movies there again. Decades-old movie theatres are obviously nutritious for L.A. culture and a nice boost to whatever particular neighborhood they’re located in. A good thing all around.
David Fincher filmed portions of The Adventures of Cliff Booth in the Highland Park area last summer, and Stewart’s theatre was part of the landscape…also cool.
But if I was still living in WeHo I would never drive all the way to effing Highland Park to do anything, much less see a film.
Highland Park is popular with Millennials and Zoomers because of cheaper rents, but driving there from, say, Sunset and Doheny is a grueling experience. Roughly 40 to 45 minutes but only if you stay well clear of rush hour…it’s a 12- to 14-mile drive through traffic-congested streets (Hollywood, Silver Lake) or, alternately, north on Laurel Canyon to the 134 east, and then halfway to Pasadena and then south on a major boulevard or down the Hollywood Freeway (101)…God!
I feel worn out just thinking about this. Driving to Highland Park dilutes your blood and drains the soul.
On top of which Stewart has said “we want to make it a family affair, something for the community…it’s won’t be just for pretentious Hollywood cinephiles.”
In other words she’s going to show a fair amount of popcorn crap.
