THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (2022) AND AN ODE TO OAKS

Photo by Chris Mich

When I heard that Cinemark decided to close more theaters nationwide including the Regal Oaks, I called fellow Digging Star Wars writer Phil Congleton. We simply needed to see a movie in this theater before it disappeared. Like me, Phil doesn’t need much of an excuse to go to the movies. We set the date and went and saw The Banshees of Inisherin (2022). 

Check Letterboxd for Phil’s review. Here’s mine:

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

The Banshees of Inisherin has the backbone of a story that would have been one-fourth of a sitcom plot in the 1990s: Why doesn’t my friend like me anymore? Yet, plopped in the melodramatic and picturesque setting of a small island off the coast of Ireland in 1923, it plays out more Shakespearean than Seinfeldian. Yet, that doesn’t stop the laughs and well-constructed grimaces. It’s an easy film to watch as the characters are interesting, the backdrop is gorgeous, and death and danger loom on the horizon. Hooks aplenty! It doesn’t bother tying up all loose ends and that’s also a point of the story. Life isn’t always interesting nor structured, but it beats being dead.

My ranking: 3.5 Stars out of a possible 5

A Little More about Oaks

This theater is a good drive from my home and not my “go-to” theater and, yet, it has a very special place in my heart. My family and friends have seen good movies there including Faustina: Love and Mercy (2019), The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019), and Coda (2021).

It’s huge inside and out echoing the movie palace style of the early twentieth century wrapped in neon and repeat-pattern carpeting of the late 20th century. Phil even did a brief history lesson in his Phil Meets the Movies series in a not-so-alluring episode title “Polishing a Turd.” Don’t let the title throw you, though. Phil lays out some nerdy film theatre stats on it. Listen for yourself:

I love the simplicity and grandeur of this theater – especially at night. The theater also runs a lot of Bollywood Movies and has huge turnouts for those titles. You can imagine how crushed I was when I heard it was closing. 

Well, not yet. Phil and I checked in at the Oaks concession stand and asked the cashier, “When’s the official last day?” We expected a grim answer. We got hope. “I’d like to punch the person that wrote that article,” the cashier replied. “We’re on the potential chopping block, but they haven’t officially decided yet. We’re fighting to stay open.”

I made sure the cashier knew that was most welcome news. So, yeah, it could go away – but we all know it shouldn’t. I’m happy this post is in admiration of this theater. At any rate, here are some more pictures. 

Phil outside Regal Oaks 24. Photo by Chris Mich.

Most Regals have the neon spaghetti on the ceiling and I love it. Photo by me, again.

A wooden palette by the left half of the theater. Munchies were just delivered. Photo by Chris.

I know the photo quality stinks, but look at that sound blanket! How cool? Poor photo by me.

The expanse. I love it. Last photo in this article by Chris Mich.

Yours truly. Photo by Phil Congleton.

Thanks for reading.