Making old movies new again

The Atomic Age Cinema series is the only of its kind in Bloomington, offering an interactive throwback films for children and adults every Saturday at The Cinemat.

Atomic Age Cinema began at The Cinemat, an independent video rental store, as a means to both share old films with the public and raise money for Cinephile Film Arts.
Cinephile’s funds support the work of independent filmmakers in Indiana and the local annual Dark Carnival Film Festival.

Every Saturday, The Cinemat offers children’s matinees featuring cartoons from the early 20th century and midnight horror film showings.

David Underwood, the current host for matinee shows, said the matinees were put on hold in December and January because former host Steve Jankovic, also known as “The Kick,” had to quit for personal reasons.

“Those were dark and tragic weeks in the Sandwiess home,” said Eric Sandweiss, IU associate professor of history and regular of the matinee shows.           

"Saturday afternoon would roll around and the kids would have nothing to do and the parents would go nuts.”

Underwood said he volunteered to take the position as host soon after. Under the host name “Captain Kosmos,” he said he plans to make the children’s matinee screening educational and expose viewers to foreign children’s shows.

“One of the things that I hope to do is to make the matinee a little more international in flavor,” Underwood said. “And many Americans aren’t aware that in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, there’s a huge catalog, huge library of animated films for kids.”

He said that it was once law in communist government for movie and television studios to meet a certain quota for children’s material, providing him with a plethora from which to choose. He also said he will incorporate science fiction heroes like Commando Cody, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon into the shows, many of whom are from his childhood.

“For (my kids’) sake, it’s tremendously entertaining,” Underwood said. “And they also consider it kind of educational in the sense that they learn a lot not only about old cartoon ... but they also learn something about what American culture was like in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s.”

At the show the host gets to know the kids, make jokes and give out prizes,
Sandweiss said.

The midnight showing at Atomic Age Cinema, however, is no place for kids, Underwood said.

It features horror films mostly from the 1960s and 1970s, said Nathan Volmar, manager of The Cinemat. He also said there are always regulars who like to come each week in elaborate, scary costumes.

Audience members can drink beer during the late shows, while costumed hosts “Basement Boy,” “Baron Mardi” and “Dr. Calamari” engage them with jokes and prizes.
“It’s kind of like a ‘Mystery Science Theater’-type thing, where they make fun of the movie while they watch it,” Volmar said.