Magic Lantern: More will get you better

We’ve been fortunate to see a rejuvenation, once again, of the Magic Lantern , Spokane’s four-decade-old art movie house. The theater, in its new location at the Saranac Building (W. 25 Main St.), has been attracting patrons for regular show as well as for special events, such as those offered by the Spokane International Film Festival .

Much of that rejuvenation is due to the dedication of theater owner Joe Davis, the physician/film fan whose all-around efforts include scheduling, taking tickets, running the projector and even making the occasional espresso. He’s had help, sure, but Davis, is the straw that stirs the drink.

Some of it is due to the films that Davis’ agent has brought in. Whether they be the “Boondock Saints” duo, the last-days-of-Leo-Tolstoy bio-pic “The Last Station” or the Korean vampire flick “Thirst,” the films Davis has shown appeal to a wide audience.

And some of it has been due to the price, which Davis has kept at a steady and affordable $5.

That price, though, is about to change. Davis has sent out word that distributors aren’t happy that the theater isn’t making more money. So they’re loathe to give him the better first-run movies, which means that either those films play at AMC - or, more likely, they don’t come to Spokane at all. So as of April, Davis going to charge a higher admission.

The good news: The new price is just $7, which is far less that the standard for tickets at any of the mainstream theaters of the region (though $2 more than the early weekend prices at AMC).

So Magic Lantern fans will pay a little more. But not a whole lot more. And that little bit will help keep the theater alive.

That and the Korean vampire flicks.

Below : The trailer for the film “Thirst.”