Lantern to open images of dance, the after-life

Above : “Nine Days” is one of four films that will open on Friday at the Magic Lantern Theatre. (Photo/Sony Pictures Classics)

In its various incarnations, the Magic Lantern Theatre has been around for going on a half century. That’s a sobering thought.

It means that those of us who go there regularly are getting old.

The original theater, a project cofounded by Tom Stuart and Ed Coker, opened in 1974 at the Atrium Building located at 123 S. Wall St. Over the years, it changed hands a number of times.

The theater finally reopened in 2007 at its current location, 25 W. Main St. And it’s been in business – suffering only a few hiccups such as the COVID-19 pandemic – ever since.

Hundreds of great films have played at the Lantern. And area movie fans have enjoyed them. Just as they should enjoy the films that will be opening on Friday.

“Ailey” : Alvin Ailey, who died in 1989 at the age of 58, was a legendary dancer, director and choreographer who founded the renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. This documentary, directed by Jamila Wignot, explores Ailey’s story, using archival footage and talking-head interviews interspersed with scenes detailing preparation for a dance program created in Ailey’s honor.

Monica Castillo , a critic for RogerEbert.com, wrote that the film is “An educational journey, an uncompromising look into the challenges of an artistic life, and a tribute to the man whose studio and dance company still bear his name.”

“Nine Days” : A reclusive character (Winston Duke) interviews five different souls to decide which one should get a chance at life. Written and directed by Edson Oda.

David Fear wrote the following for Rolling Stone: “It’s heavy, heady stuff, coming at you via a delivery system of catalog-worthy set design, magic-hour cinematography, and often tamped-down, deadpan performances. And somehow, it all works in harmony to create a ripple effect of feeling that reverberates strongly under its placid surfaces.”

The Lantern will also open the intriguing Nicolas Cage vehicle “Pig,” which opened a couple of weeks ago at AMC River Park Square. And it will bring back the popular documentary “Fantastic Fungi.”

I began going to the Lantern in 1980, when I moved to Spokane just three months before Mount St. Helens blew . And I still go.

Why? Because Spokane has never had anything else like it.

Not at least in the last 50 years.