Classic Films. Cosmic Destiny. Summer Starts at Oaks Center Cinema.
What is up my Movie Mates?
Let’s skip the pleasantries and get right to work. May was filled with great movies, and depending on when you read this blog, they might still be playing! Go to our website Oakscenter.net for showtimes and hopefully you can still catch shows of Mandalorian and Grogu, Obsession, Devil Wears Prada 2, Backrooms and more! Also, no shortage of movies this June, with sure to be hits like Masters of the Universe, Scary Movie, Disclosure Day, The Furious, Toy Story 5, Jackass: Best and Last, Supergirl, and much more. We have had some good movies in the past couple of years, but this is the best Summer Film Slate since 2019!
Speaking of great Summer movie slates, 1982 was a great summer for films. I wasn’t alive in 1982, but I heard good things. See, I was born in the early morning hours in January of 1983. The sun had yet to peak over the horizon, ushering in the new day and the snow that had fallen the night before was left mostly untouched save for the footprints of the day nurse who was starting her shift.
I did not know much in those early minutes of my life, just the basics breathe, eat, sleep, but what I learned next would change my life forever. My mother, an angel of a woman, had the nurses put me in the nursery so she could rest. I didn’t know it then, but this hospital nursery would be the site of the most profound and influential moment of my life. The night nurse who had delivered me just hours before was now at the end of her shift, going over the happenings of the night shift with the day nurse, who was still cleaning the snow off her boots. Mr. Thompson in room 315 needed his medication at 7:00am, Young Tommy Jones was scheduled to get his cast off at 8:30am, and there was a staff meeting scheduled at 11:00am with Dr. Roberts in the west wing. While not relevant, these details stuck with me through my life as they were the precursors to a conversation that shaped my whole life.
The night nurse put on a pair of fresh socks that she pulled from her locker and as she was putting them on she said to the day nurse, “ Hey, do you remember how good the Movie Slate was last summer?”. I’ll never forget how the night nurse shot straight up from behind the nurse’s station with the biggest smile I had ever seen. “Of Course! They were such great Movies!” In this moment, I felt confusion, where was I? Who was I? What are Movies? As I began to fill with existential dread and scream for answers, the night nurse picked me up and held me tight. “ It’s a shame this beautiful baby boy will never know the joy of seeing these cinematic masterpieces such as E.T., Blade Runner, Poltergeist, The Secret of Nimh and Mad Max 2 on the big screen” , she continued “ My only hope for this child is that an Independent movie theatre will play these classic films in 42 years so that he may experience the laughter and joy, that we all felt last year in the Summer of 1982”.
As if possessed by an otherworldly being who knew no bounds of space and time, the day nurse's eyes rolled into the back of her head, turned its attention to me, and stated in a thunderous boom, “ Dear Child, you who are a beacon of hope and light for humanity must heed my words carefully. 42 years from now, in the summer of 2026, stands an Independent Cinema known as Oaks Center Cinema. Classic films from the summer of ’82 will return to the big screen for 8 weeks starting in June with Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Beastmaster. To purchase these tickets, you must use something called the internet and go to Oakscenter.net for the full schedule.”
The day nurses’ eyes returned to normal as the night nurse, horrified by what she had just seen, ran out of the hospital doors, never to be seen again. The day nurse, not aware of the events that had taken place that fateful night, went to medical school and is now the head of Pediatrics in the Boston area.
Hospital. She plays Rummy every Friday night with her husband and some of their neighbors. They are planning a trip to Paris this Fall. The Janitor who had been just around the corner, witnessing everything unfold, quit the hospital that night and went into computer engineering. He would go on to be one of the founding fathers of the Internet. Sadly, he passed in September of 2014 but is survived by his loving wife, 4 beautiful daughters, and 12 grandchildren. As for me? Well, you know my story. I took the words of the transdimensional being to heart and dedicated my life to the Movie theatre Industry by writing a blog once a month. And as for the Summer of 82’ series starting in June, well, you’ll just have to come out and experience it for yourselves.
Stay Safe out there, Movie Mates!