15 Questions With Clare
"Very much of my life—including going to the movies— revolves around Freestyle machines."
Name:
Location: New York City
Occupation: Academic & Writer
Links: Clare’s substack Famous and Beloved
1. What’s your favorite day & time to go to the movies?
My only real preferences is to not see a movie before 4 PM.
2. What’s your favorite movie theater?
The best theater chain in the country is Marcus Theatres in the midwest. I have a blanket with Greg Marcus’s face on it. Most locations were gutted during the 2010s, so the seats are sleek, leather recliners, and the auditoriums are utterly sprawling to accommodate navigation around fully reclined seats. The only problem with Marcus is that they have a Pepsi contract, so there aren’t any Freestyle machines.
As far as independent theaters go, I think the rep and community programming in Madison, WI, through The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Cinematheque is the best I’ve ever encountered.
3. What’s your go-to movie theater snack & drink combo?
Very much of my life—including going to the movies— revolves around Freestyle machines. If there’s no Freestyle machine, a Diet Pepsi or Diet Dr. Pepper will do, but if there is a Freestyle: that’s when things get complicated. If I’m particularly thirsty, I fill 3/4 of the cup with Minute Maid Light Lemonade, and the rest up with Minute Maid Light Raspberry Lemonade—this tastes like Pez. If I’m searching for more caffeine, the possibilities are endless, but I like mixing Coke Zero Vanilla with Barqs Zero Sugar Root Beer.
I hardly ever get snacks, but I like plain popcorn (if it’s not AMC’s), stale nachos with orange cheese, or Dippin’ Dots (only $8 a dot at the Lincoln Center AMC!).
4. What’s your dream movie theater snack & drink combo (if noise and sound weren’t an issue)?
Freestyle machine. And, I’m not really that into chowing down in a dark theater. Like, when I saw La Chimera there was someone in there eating Sweetgreen for the entirety of La Chimera—can’t this wait? That said, I do like to bring my own candy from time to time: favorites include Sockerbit Swedish candy, peel-able gummies from Walgreens, or any kind of Reeses. And, the best popcorn I’ve ever had is homemade using the cheddar seasoning from Williams Sonoma, which I wish you could get at the movies.
5. First movie you remember seeing in a theater?
My parents claim the first movie I actually saw was The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland starring Mandy Patinkin, but the first thing I remember is Pirates of the Caribbean.
6. Last movie you saw in a theater?
The re-release of Pride & Prejudice.
7. Is there a movie you wish you could have seen in a theater?
All the Mission: Impossibles that came out before I was born or cared. And, I missed whatever pathetic theatrical run they gave Maestro which makes me very sad.
8. Please describe your ideal movie theater seat!
What they have at Marcus! They call them DreamLoungers!
9. One thing you would change to make movie theaters better?
They should all have Freestyle machines.
And, I hate that Regal Essex only has hand dryers instead of paper towels.
10. Where do you stand on intermissions?
I hate them. Unless something is over 4 hours I would rather go straight through than give every other fool in the room a chance to go on their phones or disturb everyone by taking too long in the bathroom.
11. Is there a trailer you’ve seen before a movie recently that stuck with you?
In the most recent Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning trailer, which I saw for the first time theatrically, Ethan Hunt seems to get plugged into the series’ cloud-like antagonist, THE ENTITY. This made me gasp. Tom’s in the Entity!
12. What’s a movie you’re looking forward to seeing?
13. What’s your dream combination of director and lead(s)?
I want Bradley Cooper to direct a film adaptation of the 1998 Cabaret revival, starring Cole Escola as the Emcee and Lily Rose Depp as Sally.
14. If you could live in a movie, which one would it be?
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. I want Elvis to be alive and to be Austin Butler and not Elvis, and for me to be there when it all goes down.
15. Why do you think people should continue seeing movies at the movie theater?
Yes, art is important, etc., but: sitting in a theater and laughing with your friends or mediating with a spectacle is good for your brain. Not because the alternatives of TV or phones are bad, necessarily, but because it’s not healthy to never leave your house. We can’t lose movie theaters as a place to go and do something in public. There aren’t many other places with Freestyle machines!
need that bradley cooper cabaret adaptation
Clare now has me worshipping at the Freestyle alter, too. Grape Sprite Zero is so delicious and refreshing and you cannot find it anywhere else.