Alpine: It’s back to future

By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper

Local concern that the Alpine Cinema’s heralded four-star rescue would be a box office bomb appears to be much ado about nothing.

Owner Nicolas Nicolaou is making good on his promise to restore the run-down Bay Ridge landmark to its 1920s-era glory. Like all good things, it just takes a little time, according to the owner.

“You must understand that I am committed to clean up the Alpine from the guts,” said Nicolaou. “So please be patient.”

But patience isn’t a virtue for many movie going residents of Bay Ridge.

Earlier this summer, Nicolaou took his lumps from residents who thought the repairs were taking too long. This week, he told The Brooklyn Paper that he understands the community’s impatience, but the $1-million project is just so big.

“I deserve some credit for undertaking a very expensive job that really no other prior operator cared to invest for this theater,” said Nicolaou, who bought the 85-year-old moviehouse for $6 million in 2006. “We are continuing the work in all other areas, seats, electrical, plumbing and basically getting ready to redo lobby and backstage.”

New renovations, which include a new lobby ceiling, a new lobby carpet, and an entirely new electrical infrastructure for the 86-year-old theater are already underway and the new air conditioning was installed in June.

Now that the repair work is starting in earnest, even former critics have given Nicolaou two thumbs-up.

“It looks like the owner is in it for the long-run, and that is very important,” said former Alpine critic and Alpine moviegoer Tom Brice. “This community needs the Alpine to do well.”

One moviegoing pol even chimed in.

“Knowing that Mr. Nicolaou has the commitment to make the Alpine a five-star theater, and seeing the renovations moving forward, I am confident that the Alpine will continue to operate for many years to come,” said state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge). “The Alpine Theater is a clean and safe one that I frequent regularly with my family, to enjoy an afternoon or evening and see the latest movies on the big screen.”

Bad reviews for Alpine

By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper

Last year’s sale of the Alpine Cinema was heralded as a four-star rescue, but reviewers rank it somewhere between “Howard the Duck” and “Battlefield Earth.”

That’s because the promise made by owner Nicolas Nicolaou to modernize the run-down Bay Ridge landmark remains unfulfilled — more than 12 months after he bought the historic cinema, critics say.

“He pledged all of these renovations, but it looks the same as it did before,” said moviegoer Tom Brice, who said the news stories of Nicolaou’s purchase of the theater last year led him to believe that big changes were coming.

“Families used to go to the movie theater to get away from life, but who wants to go to that dingy looking Bingo hall?” he asked.

Nicolaou told The Brooklyn Paper that he understands the community’s concerns, but blamed the usual suspects — the city bureaucracy — for the delays.

The city threw the blame back at Nicolaou, who only applied in March for a permit to replace his 50-year-old air conditioning and heating system. That permit has been granted, yet the work has not begun.

Nicolaou promised to make fast work of renovations, which will include a new lobby ceiling, a new lobby carpet, and an entirely new electrical infrastructure for the 86-year-old theater. He also vows to partition off some interior space to create two additional theaters — though the Department of Buildings has not yet given him a permit for that work.

Nicolaou said the repairs and renovations would cost $1 million. At this point, his contractors will work only at night and in the morning, so as not to require him to close during the critical summer season. Movie theaters typically take in 40 percent of their year’s box office in the three months between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

“This summer we have committed to having all the big films coming out,” said Nicolaou. “We will have ‘Pirates of the Caribbean,’ ‘Transformers,’ ‘Die Hard,’ ‘Harry Potter’ and more.”

But everyone’s a critic: Residents believe they have waited long enough — especially given that the Alpine is the only show in town.

“It is a year and he has done nothing with the theater,” said another moviegoer who gave only the first name Matthew (and who is not this reporter). “The place is not a theater. It’s a s—t shack.”

Community expectations were heightened at the announcement last May that Nicolaou had bought the beloved theater for $6 million. The announcement was such big news that two local lawmakers — Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) and state Sen. Marty Golden (R–Bay Ridge) — held bizarre back-to-back press conferences to crow about their role in finding a buyer for the last moviehouse in a neighborhood that once had a half-dozen.

Now, despite the delays, Nicolaou reiterated his commitment to making his million-dollar baby a real contender.

“We are here for the long run and we will give the people the theater they deserve,” Nicolaou said, promising “a grand reopening” this fall.

In other words, roll ’em!