BOONE, NC – What better place to toast the New Year than in the heart of the High Country at the historic Appalachian Theatre on King Street in downtown Boone? The venerable landmark invites residents and visitors alike to join them in ringing in 2023, a year in which the App Theatre will celebrate its own 85th Anniversary.
“New Year’s Eve at The App” is a series of celebratory events that includes the screening of two popular films along with other revelries, beginning in the early evening of Saturday, December 31 and concluding after midnight on Sunday, January 1.
The family portion of the evening’s festivities begins at 6 p.m. with Disney’s fantasy romantic comedy “Enchanted,” the first time the critically acclaimed film has ever been screened at the App Theatre. The $10 admission price includes the film, a post-movie Martinelli’s sparkling cider toast in the Community Room, a photo booth, mock “ball-drop,” and party favors for all in attendance. The film is rated PG and is 107 minutes in duration.
At 10 p.m., the classic romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally…” will mark its first return to the App Theatre since its extended four-week run back in 1989. For $25 per person, revelers will view the film before enjoying light appetizers, party favors, a photo booth, a live viewing of the ball drop from Times Square in New York, and a champagne or Martinelli’s sparkling cider toast at midnight.
Note that Films@TheApp are shown without movie previews or trailers, so please arrive a few minutes before the scheduled start time to secure tickets and purchase concessions. Attendees under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Named “Best Family Film” at the 2007 Critics’ Choice Awards, “Enchanted” was directed by Kevin Lima, written by Bill Kelly, and stars Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey, and Susan Sarandon, with Julie Andrews as the narrator. It focuses on an archetypal Disney princess-to-be exiled from her animated world into the live-action world of New York City.
The film is both an homage to and a self-parody of Disney’s animated features, making numerous references to past works through the combination of live-action filmmaking, traditional animation, and computer-generated imagery. It also marks the return of traditional animation to a Disney feature film after the company’s decision to move entirely to computer animation in 2004. Composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, who had written songs for previous Disney films, wrote and produced the songs of “Enchanted” and Menken also composed the film’s score. The animated sequences were produced at James Baxter Animation in Pasadena, while filming of the live-action segments took place around New York City.
“Enchanted” was critically well-received, established Adams as a leading lady, and earned more than $340 million worldwide at the box office. It won three Saturn Awards, Best Fantasy Film, Best Actress for Adams, and Best Music for Menken. “Enchanted” also received two nominations at the 65th Golden Globe Awards and three Best Original Song nominations at the 80th Academy Awards. This is the first Walt Disney Pictures film to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures after Disney retired the Buena Vista brand from its distribution division. A sequel, “Disenchanted,” was just released on Disney+ in November 2022.
“When Harry Met Sally…” is a 1989 romantic comedy-drama film written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner. It stars Billy Crystal as Harry and Meg Ryan as Sally. The story follows the title characters from the time they meet in Chicago just before sharing a cross-country drive, through 12 years of chance encounters in New York City. The film addresses, but doesn’t resolve, questions along the lines of “Can men and women ever just be friends?”
Ideas for the film began when Rob Reiner divorced from Penny Marshall. An interview Ephron conducted with Reiner provided the basis for Harry. Sally was based on Ephron and some of her friends. Crystal came on board and made his own contributions to the screenplay, making Harry funnier. Ephron supplied the structure of the film with much of the dialogue based on the real-life friendship between Reiner and Crystal. The soundtrack consists of standards from Harry Connick, Jr., with a big band and orchestra arranged by Marc Shaiman. For his work on the soundtrack, Connick won his first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance.
Columbia Pictures released “When Harry Met Sally…” in selected cities, letting word of mouth generate interest, before gradually expanding distribution. The film grossed $92.8 million in North America and was released to critical acclaim. Ephron received a British Academy Film Award, an Oscar nomination, and a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for her screenplay. The film is ranked 23rd on American Film Institute’s 100 Years… 100 Laughs list of the top comedy films in American cinema and number 60 on Bravo’s “100 Funniest Movies.”
The Baltimore Sun reported that, over the years, “When Harry Met Sally…” has become “the quintessential contemporary feel-good relationship movie that somehow still rings true.” In 2022, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
“New Year’s Eve at The App” attendees should note that while the App Theatre’s online ticketing system is accessible 24/7, customers can avoid the online service fees by visiting the lobby box office between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Tuesday through Friday, or one hour prior to showtime for each film. For a complete performance schedule of all upcoming events, or to sign up for the theatre’s e-blast distribution list, visit the organization’s website at www.apptheatre.org
Events, days, dates, times, performers, and prices are subject to change without notice.
Courtesy of the App Theatre.
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