In its last days, the Great Star theater on Jackson street was not showing much in the way of cinematic feats or glimpses of Chinese life. There were no great revelations about the human spirit or the human condition. In the recent past, Chinatown's theaters have been a hangout for teenage gangs, misfits, and social truants. Thanks to Hong Kong schlock, Kung Phooey overkill, and B-grade nudist flicks, the ethnic Chinese language movie industry is languishing in mediocrity after mediocrity. Hong Kong movies these days are as Hongky as they can get.
Time is money.
Us old Chinese had better get used to the brave new world of Hollywood chic, Metreon theaters, lattes, and the digital cyberworld. I cannot help but think about a community that once was, but is no longer. For me, the China that I knew only exists in the mind. It is no longer in Chinatown.