By Derek Walter

    Movie goers file in to the Clovis UA on a recent Thursday evening. But as the movie begins, it isn’t the animated characters from “Cars” or scenes from “The Da Vinci Code” that appear on screen.
    Instead, “Footloose” bursts through the speakers. Dancing shoes appear on screen. And then the 1985 film plays for the audience.
    It’s called Flashback Flicks, a Thursday feature at the UA Clovis Towne Center at Shaw and Villa avenues in Clovis. Older movies are brought back to the theater for audiences to get a second, or for some, a first chance to see them on screen.
    John Gibbons, 17, a recent graduate of Buchanan High School, recently viewed Saturday Night Fever during one of the Thursday flicks wit. He said the weekly series was a good way to see some older movies in a theater.
    “By bringing these movies out you get the actual movie experience,” he said. “you get to see them on the big screen instead of having to watch them at home on your television.”
    He says that he was looking forward to the upcoming screening of “Pulp Fiction,” scheduled to show Aug. 24.
 Ashley Hamilton, 18, said she appreciated seeing the movie in an older theater, as opposed to the now popular stadium seating format.
    “That’s the way it used to be when you went to the theater to watch a movie,” she says.
    Audience participation helps make it more than just a traditional movie watching experience. Movie promoters ask trivia questions about the movie before it shows and throw prizes like t-shirts and movie posters to the audience.  Movie goers are also asked  to submit potential movies for consideration.
    Promoters say it’s been a successful run, as a whole new string of movies are planned for upcoming weeks. One of the most popular movies was “Gremlins,” which will be running again Aug. 17, and last time required two screens to hold the crowd who showed up.
    The Flashback Flicks films always begin at 8 p.m. on Thursday, and tickets are $5.
    The upcoming schedule is:
•    July 6 – Risky Business
•    July 13 – Die Hard
•    July 20 – Flashdance
•    July 27 – Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
•    Aug. 3 – There’s Something about Mary
•    Aug. 10 – Dirty Dancing
•    Aug. 17 – Gremlins
•    Aug. 24 – Pulp Fiction
•    Aug. 31 – The Godfather