John Wilson is building a cinema

In a new video, Wilson shared that he's outfitting his theater in the most John Wilson way possible—a.k.a., there's a giant E.T. involved.

John Wilson is building a cinema
Introducing Endless Mode: A New Games & Anime Site from Paste

John Wilson has a bold new plan to save movie theaters once and for all: just make them really, really cool inside. In a new video for the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the enigmatic How To filmmaker shared that he had signed a lease on a “very small commercial space”—location TBA—and is currently using it to “build out this theater with a few friends.” (MoMA did not immediately respond to The A.V. Club‘s request for comment on this story.)

“I was having a hard time with routine and I needed structure,” Wilson shared of the motivation behind the project. We’ve likely all felt the same at one time or another, but for most of us, those healthy habits probably didn’t involve materials self-described as being “in really poor taste” (complimentary) or a giant, papier mache E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Then again, that may also be why most people aren’t five-time Emmy-nominated filmmakers.

Among Wilson’s designs for the theater are a giant wooden hand that will point from the concession stand into the cinema, a light shaped like a beach ball, a concession stand outfitted in the aforementioned distasteful material (vinyl paneling trying to look like bricks and stones at the same time) and of course, the giant E.T. He “looks worse than he ever has” in this particular video, but don’t worry—he’ll have a fresh coat of paint whenever opening day arrives.

When he’s not playing interior designer—or the hero the Theatrical Experience never knew it needed—Wilson works as a documentary filmmaker and street photographer. He’s the creator of HBO’s weird, wonderful How To With John Wilson, and recently produced a music video for Bon Iver’s upcoming album, SABLE, fABLE. You can check that out below:

 
Join the discussion...