Flyover Online

True sadness is what I remember feeling when the American Film Institute stopped publishing “American Film Magazine” close to twenty years ago. I remain biased towards “American Film” because the magazine represented my growth from a kid who waited excitedly in line for “The Empire Strikes Back” to a college-bound teenager experiencing the joys of foreign-language cinema, documentaries, classics and the avant-garde, basically, the other side of cinema. Of course, one still retains their love for Hollywood blockbusters — yes, I’m very much looking forward to “Spider-Man 3” — which is why I feel sad about the magazine rack demise of “Premiere,” announced Monday by its publisher Hachette Filipachi (Foreign editions of ‘Premiere” will remain operating). I have always considered the evolution of an American movie buff to be something like this: Grow up watching Disney movies and blockbuster adventures; seek out and embrace art-house fare; then, sneak back to the multiplexes and contemplate “Pirates of the Caribbean’s” Captain Jack as a symbol of pansexual freedom.
“Premiere,” the April issue will be its last, was a voice that understood the childlike fan inside many serious-minded moviegoers.
New Technology prevents the “Premiere” brand from closing completely. The magazine will survive as “Premiere.com” and “Premiere Mobile,” another reasons for film buffs to remain glued to their laptops.