Why you need to revisit the newly renovated Egyptian Theatre

After a months-long renovation, Seattle’s Egyptian Theatre is reopening with a bang and nobody is more excited than KIRO Radio’s Tom Tangney.

The Seattle International Film Festival, which has taken over the Egyptian’s lease, has breathed new life into the Capitol Hill theater with a new sound system, a new 35 mm projector (along with the digital version), and cosmetic touch ups. Tom also points out the venue now serves beer.

“It sounds better, the screen is going to be better,” Tom said. “Technically, it’s going to be a much better experience, and then visually, you’ll have the same experience, only on cleaner seats.”

Sure, Tom has sat in those seats plenty of times to bring you movie reviews, but he also is a former Egyptian Theatre employee. At one point, there were three Tangney brothers running the show.

“I sold tickets. I ran the ticket booth for the festival back in the day. I was a long-time doorman there.”

Tom’s brother was managing and who’s kid brother can resist tagging along and seeing movies for free?

Tom said he has seen “Stop Making Sense” more than any other movie in his life because he was in charge of making sure people didn’t get up on the stage to dance. It played almost every Friday and Saturday night for nearly a year, but Tom said he still loves the film.

And if it’s film you’re looking for, this weekend is the perfect time to check out the Egyptian Theatre. To celebrate the reopening, SIFF is running the Egyptian’s greatest hits: Akira Kurosawa’s “Kagemusha,” “Amelie,” “Blood Simple,” and “O Brother Where Art Thou,” among many others.

“They started showing Coen Brothers before we even knew who they were,” Tom said.

And you can’t beat the price. All movies are $5, unless you bring in a receipt from a Capitol Hill business, in which case your movie is free.