Although the movie theatre at Citadel Mall has won a reprieve - the ex-AMC concern has been taken over by a regional company - another West Ashley entertainment mecca is closing its doors today.

The Map Room on Sam Rittenburg Blvd blames low attendance numbers, high gas prices, Charleston's smoking ban and the economy on its dwindling profits. So it's pulled the plug. You can read the full story on the City Paper website.

The Map Room's a short walk from my house, and it's best known to me as an alternative art venue (hosting group shows of underground artists), a film and theatre space (for example, Theatre/verv performed there, and the Star Wars short Volition premiered there as well).

Most of all it was a music venue. A cap to my birthday party was a show by Southern Culture on the Skids at The Map Room. I didn't go - I was busy bursting out of a cake, or the other way round - but my pals did. A good time was had by all.

We'll miss you, Map Room.

I've spent the past couple of weeks working on an article about the Charleston International Film Festival, an event I first mentioned in the CP back in October 2007.

The four-day festival at the Terrace Theatre, James Island SC, will show six feature films and loads of short fictive films, documentaries and cartoons.

Part of my article looked at what would happen next year - in particular, how the festival would have to change and grow to continue.

But last night I heard that the first Charleston International Film Festival may also be the last.

Maybe the organizers have a packed schedule next year, or maybe the event isn't looking as profitable as they hoped. Or maybe the rumors aren't true. All I know is, we should make the most of this year's and appreciate all the effort that's gone into its production.

AMC's Charleston movie theaters close

AMC has announced that it will close its two movie theaters at our local malls (West Ashley and Northwoods). It seems that there just aren't enough shoppers who want to go see a film after a hard day's browsing, and the 6-screeners can't compete with the city's larger mulitplexes.

Since I'm a fully signed-up slave to celluloid I've frequented the AMC at Citadel Mall often. One of my favorite experiences there: watching the Dawn of the Dead remake. The movie's set in a mall, so to view it then step out of the theater and see a very similar mall was a mind-rattling experience.

You can read the full story about the closures on the Post & Courier website. I take exception to their comment that Charleston's multiplexes are state-of-the-art, though; only one - away out in Summerville - is equipped with up to date digital video projection equipment.