RECREATING THE SETTING... of a film for a party honoring the film's opening? Many talented designers and party planners are regularly called upon to do just that. If the movie, say, has palm trees and a beach scene on some fabulous island getaway, the film's opening-weekend party might sport some trucked-in sand and some inflatable cabanas. If the flick is all about outer space, you can bet that some star-like lights, and glowing planets, will lend the room a cosmic vibe. But what if the film in question is set at an actual attraction that people can visit? That people do visit, all the time, in fact? You can probably guess that an opening weekend party at that location will be planned, and it is one that fans can buy tickets to, too. "Winchester," the cinematic story of Sarah Winchester and her surreal San Jose mansion starring Helen Mirren, is opening in cinemas across the nation on Friday, Feb. 2, and the Winchester Mystery House, Mrs. Winchester's very real former home, has planned a reception, and nearby screening, over not just one but two nights. Those nights are...
FEB. 2 AND 3, 2018, and there are two receptions each night, and two "exclusive fan" screenings nightly at the CineArts at Santana Row. Your $49 ticket gives you entry to one of the receptions, where you can enjoy a cocktail (that's part of your ticket price) or a non-alcoholic sip, and a few small bites, too. Exquisite Edwardian-style costumes from the film will be on display in the front hall area of the mansion, which is where the reception will be. The film screening? That will immediately follow each party at the CineArts at Santana Row. Call it a rare chance to really enter the movie you're about to watch, by visiting the actual place that inspired what's on the screen. And while many people in places all over will be watching "Winchester" at their local theater that weekend, only a few people will be starting their screenings off with a soirée at the very brick-and-glass, famous-all-over Winchester Mystery House.
