As part of my daily commute, I drive past the Westgate Theater. It closed down a few months ago and the wrecking balls finally dug in last week. All that remains now is the marque and the theater's giant "CINEMAS" sign. It's curious that they didn't knock it down when they took out the rest of the building. Maybe someone is planning to use it as a location for a low-budget, World War 3 movie. From what I've heard, the city of Beaverton is planning to eventually replace the Westgate with a...

...road. What, instead of a strip mall? You stay classy, Beaverton.

I'll miss the Westgate. While the new megaplex up the street may offer stadium seating, it doesn't have purple decour, a disorienting layout or decades of memories. The place originally opened in the late '60s.. A brief retrospective over at Metroblogging Portland has drawn feedback from readers fondly recalling screenings of Star Wars at the Westgate that were still selling out a year after its original release. While that was before my time, the Westgate was were I saw such '90s cinematic "classics" as Hot Shots, Lethal Weapon 3, Eraser and The Cable Guy

Westgate, you will be missed.

Also: here's what Oregonian movie critic Shawn Levy had to say about the closure of Portland's last "gate" theater.