Cinema entertainment in North America
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A
Premier Muvico Palace 20
Ahhhh, this is how movies were meant to be enjoyed! This elegant and massive film house (sister property to the one in West Palm's CityPlace), offers luxurious seating, a private bar and a wine menu for sipping while you watch your movie. For some, the best detail is that children are not admitted into the theatres.
reviewed
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B
Angelika Film Center
Angelika specializes in foreign and independent films and has some quirky charms (the rumble of the subway, long lines and occasionally bad sound). But its roomy cafe is a great place to meet and the beauty of its Stanford White–designed, beaux-arts building undeniable.
reviewed
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C
Pacific Film Archive
The PFA is internationally renowned for daily screenings that explore the art of film-making, including rare, new and historic prints from around the globe. The box office (11am-5pm) is at 2621 Durant Ave.
reviewed
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D
Cinecenta
UVic's Cinecenta is where old classics and curiosities rub shoulders on a nightly changing schedule.
reviewed
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E
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F
Mitchell Brothers O’Farrell Theater
This infamous strip joint remains open, long after one of the founding brothers murdered the other. Jim and Artie Mitchell opened the theater in 1969 and began making porno, including the legendary Deep Throat, starring Marilyn Chambers. At its prime, the Mitchells’ multimillion-dollar empire included a production company and 11 California theaters. But the Mitchell brothers went the way of Cain and Abel, when Jim shot and killed Artie in 1991. He was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served six years; a heart attack killed him in 2007. Despite its tawdry background, the O’Farrell Theater is generally regarded as a classy place (with a capital k). Even if you don’t …
reviewed
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G
Cinemex Palacio
One of over 30 multiplexes in the capital, Cinemex is the largest chain of movie theaters in Mexico City. It was founded back in 1993 by three astute Harvard college students (majoring, naturally, in Business Studies) after regulations were lifted with the new Cinematography Law. Known for their bigger screens, plush carpeting, well-lit interiors and US-style food and drink vendors, back in the mid-’90s this was also the only chain in the world with 100% digital sound. Cinemex is well-represented throughout all districts. To find the most convenient location, check the easy-to-navigate website (in Spanish), scrolling down on the complejos (venues) box.
reviewed
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H
AMC Empire 25
At this massive, 17-screen theater in the heart of Times Sq, taking the multiple flights of elevators with the crowds so you can climb up to your movie can feel a little overwhelming. But it’s pretty cool to gaze out of the huge windows that overlook lit-up 42nd St – and even more exciting to settle into the stadium-style seating, which gives good views from just about any seat. Though this isn’t the best place to catch mass-consumer Hollywood flicks, as the crowds can be massive and rowdy, it’s the perfect off-the-radar spot for indies, which show here frequently to well-behaved, manageable numbers.
reviewed
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I
Cineforum
Though there have been a few attempts to shut it down, an off-the-wall experience (or perhaps on-the-wall) still awaits at Cineforum. Irascible Torontonian character Reg Hartt wraps posters around telephone poles advertising his cinema – the front room of his house where he showcases classic and avant-garde films. Animation retrospectives are his specialty, as are Salvador Dalí prints. Come prepared for idiosyncratic lectures designed to expand your consciousness (like ‘What I Learned from LSD’), sometimes delivered while movies are playing. Seats 20; bring your own food and drink.
reviewed
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J
Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse
Ice-cold beers and second-run films at bargain-basement prices? Who could resist that? Not many people. You need to be 21 to enter (or with a parent), but once inside you will find comfy chairs for flick-viewing, a menu of sandwiches, pizzas and, of course, popcorn, as well as a selection of alcoholic drinks (this is one of the few places in DC where you can drink and catch a movie at the same time). Some nights the theater skips the movies and hosts stand-up comedy instead. Check the website. There are also family-oriented programs some weekends.
reviewed
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K
Castro Theatre
The Mighty Wurlitzer organ rises from the orchestra pit before the evening performance, and the audience cheers and whistles as the organist plays classics from the Great American Songbook. If there’s a gay cult classic on the bill, such as Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, expect full audience participation. Otherwise, the crowd is well behaved and rapt. San Franciscans are wary of the seat beneath the giant chandelier, but film fests and Fellini tributes fill every available chair. Note: sound is echoey in the balcony.
reviewed
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L
Filmoteca
UNAM’s two cinemas screen films from its collection of over 35,000 titles, selected from an archive (founded in 1960) that has played a pivotal role, not only in Mexican but in international film culture. Among its activities, the Filmoteca actively seeks long-lost films for preservation. It has also played a vanguard role in international film culture, organizing the first Mexican film festival in Paris back in 1963. You can catch the Festival Cinematografíco de Verano (Summer Film Festival) between June and August.
reviewed
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M
National Film Board
This cutting-edge cinema in the Quartier Latin offers regular screenings from an archive of 6000 films, documentaries and animated shorts, but the real attraction is its Cinérobothèque – make your choice and a robot housed in a huge, glass-roofed archive plucks your selection from the stacks. Then relax and settle back into individual, stereo-equipped chair units to watch your personal monitor. There is also a huge Canadian video and DVD collection available.
reviewed
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N
Ex-Centris Cinema
A showcase for independent films from around the world. It’s sleek and geared to provide pure movie enjoyment (popcorn and soft drinks are banned, for example, because they distract from the movie-watching experience). Besides several cinemas, this place is full of high-tech film gadgetry you have to see to believe, starting with the box-office cashier whose disembodied head speaks to you through electronic portholes when you buy your tickets.
reviewed
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O
Bridge Theater
One of the city’s few remaining single-screen theaters, the Bridge shows an international lineup of independent films. Weekends in summer, at midnight, the Bridge hosts Midnight Mass, featuring camp, horror and B-grade movies, such as Showgirls and Mommie Dearest, with each screening preceded by a drag show spoofing the film. Local celeb Peaches Christ wrangles the always-raucous crowd; reserve ahead.
reviewed
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Le Clap
Located in the Ste-Foy-Sillery borough, Le Clap’s mandate is to show off the best of what’s going on in the film world. On any given afternoon, you’ll find an eclectic mix of films that could include the latest British hit, an old indie French film and probably one American blockbuster. Non-French-language films are almost always dubbed in French instead of subtitled but call ahead to double-check.
reviewed
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P
New Beverly Cinema
Serious filmophiles and megaplex foes put up with the worn seats and musty smell of this beloved double-feature revival house that started out as a vaudeville theater in the '20s and went porno in the '70s. In 2007, Quentin Tarantino held the world premier of Grindhouse here, shortly before the cinema's longtime owner passed away suddenly. His wife and son have promised to keep the reels rolling.
reviewed
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Q
Harvard Film Archive
For retrospectives of distinguished actors, screenings of rare films, thematic groupings (eg Dialogues in Boston Documentary Filmmaking ) and special events where filmmakers (Angela Ricci Lucchi, James Benning) appear to discuss their work, head to Le Corbusier’s Carpenter Center. Tickets for most screenings are sold at the Cinematheque 45 minutes ahead of show times, which often sell out.
reviewed
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R
Contempo Cinema
To see current Latin American and international films dealing with gay themes, check what’s playing at Contempo Cinema. Located inside the Zona Rosa’s Plaza del Ángel shopping center, the Contempo screens contemporary Mexican and international films, with an emphasis on gay and erotic themes, as well as staging occasional theater and cabaret productions.
reviewed
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S
Music Box Theatre
The current feature hardly matters; the Music Box itself is worth the visit. This perfectly restored theater dates from 1929 and looks like a Moorish palace, with clouds floating across the ceiling under twinkling stars. The programs are always first-rate, including a midnight roster of cult hits like The Big Lebowski. A second, small and serviceable theater shows held-over films.
reviewed
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T
Cinéma Cartier
This huge building really was a former movie theater until it was sliced up with a store on the bottom and retail space up top. The 2nd floor houses an independent video shop with a little movie theater in the back showing independent films. It’s deliciously old-world, completely pitch-black except for the screen, and set up with big comfy chairs. Subtitles in French only.
reviewed
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U
Royal Cinema
By the time you read this, the newly renovated Royal – a funky art deco Little Italy landmark – will have opened its doors and made a triumphant return to the Toronto alternative cinema scene. Well, that's what they have planned… Expect documentaries, second-run and repertory releases – anything from Monty Python to Hong Kong punch-'em-up flicks.
reviewed
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V
Clearview’s Ziegfeld Theater
The last true movie palace in New York City, this stunner, built in 1969, seats a whopping 1131 moviegoers and is often used for glitzy celeb-studded premieres because of its opulence. Inside, you’ll find chandeliers, fancy bathrooms and a gigantic screen. It screens only mainstream Hollywood fare, though occasional special series can bring classics into the lineup.
reviewed
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W
Roxie Cinema
The Roxie carries major clout with cinemaniacs for helping distribute and launch Hong Kong films Stateside, and for showing controversial films and documentaries banned elsewhere in the US. You never can predict the Roxie. Matt Groenig may show up to introduce a Simpsons film festival, and the audience will likely throw popcorn during the screening of the Academy Awards.
reviewed
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X
Arclight Cinemas
Preselected seats, an in-house bar and friendly employees – plus proximity to Amoeba Music – make this relative newcomer one of the primo theaters in LA. Star-sighting potential is also exceptionally high, though you won’t see Quentin Tarantino, who’s opposed to the strict ‘No entry after the movie starts’ policy. He has a point – everyone is running late in LA.
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