Cinema entertainment in USA
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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.
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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.
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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.
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D
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 …
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E
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.
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F
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.
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G
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.
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H
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.
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I
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.
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J
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.
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K
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.
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L
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.
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M
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.
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N
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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O
Somerville Theatre
This classic neighborhood movie house dates from 1914 and features plenty of well-preserved gilding and pastel murals of muses. On offer are first- and second-run Hollywood hits, live chamber music, the Chuck Norris Film Festival and the Independent Film Festival of Boston screenings. The main theater is the biggest, best and oldest and has the added treat of a balcony.
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P
Coolidge Corner Theatre
An art-deco neighborhood palace, this old theater blazes with exterior neon. Inside, view select Hollywood hits, cult flicks, popular independent fare and special events such as ‘open mic for movies’ where you bring self-made masterpieces (less than 10 minutes in length) for a pastiche of amateur weirdness. Fifty cents of every ticket goes to upkeep of the building.
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Q
Embarcadero Center Cinema
Blockbusters do nothing for the cinephile crowds at the Embarcadero – instead, people queue up for the latest Almodóvar film and whatever won best foreign film at the Oscars. The snack bar caters to discerning tastes with good local coffee, fair-trade chocolate and popcorn with real butter. Spoiler alert: aficionado audiences discuss reviews before and after films.
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R
Tribeca Cinemas
This is the physical home of the Tribeca Film Festival, founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. Throughout the year, the space hosts a range of screenings and educational panels, including festivals dedicated to Brazilian films, horror flicks or kids’ movies. Check the website for upcoming events and screening schedules.
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Cable Car Cinema
This theater screens offbeat and foreign films. Inside, patrons sit on couches and sometimes listen to a lovable weirdo sing ‘Teddy Bears Picnic’ before the show. The attached sidewalk café brews excellent coffee, and serves sandwiches and baked goods. It’s a good place to hang out, even if you aren’t catching a flick.
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Anthology Film Archives
This theater, opened in 1970 by film buff Jonas Mekas and a supportive crew, is dedicated to the idea of film as an art form. It screens indie works by new filmmakers and also revives classics and obscure oldies that are usually screened in programs organized around a specific theme or director, from Luis Buñuel to Ken Brown’s psychedelia.
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U
Cinespace
Thursday through Saturday, it’s dinner-and-date night at easygoing Cinespace, where classic movies and cutting-edge indies are screened for crowds wanting more than a trough of buttery popcorn. After the show, the theater morphs into a sexy, but not-hipper-than-thou, nightclub. See the website for Sunday to Wednesday club nights and hours.
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V
Galaxy Neonopolis 11
Downtown Vegas’ only movie theater may look rundown, but it sports digital THX sound and high-backed, stadium-style seating. Babies are welcome at special ‘Movies for Mom’ showings, often on Wednesday morning. Three-hour validated parking is available in the Neonopolis garage (enter off 4th St, south of Fremont St).
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W
Brattle Theatre
The Brattle is a film lover’s ‘cinema paradiso.’ Film noir, independent films and series that celebrate directors or periods are shown regularly in this renovated 1890 repertory theater. Some famous (or infamous) special events include the annual Valentine’s Day screening of Casablanca and occasional cartoon marathons.
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X
Tropicana Cinemas
One of Vegas’ only discount movie theaters, the Trop normally charges just a buck or two to see second-run films. On some weekends, ‘midnight madness’ shows feature cult classics like Dazed & Confused and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Next door is the Pinball Hall of Fame.
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Y
Clearview’s Chelsea
In addition to showing first-run films, this multiscreen complex hosts weekend midnight showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, as well as a great Thursday-night series, Chelsea Classics, which has local drag star Hedda Lettuce hosting old-school camp fare from Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Barbra Streisand and the like.
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