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This is a thread for posting about your favorite independent movie theaters in your area. If you've got a local theater you love and want others to experience, be sure to mention it here and list why you love it. This will also be a place to mention any upcoming special screenings and events at your local theaters. --- LIST OF THEATERS The Colonial Theatre | Phoenixville, PA  Most famous for being the theater that's attacked in 1958's The Blob and the center of Phoenixville's hokey Blobfest every year, this is also a really great theater for their screening of old horror films on the first Friday of every month and playing classic films on Sundays and Mondays. 35mm prints are screened whenever possible and my favorite yearly event is the All-Night Splatterfest every September, where 5 Italian horror films are played from film prints until 4am. They've recently bought the bank next door and renovated it into 2 additional, smaller theaters (they should've created additional parking as well). Lightbox Film Center | Philadelphia, PA  This place is constantly playing classic and foreign films, horror and cult cinema on film prints from the local collective Exhumed Films, and some obscure oddities I've never heard of. Every year in October they hold a 24-hour marathon of horror films (on 35 and 16mm prints). They've also recently done things like an Ingmar Bergman retrospective and a collection of '70s/'80s punk films. Bryn Mawr Film Institute | Bryn Mawr, PA  I haven't been to this place as much as the other two, but I've had some of my favorite movie-going experiences here. It's got a huge screen for an independent theater and has ~~stadium seating~~. It plays far more classics and foreign films than cult and horror here, but you'll get rare screenings on film prints for films like Seven Samurai and Lawrence of Arabia. It's biggest problem is that most of the cool poo poo they're playing will be on weekdays. Nroo fucked around with this message at 08:03 on Oct 18, 2018 |
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Oct 18, 2018 03:30
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An essential destination is The Brattle Theater in Cambridge, MA. They always have some of the best programming anywhere showing both new and old films mixing important classics and old fan favorites with the best contemporary films, as well as rarely seen or overlooked features. They also frequently host various guest speakers and film makers to accompany the movies they show. The Brattle Theater screens many films in 35mm and has one of the very few rear screen projectors still in use. Every year on Valentine's Day they screen Casablanca. And if that's not enough the theater was also the birth place of Janus Films in the 1950s. The theater itself is a bit small and low key but it's significance historically and currently in arthouse cinema cannot be overstated. It is hands down my favorite move theater anywhere.   Official website: http://www.brattlefilm.org/
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Oct 18, 2018 06:37
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Brisbane, Australia: The Gallery of Modern Art Cinematheque So, it's not a traditional repertory cinema, nor is it truly independent; the GOMA Cinematheque (run by the Queensland government) instead curates seasonal film programs linked to the exhibitions displayed inside the art gallery, hosts Q+A and seminars linked to film, and doubles as a performance space for live music/film intersections. They've had entire Lynch, Herzog, and Fassbinder retrospectives, a month-long season of Czech animation, programs featuring the filmic history of Sherlock Holmes, Shakespeare and others, live performances of soundtracks from Xiu Xiu (Twin Peaks), Regurgitator (Akira), a giallo retrospective featuring the nastiest, dirtiest film print of Zombi 2 I've ever seen, and heaps of other wierd stuff. It's the cultural highlight of the whole drat city, and thankfully government funded so it's going to stick around for a long, long time. It is also more often than not free, with some contemporary screenings or special events being ticketed.  these seats are deceptively comfy. I spent 14ish hours over three days watching Berlin Alexanderplatz there once. Trust me. It's relatively small, and there are two theatres, but every screening has an introduction from the curatorial staff and the utmost care is given to presenting authentic prints where possible. You can see some of the past programs here: https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/whats-on/cinema
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Oct 18, 2018 07:30
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Sun-Ray Cinema in Jacksonville, FL Pretty much my 2nd home. I try to make it to at least one show a week here. Now that they're offering $5 movie Tuesdays, that's even easier.   They have an extensive menu that includes hotdogs, pizzas, sandwiches, milkshakes, beer, wine, and the usual theater snacks. All of the food is made from scratch, and they have a lot of vegetarian and vegan options as well, including the pizzas and milkshakes. They also offer candies made locally, and the popcorn is local as well. They have a silent buzzer system and they deliver food to you discreetly while you're watching your movie. Their food is so good that people regularly come in just to grab lunch or dinner without seeing a movie.  I like to get a Zaat! pizza or a Spicy Portobello sandwich, usually paired with a local beer or a vegan strawberry milkshake, which are amazing They also have the nicest staff. I talk with one of the owners frequently and he's always willing to answer questions, take new ideas, or just waste a few minutes talking about movies. Every month brings new surprises. It's Halloween season, right now, so here's the line-up:  One that didn't get mentioned was a screening of Häxan with a live score, which is something they do every few months. They'll also do a showcase for an actor/director/writer and show a few of their movies in a single day, or they'll spread their entire filmography over a period of time. A few years ago I was able to watch every Stanley Kubrick film with them, and they've also done Orson Welles, Edgar Wright, Harmony Korine, some others. Most recently for Mandy they did a Rage with Nic Cage for a Day. They also manage to get guests to visit. John Waters, the Mads from MST3k, some comedians, filmmakers, actors. Good stuff. Anyway, this is a neat thread. I love pimping my favorite theater. Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 18:07 on Oct 18, 2018 |
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Oct 18, 2018 13:19
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I would love to hear if we have any good indie theaters in the Oklahoma City area. Currently the only places I know of to catch limited releases are the OKC Museum of Art, which is only a single screen and pretty spotty with what they actually get (seeing Stalker there was dope tho) and maaaaybe AMC Quail Springs, which won’t get anything too out of mainstream but gets stuff like First Reformed and is also a 40 minute drive for me. I have been to some cool theaters while traveling though. The Music Box in Chicago is great (I’m sure someone will do a detailed post about it) and the Broad Theatre in New Orleans was cool.
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Oct 18, 2018 16:25
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Louisville KY goon reporting in. I'm fairly certain this chain is local and consists of just two theaters.  Village 8 is a dollar theater and pretty lovely, but they show much more obscure movies that we don't get anywhere else in Louisville including hosting a local film festival. This is where I catch weird docs like The Act of Killing.  Baxter Avenue Theater is nicer but mostly mainstream stuff with a few weirder picks. Also they do midnight movie series of classic cult poo poo which is always fun. They recently renovated to have those reclining seats and a bar in the lobby which is nice. Also they have big shakers of spices and flavor dust for popcorn and it kicks rear end. Neither are exceptional imo and I'm always jealous of cooler theaters in bigger cities but I love them both. We've also got The Palace, a gorgeous old theater that mostly is a concert venue but they host classic movie series throughout the year. They always do a Hitchcock lineup and it's great. I don't know if they have a real projector anymore though. Saw White Christmas here last year and they just played it from a Blu-ray. Even if the movie quality wasn't great it's totally worth a trip to sit in the theater. The lobby is insane too. 
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Oct 18, 2018 18:33
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Alfred P. Pseudonym posted:I have been to some cool theaters while traveling though. The Music Box in Chicago is great (I’m sure someone will do a detailed post about it) and the Broad Theatre in New Orleans was cool. The parking's not the best, nor are the seats, but it's in an area where you wouldn't expect there to be a movie theater at all (it used to be an abandoned warehouse), and there wasn't one until this place opened in I think the beginning of 2016, so it definitely fills a need. It has a really cozy, neighborhood feel to it, the people there are super nice, they have a full bar, they show a lot of niche movies so you can almost always find someone you have stuff in common with to make conversation with there, etc. It's not the theater I go to the most, but every so often they'll show something I really want to see and I'll go there and have a great experience.
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Oct 18, 2018 18:53
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LOS ANGELES, CA I almost want to say there's too many awesome independent theaters in LA, because I'm constantly forgetting and rediscovering places all over this city. Here's a rundown of a few of my faves.  Mann’s Chinese Theater http://www.tclchinesetheatres.com/ Probably the most well known theater in Hollywood, home to many movie premieres and other huge spectacles. A one screen palace with a multiplex next door, It's now owned by TCL, and overwent a multi-million dollar renovation and now has IMAX support, so most of the big budget blockbusters have stupidly over-the-top opening weekends here.  El Capitan Theater https://elcapitantheatre.com/ Right down the block is Disney's El Capitan, it's another one screen movie palace that was opened alongside the Chinese and the Egyptian Theaters by Sid Grauman. If you're looking to go to a Disney premiere, this'd be the place. They also have a live organist who sometimes plays before the film starts.   Egyptian Theater http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/egyptian_theatre_events The last of the true Grauman independents. It's a two screen theater home to many classic film series retrospectives and movie festivals. Beyond Fest calls this place home every year.  Aero Theater http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/aero_theatre_events The Egyptian's sister theater in Santa Monica, the Aero is a one screen movie house that showcases a lot of classic screenings. They do a Dusk Til Dawn horror marathon every October. Jake Gyllenhall goes and sees Evil Dead here in Donnie Darko.  Los Feliz 3 http://www.vintagecinemas.com/losfeliz/ Tucked away in the Los Feliz neighborhood is this tiny 3 screen theater. They mostly show first run movies, but have been known to show little known indies, and has been home to a few soft premieres as well.   Vista Theater https://vintagecinemas.com/vista/ Another one screen palace with some amazing architecture. One of the few remaining movie palaces from the 1920s. Christian Slater meets Patricia Arquette here while watching Streetfighter in True Romance  Nuart Theater https://www.landmarktheatres.com/los-angeles/nuart-theatre Another single screen theater in Santa Monica, home to weekly screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and a usually stellar Friday midnight movie schedule.   New Beverly Cinema http://thenewbev.com/ The best and most eclectic this city has to offer. Co-owned by Quentin Tarantino. Currently undergoing heavy renovations and aiming for a December re-opening. I've easily spent hundreds of hours in this theater, and have seen films on their screen I thought I'd never have the opportunity to. Truly one of the few gems that's earned it's reputation.  Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater http://www.cinefamily.org/ RIP Another theater house in the vein of the New Beverly Cinema. They used to do weekly VHS medley screenings. Rocked by sexual harassment and abuse allegations, the people in charge tried to restructure after the controversy, but they never recovered and had to close shop. Rumors are that they may still re-open under new management, but who knows.  Eat See Hear movies in the park https://www.eatseehear.com/ They screen well known movies on inflatable screens in various parks throughout Los Angeles. They usually have a solid line-up, mostly showing cult movies or movies heavily seeped in pop culture.  Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery http://cinespia.org/ If watching movies in the park sounds boring, go watch one in the Hollywood Cemetery then. It's not as spooky when you're surrounded by 10,000 people watching the Breakfast Club tho.  Rooftop at the Montalban https://www.themontalban.com/movies-at-themontalban Or if movies in the cemetery sound boring, try the rooftop at the Montalban. They provide reclining lounge chairs and noise-cancelling headphones. I've only been a couple of times, but it's a pretty dope experience. Rooftop Cinema Club at Level and Neuehouse https://rooftopcinemaclub.com/los-angeles/ Another group of rooftop theaters. These guys used to also program the Montalban rooftop but have since expanded to other roofs.  Old Town Music Hall http://www.oldtownmusichall.org/schedule.html Small independent theater with a live organist.   Frida Cinema http://thefridacinema.org/ A small independent theater located in Long Beach.  Arena Cinelounge http://arenascreen.com/ A true hole in the wall right off of Hollywood Blvd. that really captures the sleaziness of the area. I went and saw the remake of Maniac here and it was probably the most apt movie/location I've ever gone to.  Echo Park Film Center http://www.echoparkfilmcenter.org/ A small film club in Echo Park, via their mission statement: quote:Echo Park Film Center is a non-profit media arts organization committed to providing equal and affordable community access to film/video resources via five channels:  Vineland Drive-In http://vinelanddriveintheater.com/ One of the last great drive-ins. ruddiger fucked around with this message at 22:54 on Oct 18, 2018 |
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Oct 18, 2018 22:36
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Has anyone been to the Rio in Overland Park, KS? I live about 6 minutes from it but have never gone.
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Oct 18, 2018 23:05
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Any halloween horror marathons going on in your towns? I know of two in LA Aero Theater - All Night Horror-thon http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/content/all-night-horrorthon-1 quote:Spend all night at the Aero Theatre’s 13th annual Horrorthon! Complete with between-film free food, giveaways, trailers and crazy shorts, this movie marathon feels like rowdiest and most bizarre sleepover you’ll ever attend. Expect special appearances by the beloved Corn Gorn and his bride, Frost Nixon, Wizard Policeman, George Washingmachine and more from the Horrorthon canon. Be prepared to be showered with candy from Randy and DVDs at random. Pack your pillows and survival kits and don’t be shy…the louder you scream, the better your chances of being crowned Mister Horrorthon 2018. Oh, and did we mention stack upon stacks of free pizza and Monster drinks?  Dynasty Typewriter - 16mm 80s Horror Sequels Movie Marathon https://www.eventbrite.com/e/16mm-80s-horror-sequels-movie-marathon-tickets-50235990199 quote:We know that you want a powerhouse 12-hour session of ‘80s horror franchise sequels projected from nothing but rare film prints -- because we do too.
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Oct 19, 2018 23:28
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The Esquire, Cincinnati! Located in my old neighborhood of Clifton, right in the hipster-rear end gaslight district. Small, cramped,and staffed with weirdos, it still manages to serve as one of the cultural hotspots of the area. Rocky Horror every weekend, cool limited-run showings, and seated in what might arguably be the most multicultural street in the entire city, it's a great place to catch a flick. http://www.esquiretheatre.com/
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Oct 20, 2018 00:01
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I’ll try to do an effort post on the Pittsburgh theatres later, but this is the Rowhouse cinema’s Halloween lineup: 28 Days Later... A Nightmare on Elm Street Freaks Funny Games (1997) Hereditary Night of the Living Dead The Blair Witch Project The Cabin in the Woods Plus midnight showings of House, Poltergeist, and Rocky Horror, plus a day of silents where one ticket gets access to The Phantom of the Opera - Noon The Golem - 2:00 pm Vampyr - 4:00 pm Faust - 5:45 pm Nosferatu - 8:00 pm Fantomas: In The Shadow Of The Guillotine - 10:00 pm
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Oct 20, 2018 00:19
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Rageaholic Monkey posted:The parking's not the best This is a serious understatement. I think that lot’s been under construction for the better part of two years. I like the Broad, but I wish it got more Janus distributed stuff and didn’t have to play things like Justice League (which may or may not be a good movie, but I’d certainly one that can be seen anywhere). They had Stalker when it was touring, but it feels like that was the last one. Still, better than the Prytania - it’s a travesty that it held the title of Best N.O. Arthousd by default for years, because it doesn’t actually take that many risks.
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Oct 20, 2018 01:40
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Fart City posted:The Esquire, Cincinnati! Ooh awesome. I'll have to check them out next time I'm up there.
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Oct 30, 2018 19:09
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The New Beverly Cinema is re-opening December 1st and they have their schedule posted on their website. Goodfellas/Machine Gun McCain and Christmas Evil/Silent Night Deadly Night double features should be a good time. http://thenewbev.com
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Nov 22, 2018 21:32
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ruddiger posted:The New Beverly Cinema is re-opening December 1st and they have their schedule posted on their website. Goodfellas/Machine Gun McCain and Christmas Evil/Silent Night Deadly Night double features should be a good time. Don't forget also The Silent Partner, which features peak period Elliot Gould, batshit crazy Christopher Plummer, a small part for John Candy, and classic Eaton's Centre Toronto Christmas madness. I loving LOVE The Silent Partner. 
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Nov 23, 2018 15:40
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whatevz fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Apr 25, 2022 |
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Nov 28, 2018 01:19
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https://www.theavalon.org/ Avalon Theatre on the border of DC and Maryland is pretty cool. Only been once thus far, but it's a perfect date spot and it feels neat just being located in this random residential neighborhood.
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Dec 4, 2018 05:45
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Alright, I can't believe no one has talked about my favorite movie theater in the world but here goes: The Music Box  Look at that sign. It looks like heaven. The Music Box was built in the early thirties as a smaller sister theater to bigger movie houses in the city that held thousands of people, and managed to survive for decades before being kinda shut down in the late 70s. It eventually reopened instead of being trashed, and by the 1990s it was the place to go for foreign, independent, and cult movies.  This is the first of it's two theaters, and it was the only theater for a very long time. It was originally built with an orchestra pit just incase those newfangled "talkies" didn't catch on, and still to this day has organists that come play for movies that need them. It's one of the only places in Chicago that has a 70mm film projector, and they have a 70mm Festival every year or so where they show movies new and old on 70mm prints, both original and restored/reprinted. They even had a 70mm print of that 2001: A Space Odyssey rerelease struck for themselves (and my god does it look fabulous). The main screening room was made to look like you are sitting outside an Italian villa, with stars and clouds up on the ceiling and sitting in there makes you feel like you're watching something at some unknown point in space, in a room untouched by time. (the other room is an old storefront turned into a much smaller theater. it's nice and I saw Mandy in there but all of the big event showings are in the big room and the big room is magical)  They also have a film distribution arm! They've distributed Oscar-winning films (Ida, Best Foreign Film 2014), and they distributed the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and it's sequels. They do all sorts of events throughout the year, too. They are the home of the Chicago Film Critic Festival and the Cinepocalypse Film Festival, they have a 24-hour Horror marathon for Halloween, sing-alongs for Christmas, and in the summer they show film prints of Looney Tunes shorts in the mornings for free. They also do all sorts of filmmaker Q&As, events with groups throughout the city, and fun repertory screenings all through the year. They have some of the best programmers in the country IMO. If you're ever in Chicago for a weekend and you care even a little bit about film, you should check out their schedule, they're bound to be showing something fun. I've seen new movies with filmmakers there (Sleepwalk with Me w/Ira Glass, The Little Hours w/Aubrey Plaza), classic and new movies in 70mm (The Hateful Eight, 2001: A Space Odyssey!!!), new release films that I'd be hard-pressed to find in the college town I live in now (Mandy, Shin Godzilla), and there's a million things I've missed seeing now that I don't live in Chicago anymore.  They also have this cool lounge/bar, with a garden out back for the times when Chicago is not covered in snow. It's a nice place to chill out before/after a movie, and it matches the neighborhood it sits in really well. It's such a cool place and I love it so much.
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Dec 4, 2018 07:08
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DeimosRising posted:I’ll try to do an effort post on the Pittsburgh theatres later, but this is the Rowhouse cinema’s Halloween lineup: Just echoing that Rowhouse is REAL GOOD. It's very small, so you'll want to preorder tickets for most movies. But there's a brewery right next door which is awesome. My wife and I went to see Creepshow there last October and they had a live demonstration before of a bunch of amazing practical makeup effects which was really cool.
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Dec 4, 2018 16:46
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Here's a pretty cool article about pre-shows and bumpers, featuring a few different indie theaters, including the one I frequent regularly. Now Playing: The Movies Before the Movies I actually animated my own pre-show bumper for them recently, and it's been playing all month. I got to see it before Melancholia, Die Hard and It's A Wonderful Life this month!
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Dec 26, 2018 23:45
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