For most of us, a night at the movies means spending two hours in a plush but soulless theater little different than those found in any other city.
That’s hardly a bad thing. Today’s movie houses are a far cry from ones I spent too much of my formative years in. Those smelly buildings lacked stadium seating, gourmet amenities and comfortable chairs. One theater in my old neighborhood made ticket holders wait outside – even during the chilly winter months – before they let us into the theater.
But some movie houses are an experience unto themselves. Entertainment Weekly recently paid tribute to eight such theaters, like The Academy Theater in Portland and the Cinebistro in Miami. But the EW list clearly left out many great venues.
For me, the Uptown Theater in D.C. stands as the best place I’ve ever seen a film. The Uptown’s screen is massive, and sitting in the majestic theater takes on back to the golden age of cinema. I’ll never forget watching a re-release of “Ben Hur” at the Uptown. It felt like I had been transported back in time.
My Denver home doesn’t have a comparable movie house. The best theater here is The Mayan, a 1930s era Art Deco house which nearly got the business end of the wrecking ball in the ’80s.
What’s your favorite movie theater – and why?
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
The Fireweed Theater in Anchorage, Ak was just demolished. The largest theater wasn’t a stadium or boutique screen. But it had huge, plush seats with plenty of legroom and the angle was just sloped enough that your view wasn’t completely obstructed by a neighbor. You could actually sink into your chair a little and be very comfortable. All the other theaters pre-1994 were old and/or crowded. I hated the new theaters being built. Seats comparable to a baseball stadium.
I saw every Star Trek movie that came out after Wrath of Khan. Looking back I think I saw most sci fi/fantasy flicks from the 80s there. For years it was the only theater to offer THX. I discovered the glory that is Mr Pibb and Red Vines. I even got some PG action on a date night when I was a teenager. Anyone who visited us in Alaska were sent to the Fireweed first, if their movie was playing there.
The last movie I saw was Schindler’s List. I stayed with my friend after the movie was over for about 15 minutes. The cleaning crew came in but just worked around us and left. We were about 2 of 20 or so people remaining. I thought that was very considerate and cool.
My only beef was when they were bought out by another distributor and changed the format and food. Red Vines to Twizzlers? Unforgivable.
There’s a small chain of theaters called Cinebarre that have a full bar in the lobby of their theaters, and a full restaurant that serves you food and drinks in the theater while you’re watching the movie. Also, it’s 21-and-over allowed only, so all the annoying teenagers are removed from the equation. In other words, it’s a movie fan’s utopia.
I had just about given up on going to the theater until they built one in my WA state hometown; now my wife and I go to the movies there as often as possible.
Another great classic theater is The Senator in Maryland. I interviewed Ed Norton there years ago. I hope it’s still standing …
I was there with you Mr. Toto at the Ben Hur viewing, now many years ago. It remains one of my top 10-ten cinema experiences. The only movie house of note that I know of in Chicago is the Music Box. The rest have long since perished or were converted into music venues.