IfcCenter Tagged Articles at Cinematical

What are your criteria for the "best" movie theaters in your area? Most convenient? Most economical? Best popcorn? Best programming? Least corporate? "The Best Movie Houses in America" is the headline of an article in Paste Magazine, in which they list seven "top-notch" independently-owned movie theaters.

Their criteria focuses on the selection of films available at the local indie movie house: "We look to it as a calm voice of reason in a sea of neon-appointed megaplexes; as a secure place of refuge where we discover talented indie filmmakers who've been flying under the radar." They include two Manhattan theaters among the seven: Film Forum and the IFC Center, plus one each in Austin (Cinematical favorite The Alamo Drafthouse Downtown/Ritz), Boston (The Coolidge Corner Theatre), Chicago (Facets Cinematheque), Minneapolis (Riverview Theater), and Seattle (The Grand Illusion Cinema).

My criteria for "best" revolves around good programming, superior projection / sound, and comfortable seating, with the option of good, varied food and drinks a big bonus. When I lived in New York, I loved Film Forum for its programming and the Ziegfield Theatre (admittedly not an indie house) for projection / sound. I stayed in Chicago one summer and admired the programming at Facets, the Music Box Theatre, and the Gene Siskel Film Center. My Los Angeles faves were the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian, the New Beverly, the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood (again, not an indie). Now that I live in Texas, the Alamo reigns supreme for me, even though it's 200 miles away.

What are the best movie houses in your area? Is there a great, locally-owned theater (or small chain) that deserves more love?

When was the last time you saw a short film in the theater? I don't mean an 85-minute animated movie; I mean an actual short, like they give separate Oscars to. Otherwise known as a short subject, defined (by the Academy) as anything with a running time less than 40 minutes. Chances are, unless you attend film festivals, go to see the toured screenings of Oscar shorts, or bought a ticket to Paris, Je T'Aime, it's been awhile since you actually saw a short film on a big screen.

Or, maybe I should specify that it's likely been awhile since you purposefully went to see a specifically timed screening of a short film or compilation of shorts at the theater. Technically some ads for Coca-Cola and other companies, the ones made by novice filmmakers as part of a competition or something, count as shorts. And, I'm fully aware that some arthouse cinemas, such as NYC's IFC Center, run a short film in place of pre-show commercials. But as far as I can tell, such shorts are not specifically advertised as screening at a designated time. Sure, you can go on the IFC Center's website and find out that Erik Rosenlund's Looking Glass is the short currently being shown (as it was this past week when I saw Trouble the Water there), but for most people (myself included), it's a surprise. And I doubt anyone has trekked to IFC just to see that particular film, unless anyone is a huge aficionado of frightening black and white Swedish animation.

Imagine if The Dark Knight or Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull initially opened in limited release, and then took a month or so to reach you in "flyover country." But on the same day that they hit those first theaters in New York and L.A., they were also available on your television, via Video on Demand. Would you wait a few weeks to see the blockbusters on the big screen or would you lack the patience and go ahead and download the movies to your cable box? Of course you would choose the VOD route. I probably would, as well.

Despite this column, I cannot claim to be a purist when it comes to theatrical film exhibition. I subscribe to Netflix and even sometimes watch old movies on the Watch Now streaming player. I now own a video iPod, and while I haven't yet tried watching a feature, I have had no problem watching shorts and television episodes on its small screen and am not totally against eventually downloading a whole movie from iTunes. And although New York's Film Forum is currently showing a ton of United Artists classics, many of which I've never seen at all and a number of which I've never seen on the big screen, I haven't been able to make my way to Manhattan to appreciate the retrospective.

New Yorkers just got an extra Christmas present this year from the IFC Center: Gregg Araki's stoner comedy Smiley Face will actually get a one-week run at the arthouse theater beginning December 26. This is exciting news considering it was previously believed (with good reason) that we'd only get to watch the movie on DVD. Back in September, it was announced the movie would only get a quick theatrical shot in L.A. and then go straight to video, crushing hopes for many who would like to smoke up and attend a midnight show. This was disappointing news considering how many festival-goers enjoyed the thing (see Jette and Monika's reviews for two such favorable receptions) and how popular Araki's previous film, Mysterious Skin, was (with critics, at least, if not box office). Even career-wise, Araki has been as big a cult favorite as some other filmmakers who receive better distribution. But I guess in an era when well-known indie directors are left only with iTunes exclusives without any theatrical run, and other midnight movie comedies destined to become cult favorites are dumped in the back alley by their studios, it isn't that surprising what happened to Smiley Face.

The Reeler's Stu Van Airsdale points out the short NYC run may have been arranged in order to garner " a fistful of blurb-ready reviews" that will help in the marketing of the DVD. Of course, the film's distributor could have easily gotten some DVD-cover-friendly quotes from festival reviews if that was truly all it was after. And then it also could have dumped the movie into one of Manhattan's less-prestigious arthouse theaters. Not that I disagree that the run will benefit the DVD release (set for January), but there's also good reason to think the people at IFC enjoy the movie and are simply interested in screening it at their theater. Smiley Face had a decent box office take from its one screen in L.A., and its presumed it will do just as well if not better in New York. After all, we don't have to worry about leaving the theater too stoned to drive.

As I was flying back to New York from Park City on Sunday, Lars von Trier was also flying into the city – via a T1 line. The famously flight-phobic filmmaker (who has been making pictures highly critical of US cultural history for almost ten years, but has – legendarily – never set foot in the States) made an appearance at the IFC Center this weekend via iChat, timed to coincide with the NY premiere of his latest, Manderlay. The audience asked questions, and Uncle Lars, speaking into a webcam from the basement of his home in Denmark, answered. Von Trier claimed to be excited about the pure technological aspect of the chat, although no amount of futurism could apparently cure the fact that, as he puts it, he "hate(s) talking to people". indieWIRE has a full report on the event; the digital Lars' most interesting revelation? He's calling the America the Beautiful trilogy short. Manderlay was to have been the Brechtian series' second film of three (Dogville got the thorny ball rolling), but its planned follow-up, Wasington, has apparently been canned due to script problems. Even better news: Von Trier plans to make a Danish comedy instead.

Damn it! Because Gmail is retarded, I missed seeing an email from the IFC Center's press department, and thus, didn't know until about five minutes ago that Barbara Sukowa was on hand this afternoon to present a screening of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Lola. If you went, do pass along info. Otherwise, this is good to know: the Center, currently in the middle of an 11 weekend tribute to the late German auteur, is throwing a three-film marathon New Year's party on Sunday, featuring the whole of the BRD Trilogy - The Marriage of Maria Braun, Lola, and Veronica Voss for the price of one, $20 ticket (seniors $16). It starts at noon, and Voss alone is more than worth rousing yourself from your champagne coma to see.

Word on the street is that Miranda July's Me and You and Everyone We Know made $28,000 at the IFC Center this weekend, about twice what Batman Begins made per screen in the rest of the country. The screening that I went to Sunday afternoon was almost sold out, despite the line of striking union projectionists outside the door, waving signs and yelling at patrons to "turn away from IFC." Here are some other observations on the new theater:

• $10.75 doesn't seem like an extraordinarily expensive ticket price for a Manhattan theater that will mostly be showing films that you won't be able to see anywhere else, BUT ...
• ...it would be nice if they had a student discount.
• There are no commericals before the movie! None! At all! And only one trailer! BUT ...
• They are showing rotating short films before the feature instead. Great idea, but it's going to be hit or miss. I thought the current selection, a silly cute-puppy short called Sid, was little improvement on Annoying Cell Phone Man.
• The concessions are (maybe too) upscale, but still no more expensive than anywhere else (popcorn prices range from $3.50 to about $5). BUT ...
• They have rosemary butter, and they have white truffle butter, but they do not have regular butter. I'm the most pretentious person I know, and even *I* think that's going too far,

Anybody else check out the IFC Center this weekend? Hit us up with your own observations in the comments.