A FILM BUFFS’ NEW YORK
Angelika Film Center, 18 West Houston St (between Broadway & Crosby St) +1 212 995 2000
A beautiful spot to watch independent and alternative films, with a great cafe and indoor seating in the lobby. Sister theatre to the Village East on Second Avenue, the building has a great atmosphere, a relaxed vibe, no pretentious movie crowds nor Twilight tweens.
Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street, between 6th and 7th Ave +1 212 727 8110
This is a non-profit cinema, born in 1970 as a space to screen independent films. They run two distinct but complementary film programs: NYC theatrical releases of American independent films, and foreign art films, as well as directors’ retrospectives, and American and foreign classics. A self declared ‘cinema of ideas’.
MoMA Film Exhibitions, 11 West 53rd St +1 212 767 1050
At the Museum of Modern Art, you can watch as many masterpieces as you like in a day for just $10. Founded in 1935, their collection has amassed to 22,000 films and four million film stills — “the strongest international film collection in the United States,” according to their website. Coming screenings include Bernardo Bertolucci’s films: The Dreamers, Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man, The Sheltering Sky; and Fritz Lang’s You Only Live Once.
Village East Cinema, 181-189 2nd Avenue +1 212 529 6799
Often running old films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Indie Oscar winners like Taxi to the Dark Side, and hosting premiere’s such as The Extra Man with Katie Holmes and Kevin Kline, the elegant cinema maintains some of the old red velvet and gold gilded glamour associated with theaters past.
Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema, 143 East Houston St +1 212 260 7289
Rated by Time Out New York last year as the Best theatre for Cult films; Best popcorn; Best sightlines; Best theatre for American Indies, and the #1 Art-House in New York City. Likewise, the Village voice named it the ‘Hippest Theatre in NYC […] by a mile.’ Indeed, the Sunshine cinema is rad: an espresso bar, vegan cookies, 10 different popcorn seasonings, stadium style seating and all the best technology, make your movie-going go the distance.
Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue +1 212 505 5181
Founded in 1969 as an ‘international center for the preservation, study and exhibition of film and video, with a particular focus on independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema’. They screen around 900 programs annually. The Essential Cinema Program is series of films worth catching: the selection committee presents a cycle of films over the course of the year (tickets are $8, free for members) which attempt to ‘define the art of cinema.’
AMC Loews Lincoln Square & IMAX, 1998 Broadway (between 67th St & 68th St) +1 212 336 5000
A screen this size with sound this good is enough to deconstruct your grip on reality. The IMAX theatre at Lincoln Square is one of the only remaining original establishments in the area (kitschy Hollywood-esque murals still adorn the walls), but the quality and technology of the place is utterly modern. There are enough comfy seats to house an entire village, which is often what happens so get there early to get a good seat, and go for the blockbusters. A true movie experience.
By Sophie Ward
