Remember the Days of Going Out for Movies?

It can be difficult, in this stay-athome, DVD-buying, home theaterobsessed culture, to convince someone that cinema should be — must be — a communal experience.But this year, more than others of recent memory, has proven that point. It’s not just the movie that matters, but where you see it and with whom. From the infectious comedy of “Borat” to the cerebral contemplation of “The Fountain” and even the outright silliness of “Snakes on a Plane,” the theater experience still has a whole lot to do with how we enjoy the movies.With that universal truth in mind, here’s a quick survey as to which New York theaters are doing it right.BEST SEATS: IFC CENTERIt all comes down to butts in the seats, doesn’t it? At IFC Center, they’re big, cushy, angled, and designed with enough leg room to accommodate even those of us taller than 4-foot-11. And depending on which of the venue’s theaters you sit in, IFC offers a nice variety of standard seating and stadium seating, ensuring almost every seat is an ideal one.WORST SEATS: CINEMA VILLAGEYeah, yeah, we get it — Cinema Village brings a bunch of titles to town that otherwise would never show here. But what’s with the doors that open at the front of the movie theater on the lower level (it’s more than a little disconcerting to walk in and see 100 people staring back at you), and all those cramped rows squeezed into far too small a space?BEST BATHROOMS: IFC CENTERThere’s not much to be found on the lower level of IFC Center — just bathrooms. That said, it still feels like the coolest floor of the complex. As columns of light and warm colors line the walkway, the clean and modern bathrooms offer a quick in-and-out before running to catch the orange or blue subway lines back home.WORST BATHROOMS: LATE-NIGHT SHOWS AT THE AMC EMPIRE 25 IN TIMES SQUAREThere are some obvious signs that point to a movie theater being understaffed, such as long lines at concession stands, movies shifting out of focus between reels without a projectionist to notice, or even absent ticket-takers. But the problem is most apparent during late shows in Times Square, when the bathrooms — unkempt and unattended — are to be avoided at all costs. And tourists: Learn how to use trashcans, and the toilet. Geesh.BEST PICTURE QUALITY: IFC CENTERThe most compelling evidence for the argument that cinema should embrace an evolution toward digital video can be seen almost nightly at IFC Center. The image quality of some recent documentaries, from “Darwin’s Nightmare” to “Street Fight” to “Romantico,” all projected digitally, has been breathtaking.BEST PRE-FILM DISCUSSION: ANGELIKA FILM CENTERIn other words, the best place to be kept waiting for a movie to start. To that end, few places are as lively, yet relaxed, as the Angelika Film Center’s café.Waiting in line during the last year for “The Science of Sleep,” “The Illusionist,” and “The Fountain,” we’ve met more than our fair share of cool, interesting, enlightened people — that is, when the management wasn’t interrupting our conversations with announcements of what’s now seating.BEST POST-FILM DISCUSSION: LANDMARK’S SUNSHINE CINEMAMost of our favorite post-film discussions have spilled out into one of the Sunshine’s many lounges — the upper two floors each have their own sitting room — or into the theater’s lobby, where people can linger for quite a while before staggering out into the late-night drunkenness of the Lower East Side.BEST PLACE TO SEE A BLOCKBUSTER: AMC LOEWS LINCOLN SQUARE 13’S IMAX SCREENThe biggest blockbuster of the week is often shown on the theater’s uppermost screen, a massive IMAX-size space that can bring those chase sequences, and even those dancing penguins, to life unlike any other.BEST PLACE FOR THE INDEPENDENT SPIRIT: THE PIONEER THEATERThe 99-seat Pioneer Theater is the place to see all those low-budget, highconcept experiments floating all too quickly through the city. Do these outthere films always work? Not at all — but a good many do, and at least here’s one venue willing give up-and-comers a chance at reaching an audience. Lots of people talk about “indie films” when referring to things starring Kevin Spacey, Christian Bale, or George Clooney. But it’s here, at the Pioneer, where the true indie spirit is alive and well.BEST POPCORN SUBSTITUTE: LINCOLN PLAZA CINEMASLincoln Plaza has got a lot of good treats — and great coffee to boot — but perhaps their most delectable alternative to the traditional, buttered-up popcorn is their year-round carrot cake. It’s good. Really good.BEST PLACE TO MEET THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE: CITY CINEMAS VILLAGE EASTPatrons buy tickets outside at Village East, and when there’s a long line, it’s a great place to strike up a conversation with other ticket buyers or even passersby. No, we haven’t had any success finding dates in that line — but we did see two strangers in line for “Borat” strike up a conversation, sit next to each other during the movie, and eventaully stroll out of the theater together.BEST PLACE TO BE SURPRISED: ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVESFrom the experimental works to the fringe classics, Anthology Film Archives is probably the city’s most unpredictable venue. Just a few weeks ago, as audiences across the city were walking out of “Fast Food Nation” disappointed, Anthology was showing Nikolaus Geyrhalter’s “Our Daily Bread,” a far more jarring, scathing, and memorable commentary on the industrial farming industry.BEST PLACE FOR MIDNIGHT MOVIES: LANDMARK’S SUNSHINE CINEMAFrom the unexpected Matthew Barney head trips to the recurring “Big Lebowski” reunions, the Sunshine is really the only place in the city for midnight movies.BEST PLACE FOR SHORT FILMS: IFC CENTERIt’s really a meaningless award — sort of like the Golden Globes — since no other theaters in town take the time to show these fascinating, invaluable works of art. A short precedes every feature presentation at IFC, and in some rare cases, the shorts — like Guy Maddin’s stunning “Heart of the World” — are better than the headliners.BEST PLACE TO MAKE AN AFTERNOON OF IT: ANGELIKA FILM CENTERGot an afternoon to kill? Buy tickets to the 5 p.m. show and make your way over to the Mercer Hotel around 3 p.m. for a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and some of their delightful snacks and desserts. Truly the most eclectic of premovie plans.BEST PLACE TO MAKE AN EVENING OF IT: REGAL BATTERY PARK STADIUM 11Imagine it’s next June. The sun is out, the birds are singing, the temperature is 70 degrees. You travel downtown to the World Financial Center after work and pull up a table outside, behind the Winter Garden, at one of the two restaurants with patio seating along the river. After you watch as the sun go down over Jersey, you stroll over to the 10 p.m. show of “Evan Almighty,” in which the always hilarious Steve Carell does his best impersonation of Noah — as in Noah’s Ark.Now there’s a perfect night.New York Venues is an occasional series on where and how to experience the arts at their best.

Remember the Days of Going Out for Movies?

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