Big screens and popcorn with brewer’s yeast: What’s your most memorable movie-theater experience, in Boston or beyond?
We asked colleagues, and we’d love to hear from readers, too
The national picture of theatrical exhibition has been shaken as a result of streaming competition, coViD, and two Hollywood strikes. But in the Boston area, there’s still a thriving theatrical scene to celebrate: the Alamo Drafthouse Seaport and Amc causeway both opened in the fall; the Brattle introduced a new state-of-the-art sound system in february of last year; and this month the coolidge corner theatre unveiled its multimillion-dollar renovation and expansion.
from programmers to projectionists to patrons rallying to save a beloved neighborhood theater, cinephiles who still appreciate an in-person movie experience abound.
in honor of this cinematic bounty, we asked colleagues to share some of their most memorable movie-theater experiences, past and present. We’d love to hear from readers, too. What have been your best movie-theater experiences in Boston, and beyond? Where do you recommend catching a midnight movie? or getting into a heated debate about what or who should win at the oscars? Nicest theater for a matinee or early-morning masked screening? comfiest seats? Best beverages, candy, popcorn?
Please send us an email at arts@globe.com, subject line “movie theaters” (with your name, town/city to possibly be quoted). We might include your picks in a future article.
there was a stillness in
Brookline’s Coolidge Corner Theatre on that long-ago day as i sat waiting for “the last Picture Show” to begin. i’d seen it before, but if ever a film deserves a repeat viewing, it’s that one. then, over the PA system, came the familiar growl of tom Waits, singing “Burma Shave.” the song is Waits at his poetic, melancholy best, evoking the brief relationship between a restless young woman and a guy she’s just met who resembles farley granger. As she hitches a ride with him, her goal is to put her stifling small town in the rear-view mirror. She tells him: “Hell, marysville ain’t nothing but a wide spot in the road/ Some nights my heart pounds like thunder/ Don’t know why it don’t explode.” Desperate to escape, unable to escape: the key figures in “the last Picture Show” and “Burma Shave” have that in common. Whoever at the coolidge corner chose that song knew something about creating a mood. for me, it was proof that the most indelible movie experience can happen before the movie even starts.
— Don Aucoin, theater critic
the globe won’t let me spin the stories about my experiences at the worst theater in Boston (my lips are sealed). So, i’ll tell you about the “my cousin Vinny” event at the Coolidge. i was there to do a seminar on the film, which preceded a screening. there was some hesitation about showing a movie that’s on cable 7 million times a week, but a lot of people — “youts” and otherwise — bought tickets. i couldn’t stay for the entire screening, but i made sure i was there for marisa tomei’s showstopping court testimony. it played like gangbusters; the audience vibrated with joy and laughter. After the movie, i asked several people why they attended. many said because they’d never seen this particular favorite on a big screen. Proof that a theater is always the best place for a movie. By the way, when i got back to my hotel that night, i turned on the tV. guess what was on? “my cousin Vinny.”
— Odie Henderson, film critic
The Apple Cinemas in Hooksett, N.H., isn’t the flashiest theater in
New England. But since it opened as a cinemagic when i was 8, just through the trees of the neighborhood where i grew up, it’s been the destination of a family night out, a high school haunt, and most recently, a place to catch a movie with old friends. And now that it’s the only theater left in town, i’m glad it’s still there — just behind the house that i’ll always know as home.
— Aidan Ryan, media reporter
While i’ve yet to check out The
Reel Harbor Theater in Scituate, i’ve heard amazing things from the community about the newly resurrected theater. it shows a lot of familyfriendly films, and a mix of both new and older titles. they also just did a Q&A with producers of “American fiction,” which was filmed in Scituate.
— Marc Choquette, director, SEO
A friend and i have a standing date at Amherst Cinema where, once a month, we go and get wine and popcorn (don’t hate) and watch whatever happens to be playing when we manage to get there. We don’t always know what the movie is going to be about; sometimes we hate the film (“Priscilla”). But Amherst’s robustly thoughtful programming — independent, art house, international, documentary — always leaves us with something to talk about, and the popcorn has real butter.
— Francie Lin, acting books editor
The Savoy Theater in montpelier, Vt., is a community gem with great programming and a colorful past dating back to 1981 (patrons over the years have included filmmakers like William H. macy, in addition to city expats and dairy farmers). Among other things, the Savoy introduced me to popcorn served with real butter and brewer’s yeast.
— Brooke Hauser, assistant arts editor
When my wife and i lived in Portland, maine, we were regulars at the
Movies on Exchange, an arthouse in the old Port that screened classic, indie, and foreign films. in 1999, we went to see mike leigh’s “topsy-turvy,” a drama about gilbert and Sullivan, the Victorian-era duo who wrote comic operas. Predictably, the audience skewed a little older and, about 10 minutes into the movie, an elderly man seated down front yelled, “turn it up!” Everyone laughed.
— Mark Shanahan, reporter