For independent movies, foreign ones, or just to see something other
than the ubiquitous Hollywood releases, I like to visit The Film Forum,
The Angelika and The IFC Center. In tune with the smaller scale of the
movies, the theaters are cozy and intimate. All three are in lower
Manhattan roughly south of Greenwich Village and North of Tribeca.
From Union Square it's a lovely walk down Broadway passing through
areas with cobblestone streets, brownstones and cute boutiques, as well
as international and national chains like Zara (Spain), Superdry
(Japan), and Gap (USA).
The Film Forum
At the time of visiting, showings were for the newly released German documentary More then Honey, which explores the decline of bees worldwide; the Danish thriller A Hijacking, about a commercial vessel overtaken by Somali pirates and the fate of the captain and crew in captivity; and a retrospective of the films of Yasujiro Ozu, an acclaimed Japanese director (1903 - 1963).
More information:
Tickets are cash only and are available for purchase at the Box Office on the premises.
The small cafe offers soda, popcorn, specialty coffees, and a small assortment of desserts including brownies and bundt cakes. Enjoy them in the foyer which has a few seats and a bar table.
For something more substantial head north up Varick Street for myriad restaurants and eateries including Ayza wine and chocolate bar, and Just Delicious serving soups and salads.
The Angelika
At the time of visiting the following movies were playing:
Before Midnight, the third installment of the series Before Sunrise and Before Sunset; Stories We Tell, a genre-twisting personal documentary by Sarah Polley investigating family secrets; Twenty Feet From Stardom, a look at the unknown, unsung role of back-up singers behind some of the great musical legends of the 21st Century; and The Attack, based on Yasmina Khadra's novel, follows the life of an Arab surgeon in Tel-Aviv who sets out to prove the innocence of his wife accused of a suicide bombing that left her and 19 others dead.
More Information:
Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office, cash or credit.
The Angelika's cafe is open to the public, a movie ticket is not necessary for entry. Menu offerings include muffins, scones, sandwiches, wraps, desserts and some vegan and vegetarian selections. Drinks include iced and hot specialty coffees, teas, chai, hot chocolate, smoothies and milkshakes.
Village East Cinema
The Angelika's sister theater is housed in an historical building dating from 1926 when it opened as The
Yiddish Art Theater. The staged plays attracted notables such as
Charlie Chaplin, George Gershwin and Albert Einstein. After many
transformations over the years the building, designed in the Moorish
revival style, was restored and revived as Village East Cinema in
1992. Featuring ornate decorations and 7 screens including a main
auditorium with balcony seating and an oversized screen, the cinema is
a pleasure to visit no matter which screening room you end up in.
Showings are for independent movies and select blockbusters. At the time of visiting playtimes included
Monsters University, an animation movie by Pixar; What Maisie Knew, a
contemporary interpretation of Henry James' novella; Kon-Tiki,
depicting Thor Heyerdahl's historical journey from Peru, South America,
to Raroia, Polynesia, to prove the islands were settled by South
Americans; and the documentary Searching for Sugar Man, which casts
light on the disappearance of Sixto Rodriguez, a Mexican-American
musician whose album bombed in the US but found fame in South Africa's
anti-apartheid era.
More information:
Tickets are available for purchase online or at the cinema's box office, cash or credit. A lounge area with cheerful couches is below ground, and a snack
bar on the first floor serves soda, pop-corn, candy and specialty
coffees. For a meal or drink there are a plethora of restaurants, bars and cafes
in the area including Angelica Kitchen which serves "organic
plant-based cuisine," Bar Veloce just a few feet away, and Spot Dessert
Bar in St. Marks Place.http://www.villageeastcinema.com/
The IFC Center
Owned by AMC Networks and related to the TV channel of the same name, the IFC opened in 2005 replacing The Waverly Theater, an art house famous for midnight runs of The Rocky Horror Show. The IFC, according to their site, is dedicated to showing "the best in independent film." They feature foreign and independent movies and documentaries, classic movies on weekend mornings, and cult
At the time of visiting, movie show times included the documentary Dirty Wars, an expose of America's underhanded tactics in the War on Terror; Crystal Fairy, a Chilean comedy/love story where a brash American boy hunting for a hallucinogenic mushroom in Chile meets a free-spirited local girl and invites her along for the ride; Museum Hours, Austrian, a lonely Canadian woman and an Austrian museum guard find love among art; High Anxiety by Mel Brooks, a parody of suspense movies and a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock, for the weekend classic; and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones' second adventure by Steven Spielberg, for the cult midnight spot.
More Information:
Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office, cash or credit.
The kiosk on the first floor serves organic popcorn with natural butter, soda, tea, coffee, hot-chocolate, popsicles, and other snacks. For something else just wander the surrounds and trip over cafes, restaurants and bars.
http://www.ifccenter.com/
