Toronto is pretty good. There are a bunch of arthouse theatres downtown, a few second-runs that often play classics (Bloor Cinema was the place where I first saw the 400 Blows) and a few cinematheques that play classic films (right now, we have a Pasolini program going on and in September, there will be a festival of the 100 most important films) plus TIFF, TADFF, Hot Docs and a variety of other festivals (I still haven’t been to TIFF). However, I’m sure that there is some place even better, as it often takes a long time for the films that I want to see to get here. From David Sedaris’ writings, I’m thinking that Paris would be a great place for the cinephile.
Sounds awsome. I wish I could have seen my favorite classic and foreign films in the theatre instead of on dvd.
No one else cares to rep their city????
NYC will definitely fill your needs.
any specific NY locations you’d reccomend?
Washington DC has a good theatre at the National Gallery East Wing; you can check their film schedule on-line.
It’s free, it’s “real film” whenever possible and has an excellent projectionist, a good-sized screen and sloping seating. I have enjoyed many beautiful hours there.
Here’s the direct link to their current line-up:
http://www.nga.gov/programs/film/#film-series
Claus.
In and around N.Y you have: Film Forum, BAM, MOMA , the Angelika, Film Society at (or Of) Lincoln Center, The Cinema Arts Center, the Museum of Television and Radio Arts (really a terrific set up where you can listen to some classic radio theater) the Anthology Film Archives, IFC Center and a host of small independent theaters that play a variety of international films depending on the theme for any given month such as 92y Tribeca (John Ford) and Rubin Museum of Art (Cabaret Cinema) Lots of choices depending on your state of mind.
Montreal’s pretty good for that— we have the fantasia film festival (which is amazzzing— you should really look it up!) Then theres smaller film fests throughout the year, and a pretty great hole in the wall classic theatre that I like to go to called parc cinema.
Also, if your into film noir I think San Francisco had a pretty amazing film noir festival sometime in the winter.
Montreal’s pretty good for that— we have the fantasia film festival (which is amazzzing— you should really look it up!) Then theres smaller film fests throughout the year, and a pretty great hole in the wall classic theatre that I like to go to called parc cinema.
Also, if your into film noir I think San Francisco had a pretty amazing film noir festival sometime in the winter.
portland ore. it’s not nyc obviously but betwen local independent theatres, the nw film center, and revivals at brewpubs i still don’t have time to see everything.
Great suggestions guys. Awsome. I’ll deffinately be looking this page back up if I ever visit any of these cities. A noir fest sounds cool especially in San Francisco.
I know most on this site are in North America, but if you’re ever in London, there’s the National Film Theatre (incredibly eclectic programming), Riverside Studios (a different double bill every day), Curzon Soho/Mayfair (strange midnights and weekend mats) and the Prince Charles (four+ films every day including random rep each weeks). Because of their programming, I got to view on the big screen for the first time everything from Welles to Kurosawa, Ozu to Ford. Particularly memorable viewings were Toy Story 2 followed by Texas Chain Saw Massacre with an introduction by Gunnar Hansen (at the Prince Charles), The Third Man followed by Breathless (at Riverside), the full cut of Heaven’s Gate (at the NFT)… I could go on. I attribute these four cinemas (along with a cinephile father) with turning me into the film lover I am today, and I strongly recommend checking out any/all of these cinemas if you’re ever in the city.
Hidden Behind the Screen
Where would you say this place is? I always see in films that take place in major citys the charectors go out to see movies that they’d never play in a trillion years around where I live.
A few examples in Stranger than Paradise they say they could go to see Tokyo Story.
In Manhatten they go out to see Hiroshi Inagaki’s Chushingura.
I’ve always found this fascinating yet frustrating. Around where I live there’s never any classic films playing anywhere except maybe “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and the only modern films we have are the latest CGI fests…No foriegn films ever unless its Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
Where is the best city for a cinephile? I’m hoping NYC will fill my needs. I’m moving there in just under two years…