Now playing: “Six Different Ways” by The Cure

As much as I’ve enjoyed building my own movie library with 4K physical media, it’s not enough. As a born and raised NYC kid, I'm fortunate to have spent most of my life (save for college) with fantastic movie theater options at all times. Yes, even though you hear a lot about the death rattle of the multiplex, at least we in New York City have it good. And from 2017 to ... right about now ... we had a great thing with the Alamo Drafthouse.

According to my emails, I saw 346 movies at the Alamo Drafthouse from 2017 through the start of 2026. But now? I don't think I'm going back, and I'm not losing any sleep over it. I understand that Brooklyn-based movie lovers who want a good deal with a subscription offer that gives them multiple tickets per week (as Alamo does with season pass) might not have as good an option for local movie bingeing, because AMC and Regal aren't quite as in their area. But as someone who’s always willing to leave his neighborhood, I’m not worried.

In January 2026, Alamo announced that its recently-introduced mobile ordering capability, was to replace all other options for getting your food and drink at the dine-in theater, and I quickly canceled my Alamo Season Pass. Formerly, Alamo customers would write their order down on little branded index cards, click a button and watch as a staffer would come over, and take their order. The feedback, even on the brand-friendly LinkedIn was abysmal.

Why is this new change of using your phone so terminal? Because at a time where your average Regal is full of people using their phones — which get quite bright — Alamo was loudly anti-that. Pre-roll clips featuring old movie clips would warn you that using your phone or talking excessively could lead to getting kicked out. They even used to play supposedly real audio of a seemingly-drunk woman slurring her words as she yelled at their voicemail about hating these rules that got her booted. This was Alamo’s whole shtick. Sure, they had a decent queso, and a good beer list, but you went there because the vibes were immaculate. And now they’re actively encouraging you to use your phone. 

This was hilariously off-brand because it immediately followed months where a pre-film explainer featuring Aziz Ansari featured the “Parks and Recreation” star yelling that it’s time to put your phone away.  Of course, the company framed  it differently, announcing its new "custom-built, dark-screen system" means of ordering, which just sounds like a new inside-your-table screen that has no lighting. But that’s not the case. You use your phone and you point its camera at a QR code to order, and that alone is a bad idea for people in a dark movie theater, because someone's bound to have their flash turn on.  

And, yes, the verdict is in: it stinks. Stinks so much that one user who once trolled the r/AlamoDrafthouse subreddit has now admitted that the new way is garbage. Also, this whole process is getting used as an anti-worker trick to cut hours and labor. 

Of course, as Alamo veterans could tell you, this company’s fails didn’t start here. Alamo Drafthouse has been a weird (in a bad way) company for a while, with sexual harassment allegations, anti-union behaviors, and mostly recently the death of the brand identity by its own hands. 

The good news, though, is that we can leave the Alamo behind. Or at least some of us can, and here's my utility belt of theaters I've used to fill the Alamo-sized hole in my heart.

The first independent movie theater I felt any strong affinity or parasocial-ownership of opened approximately 21 or so years ago, with the release of Miranda July’s “Me, You, And Everyone We Know.” All these years later, and I’ve renewed my membership for about a year and change now, thanks a series of excellent moments. 

And from the David Lynch retrospective screenings of 2025 to fantastic late shows such as Michael Mann’s “Heat” and modern “holy shit” movies like Charlie Polinger’s “The Plague” and Urška Djukić’s “Little Trouble Girls?” The ratio of hits to misses is strongly in favor of the former at IFC. 

So, where’s the catch? Well, I’ve twice seen them botch a 35mm screening. First, it was Hayao Miyazake’s “Princess Mononoke,” and then it was Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” and folks on the r/NYCmovies subreddit say that this kind of fail happens more there than you’d hope. Also, Theater 5 is comically small and some of the building's equipment may be a little in need of refreshing, as I heard when Olivier Laxe’s “Sirāt” blew out the speakers. 

What's the audience like? On-par for tact with the way the Alamo crowd is supposed to be, possibly better. Only witnessed one argument ever. 

Memorable screenings: “Eraserhead,” “To Die For,” “Queens of the Dead,” “Hundreds of Beavers,” and “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World.”

Maybe the most divisive house in town, this two-screen indie theater is located in downtown Manhattan, in a neighborhood you may call Dimes Square. The Metrograph mostly screens older films, which makes it ideal for catching classics you love or have been told you’ll love. I’ve become increasingly obsessed since some summer matinees like Terry Zwigoff’s “Ghost World” and Paul Verhoeven’s “Total Recall.” The programmers have a knack for arthouse classics like Steven Soderbergh’s “sex, lies, and videotape” and Japanese cinema such as Banmei Takahashi’s “A New Love In Tokyo.”

It’s also extremely quirky, with a concession stand that’s got walls of pre-bagged small popcorns alongside books and their own quarterly (?) periodical. Then there are bins of candy ranging from m&ms to gummy assortments from the nearby Bon Bon, and beverages kept in cooler shelving that’s more like a bodega than it is anything else. Except they’ve got bottled Topo Chico in there, next to candies best served chilled. 

Your appreciation may vary, though, because of what I’ll classify as comfort concerns. The number one biggest complaint about going to the Metrograph is that its seating is just plain uncomfortable. It’s not the biggest offender, but its wooden seats could stand to have more cushioning. Others I’ve talked to admitted to finding the Metrograph’s clientele to be extremely obnoxious. One friend said “they look like they don’t actually like movies, just saying they do.” Another person declared that your average Metrograph hipster has a uniquely “punchable face.” That said, I’m often there too, and I’m guessing you don’t hate the look of my mug?

But what's the audience like in the theater? As much as you might think they're hipsters, I've never heard chatter and never seen a glowing phone screen. I’ve heard the crowd be criticized for “performative laughter,” but it’s never been a big problem for me.

Memorable screenings: “The Muppets Christmas Carol,” “Carol,” “eXistenZ,” and “Variety.”

While the formerly-City Cinemas theater on 12th and 2nd has many actual screens, I often think of it as a one-screener. That’s how prominent the massive Jaffe theater (Theater 1) looms over the local scene. From its gilded ceiling to its epic screen and propensity for showing 70mm film prints (the higher resolution cousin of 35mm), the Jaffe is one of the most memorable rooms you can see a movie in. So much so that I preordered my tickets for Mona Fastvold's "The Testament of Ann Lee" well in advance when I leaned it would be in the Jaffe and in 70mm. 

The fact that the Village East is an Angelika theater makes some sense, since it loves to screen indies in addition to bigger new movies and older reperatory showings. Otherwise, it's unmemorable at best, though I like the slightly-narrow Theater 7, which is as elongated as the regular Angelika's Theater 2, but with stadium seating that goes upward at a steeper rise than that room. So, why go elsewhere? Well, there’s a very wide variance of theater quality, especially with the cramped seating in the front of theater 4. 

As for the audience behavior? I'd classify it as mostly acceptable, which basically means nowhere near as perfect as peak rules-abiding Alamo, but the exceptions are pretty darn rare. 

Memorable screenings: "The Thing" in 35mm, "One Battle After Another" in 70mm, and "Hard Boiled."

I don't know why I don't go to the Film Forum more often, because I've rarely left the place feeling like I made a mistake. The rooms are kind of small, but the seats are plenty comfortable and the concessions are good. 

The movies, though, are often some of the best I'll see every year. Sure, Jim Jarmusch's "Father Mother Sister Brother" was a bit too much of a riff and its jokes didn't hit, but this year alone has had many of my favorite screenings. It's got a good mix of repertory and first-run independent movies, and the team running the shop is as reliable as they get. The only issue I ever had at Film Forum came from a weird issue with their first showing of the restored 4K version of William Friedkin's "Sorcerer" where the distributor sent it out without the subtitles it needs for the early sections. The staff were as surprised as we were, I got a refund, and they had it fixed by the next screening.

The Film Forum audience is as good as it gets. The only thing they lack that the Alamo had is the subscription ticketing (membership discounts instead), dine-in eating and the bigger first-run studio movies.

Memorable screenings: "Apocalypse Now" (Roadshow Edition), “Videodrome,” "It Was Just An Accident," and "The Seed of the Sacred Fig."

You've probably been wondering where the heck I go to see the big blockbusters. Well, there's only one true answer to that question, and it's just south of the Upper West Side. AMC's Lincoln Square theater is full of very-good theaters that I've got no issues with and it also holds the crown jewel of big screens, the One True IMAX of the city (and arguably the entire coast) that can show films a the 1.43:1 aspect ratio that takes up the entire giant canvas, thanks to its dual-laser projector capability. 

The Lincoln Square IMAX is where I'm seeing the 4K version of Hayao Miyazaki's "Kiki's Delivery Service," and where I saw some of the most-memorable screenings of great movies in the last years. The only real problem is that this room tends to sell out before you know it, especially if you want a seat that won't give you a stiff neck. 

The audience here is ... pretty good? I've seen a fair bit of movies there in the last year or so, and have no negative memories. 

Memorable screenings: "Sinners" in IMAX, "The Dark Knight" in IMAX, "Dune Part Two" in IMAX, and "One Battle After Another" in IMAX.

One of the first movie theaters I ever walked into, basically a cathedral for independent cinema. Its flaws are as well-known as anything, because everyone knows how you can hear the rumble of MTA subway trains passing by. The other issues you'll run into are cramped seating and that some of the theaters are a bit too small or elongated. Oh, and the concession stand line can get oddly long and slow lately.

After all of those caveats? The audience behaves pretty well, and they're pretty good about getting big names for Q&A screenings. Keep your eye on their online showtimes, and you'll get a chance to see excellent movies that don't last long in theaters.

Memorable screenings: "Nickel Boys" in 35mm with RaMell Ross Q&A, "The Secret Agent" with Wagner Moura, Kleber Mendonça Filho, and Emilie Lesclaux in conversation, and "Sentimental Value" with Joachim Trier, Stellan Skarsgård, Renate Reinsve, Elle Fanning, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas.

The heir to Alamo's dine-in theater throne has a pair of locations in the city, and its Prospect Park location with its excellent marquee is my favorite. With its pre-roll videos that encourage tact and discourage phone use, its decent food menu and 5:1 ratio of new releases and repertory screenings, Nitehawk is a decent replacement for me, especially with some damn good nearby bars. 

I've also been a huge fan of its recent rep runs of 35mm prints of everything from "Jurassic Park" to "Jackass: The Movie," with the latter introduced by Griffin Newman.

Where's the catch? Avoid Theater 5 at all costs. It's a tiny, cramped room that I just don't want to go back to. Crowds have been pretty good there, with the only memorable exception being a couple of people at "M3gan 2.0," which ... honestly ... I shouldn't have been so surprised given the film itself.  

There's also a Williamsburg location that I have no real opinions about.

Memorable screenings: "The Lighthouse," "Triangle of Sadness," "Jurassic Park" in 35mm, and "Jackass: The Movie" in 35mm.

Admittedly, I haven't spent a whole lot of time at the theaters of the Film at Lincoln Center, which is probably best-known as the home of the New York Film Festival. Still, though, I think Walter Reade is one of my favorite rooms I should go to more often. Excellent presentation, good seats and interesting movies. 

As for what I don't like? Well, not much, but I wish that coconut oil wasn't the house's choice for popcorn, because that's one thing I love about the AMC theaters (which also offer canola oil).

Memorable screenings: "The Shrouds," "Reds" in 35mm, and "Licorice Pizza."

The Brooklyn Academy of ... Movies? Yes, BAM's movie theater is definitely a favorite of mine too. It's got good seats, and better films, as I saw three of last year's absolute-best there. The audience is pretty good, but occasionally you sit near an older couple who thinks they've got the right to chatter throughout the movie. 

Where's the catch? Well, the speaker placement in the new BAM Rose KBH venue across the street is a bit intrusive for anyone who's seated on the far left or right side of some of the rooms. Aside from that, no complaints.

Memorable screenings: "Sorry, Baby," "The Mastermind" with Kelly Reichardt in conversation, "No Other Land," and "Bat Woman.” 

Honorable mentions that I'll go to, but don't have big recommendations for: Syndicated Bar Theater Kitchen, Anthology Film Archive, Netflix's terribly uncomfortable The Paris theater, and The Roxy Cinema.

For as much as people are worried about the health of the cinema, this stack of preferred theaters is just the tip of the blade. I’m not even talking about Regal’s theaters (some of which aren’t as painful to experience as the sensory overload tank at Union Square), but I want to check out the super-indie Spectacle microcinema, and get back to Queens’ Museum of the Moving Image’s theater and Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill Cinema. I’ve got tickets to check out Japan Society’s screening room and plan to go to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)’s too.

This week got away from me, but next week won’t be the same, I hope.

Thank you for reading this far.

Who knows what next time will hold?