Laurelhurst Theater
2735 E Burnside
Cost of admission: $3 all day
Booze: A decent microbrew selection and a small wine selection
Food: Pizza, and sometimes doughnuts, are available for purchase and all of it is pretty tasty
Magical rating: A
Laurelhurst is small, but very comfortable. Expect to see second-run films mixed in with a smattering of documentaries, independent films and classic movies. There are no commercials and the previews are kept short and sweet. There is a convenient bar top in front of the theater seats for your drinks and munchies.
Independently owned with an atmosphere like nowhere else, this is the first theater in a long time to give me the warm fuzzies.
St. John’s Cinema
8704 N Lombard Ave.
Cost of admission: $4 before 6 p.m., $6 after
Booze: Small microbrew selection
Food: Pizza, popcorn and the usual assorted candy
Magical rating: A-
St. John’s has large theaters, but only two of them. There is usually a hot release playing on one screen with a second-run film complementing it on the other. Everyone standing in line to get a ticket seems to know everyone else, lending St. John’s a homey atmosphere. The beer isn’t the best value, but the ticket price for a new release is just right.
It’s in a fun location and the building is beautiful. The beer could be priced better, and when the theater is crowded it takes forever to get through the line.
Living Room Theaters
341 SW 10th Ave.
Cost of admission: $5 all day on Monday and Tuesday, all other days $7 before 5 p.m. and $9 after, or $6 for students
Booze: The most diverse on the list—nine microbrews on tap, a great wine selection and a full bar, so any well concoction you can think of
Food: Pretty snazzy for a movie theater. Includes handmade ice cream and vegan truffles as well as paninis, salads and a selection of cheeses and cured meat
Magical rating: B-
The Living Room Theater goes big on everything—food, drinks, and the theater seating is made up of plush loveseats and ottomans—but that also extends to the prices. The movies are a good mix of current, foreign language, independent and classic films. The attached bar is glamorous, but the attitudes you may encounter are not. The level and friendliness of service is highly variable, but when it’s bad, it’s really bad.
This is a great place to take a date, but too spendy and too pretentious to be my first choice.
Academy Theater
7818 SE Stark St.
Cost of admission: $4 all day
Booze: 10 microbrews and a small wine selection
Food: Pizza, hot dogs, ice cream and candy
Magical rating: A
The Academy Theater is small with just three screens and it feels as cozy as it sounds. They show an assortment of second-run current releases. The employees are polite and the beer is great, though $4.25 seems pretty high for about 10 ounces of beer in a plastic cup. The reclining theater seats and tons of legroom more than make up for it though.
Independently owned and restored to look like it did in the 1940s, the Academy Theater is comfortable like an old pair of sneakers but fresh enough to hold a hint of fun.