It’s cold outside. And chances are it’s a bit wet as well. While we have a reputation for amazing outdoor recreation, here in the Northwest (perhaps due to our rainy season), we have also become accustomed to the delights of a variety indoor entertainment such as bars, garage bands, and well, more of bars.
Portland in particular also boasts an impressive number of movie theaters, many of which are locally owned and not part of a national chain. In these popular movie houses, everyone from the most pretentious film snob, to the couple merely out for dinner and a movie, can find an entertaining refuge from the harsh season outside. But with so many theaters to choose from—where should one go? What’s the difference between them all?
The Bagdad Theater
3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
The Bagdad is by far one of the most beautifully adorned theaters in the city with painted walls, thick curtains and attractive stonework throughout the building. This is no surprise, as it is under the umbrella of McMenamins theater pubs common in the area. One can always find a second-run viewing of the more popular films from the past year. And as a McMenamins, you can count on plenty of beer being available. The theater also provides an excellent venue most Fridays for some of the best comedy in the area, as local comedian Tristian Spillman hosts Comedy Night at the Bagdad featuring some of the best local comic acts for your entertainment.
The Laurelhurst Theater
2735 E. Burnside St.
The greatest theater in Portland has to be the Laurelhurst Theater on the corner of Northeast 28th Avenue and East Burnside. Multiple screens all generally showing second-run movies at only three bucks a pop—that’s cheaper than renting them. Of course, they offer beer and pizza among other things. You can also count on them providing you the opportunity of seeing your favorite films of years, even decades, past once again on the big screen.
Roseway Theater
7229 SE Sandy Blvd.
Hollywood is always cranking out a film packed with special effects, sounds and other bells and whistles, and when they do, don’t deny yourself the absolute best viewing experience by not seeing it here. The Roseway is only one screen, but it is a screen that packs one hell of a punch. They promote that they have the best sound and visual quality that can be found—and anyone who has been here can testify that they might be right. For movies such as “Avatar”—aka, the greatest-looking piece-of-shit movie ever made—or Hollywood’s latest visual tour de force, “Tron: Legacy,” this is the only theater in which you should view them. Prepare to have your mind blown.
Cinema 21
616 NW 21st Ave.
Another independently owned theater in Portland, Cinema 21 always provides the movies you wish would be shown everywhere, but aren’t. You know that one film you heard about, that sounds really awesome and is about a subject you personally are rather nerdy about? Well, this theater is the only one showing it within 100 miles.
5th Avenue Cinemas
510 SW Hall St.
Portland State’s own cinema, completely student-run and offering a free, that’s right, free movie viewing experience to PSU students. Otherwise, admission is a mere $2 for students and $3 for the public. And don’t forget, free popcorn at every show. If the past has proved anything, the students running the theater always choose the films you want to see, from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”—currently playing—to “The Blue Angel”—coming soon.
Fox Tower
846 SW Park Ave.
Part of the Regal Cinemas chain of theaters, the company seems to use this location for a sort of an “art house.” You can usually count on the latest foreign and independent films coming through this theater. Since most attractions are of the non-blockbuster variety, theater sizes run small, which is actually pretty nice, providing a more intimate setting, kind of like being at a really kick-ass home theater.