A Virtual “Cinema-Hop” Through New York City

Physically, I’m sitting at home on my couch, but mentally, I’m taking in a movie at a New York City picture house. I love planning hypothetical trips to the cinema, and it would be neat to live in a place with such a wide range of options. So come with me as I explore the vast offerings of NYC’s independent theatres!

The Metrograph is a theatre on the Lower East Side, and I would love to see their series “On the Run in Paris.” I already missed yesterday’s screening of À bout de souffle, but I still have time to catch Elevator to the Gallows and Pierrot le Fou (the latter also stars À bout de souffle’s Jean-Paul Belmondo)! Other titles that looked interesting were an Italian fantasy comedy, Miracle in Milan; and Wings of Desire (which, truth be told, caught my eye solely because Peter Falk was in the thumbnail image). The journal section of the Metrograph’s website also has some thought-provoking interviews, Q&As, and essays.

Hopping over to the Angelika Film Center, I’m so happy to see they have “Musical Mondays,” some of which include screenings of On the Town, West Side Story, and Singin’ in the Rain. But they’re showing a whole host of other classics, too—High Noon, The Third Man, She Done Him Wrong, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, to name a handful. 

The Paris Theater on West 58th Street has some great options, too. Now, Voyager and Ball of Fire feature powerhouse women Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck, respectively, and it’d also be fun to catch Romancing the Stone and Amadeus as part of their “1984 Milestone Movies” series. I unfortunately just missed one of my favorite baseball movies, The Natural, which would have been incredible to see on the big screen.

If you haven’t been able to tell, I’m a baseball girl. But if basketball is more your jam, the Roxy Cinema is playing a selection of basketball movies ranging from the early 1970s to the 2000s. There’s also a series called “It Boys,” but between you and me, the only movies (and men) rocking my boat in that category are Giant’s James Dean and the Outsiders boys.

I’m fascinated by the schedule for Greenwich Village’s Quad Cinema: a diverse selection of modern foreign/international films such as Nowhere Special (which looks like something I’d need to bring tissues to), a 1961 black-and-white movie called Five Day Lover with Jean Seberg, and several Buster Keaton movies (One of those Keaton movies was Steamboat Bill, Jr., which was released the same year as Disney’s Steamboat Willie… 👀).  Even though I won’t even be around to see current or upcoming movies, I still feel sad seeing what was on in days (or even years) past that I missed: A collection of jazz shorts dating from 1929 to 1939; another Jean-Paul Belmondo film, Up to His Ears… So many movies, so little time!

Last theatre, I promise: Film Forum on 209 West Houston Street. I’ve yet to see an Alain Delon movie, and they’re showing eleven of them. I’m literally trembling and quaking right now just thinking about what I’m missing. Some other highlights: Back to the Future (one of my favorite films of all time); yet another Jean-Paul Belmondo movie, Classe tous risques; and The Lavender Hill Mob, in which a pre-Roman Holiday Audrey Hepburn makes an appearance.

My dream is to someday live somewhere with independent cinemas. Just like libraries and independent bookstores, they’re extremely important, and I hope they stay around for a long time. Until then, exploring theatres online is not only a lovely method of escapism, but it’s also a great way to get recommendations. You never know what you might find!