Angelika Film Center On the surface, Soho’s Angelika Film Center’s great location, phenomenal programming, delectable café and the weight of a national theater alliance to throw behind riskier fare make it seem like the perfect art house cinema.   Unfortunately, the auditoriums in this Manhattan mainstay are too close to the earth’s core to allow for a decent screening. Tucked away dangerously close to the nearby subway stop, you’ll have to wait for a transit strike if you want to watch a film uninterrupted.

When you walk up to the box office of the Angelika, it doesn’t take long for the building to enchant you. Perched on a massive corner at Houston and Mercer streets, the hand changed “Now Playing” sign evokes a simpler time in cinema, wholly analog in nature. An eave over the box office has art deco inspired lettering emblazoned on it, with stairs leading up into the ticketing vestibule; it is like walking up a tongue into a mouth, a warm place to rest. Read on…

AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13Plenty of time is spent critiquing movies, but the films themselves provide only part of the experience. Much of how you take in a work is related to your surroundings, namely, the movie theater. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing up some detailed info on New York’s best and worst moviehouses in hopes of helping locals and tourists alike make informed venue choices. Enjoy reading and feel free to add your own experiences in the comments.

By all accounts, including programming, the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 is the best movie theater in New York City. The gilded interiors invoke the movie palaces of a bygone time, while the technical standards of each screen remains unmatched. The upstairs lobby is home to black and gold palm trees as well as goofy sketches of old time movie stars. There used to be shrines to particular films (a glass encasement used to house props from Legends of the Fall, for example), adding an almost religious aire to the place; something of a temple to the gods of cinema. Read on…