Favorite Places to Watch Movies

Forgive me for a somewhat niche post. I’m dealing with some personal stuff and decided to go with an “easier” newsletter. However, you can use this as a guide if you are visiting LA and want to experience seeing a movie at one of these places!

Full disclosure, I love watching older movies. I’m constantly finding new favorite actors and needing to see as much as possible of their work. Also, because of these theaters, I tell my parents and they encourage me to see some movies because they think I’ll like them. I love having the opportunity to see all of these movies on a big screen whether it’s for the first time or not.

New Beverly: Owned by Quentin Tarantino, this theater shows a variety of movies in 35mm. Their tagline is “Always on film”. They have screenings every night, including double features, midnight showings on weekends, and matinees on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (the latter two days are family matinees). Each screening starts with an old cartoon from Disney, Warner Bros (Looney Tunes), MGM, and then old trailers either related to the film you’re about to see or upcoming screenings. Bonus: they play the movie through the speaker system in case you need to go to the bathroom!

Vista: Also owned by Tarantino, this theater shows mostly new movies during the week, but has some midnight and matinee showings on weekends. I’ve only been here once, but I loved the look of the old theater, and there’s so much legroom! There’s also a coffee shop next door called Pam’s Coffy after Pam Grier.

Los Feliz 3: one of the theaters used by American Cinematheque, this theater has three screens. Two screens are used for newer films, while the screen used by American Cinematheque shows classic films. They have different programming, like their Sunday screenings are part of a “Sunday Print Edition” series.

The Eagle (Vidiots): Vidiots started as a video rental place in the ‘80s, but moved to Los Feliz in 2022 and took over historic theater, The Eagle. They show all kinds of films in the Eagle, and also screen newer films in the MUBI Microcinema. There’s a really cool bar in the lobby, and you can become a member giving you access to free screenings and cheaper video rentals from the store located next door!

Brain Dead Studios: A new discovery for me, Brain Dead is a clothing company that took over an old silent movie theater. This past month has been a tribute to Tilda Swinton, but they show movies daily.

Aero: Another theater used by American Cinematheque located in Santa Monica. This was actually the first theater I went to when I moved to LA because they were doing a triple feature of Indiana Jones. It’s a nice theater, but not the easiest to get to if you don’t live nearby.

Egyptian: Owned by Netflix and used by American Cinematheque, this one will show newer Netflix movies in addition to older films. It’s the biggest one I’ve listed and located directly in Hollywood. Seeing the old facade is awesome.

Hollywood Forever (Cinespia): Not a movie theater, but still a very cool experience, Cinespia holds screenings at the Hollywood Forever cemetery. There are food trucks and photo ops. You can bring chairs and blankets and picnics to enjoy while watching a movie after the sun sets. Definitely a bucket list item.

Hope everyone is doing well! Let me know the best movie you’ve seen recently!