Film Forum

Hearing Jonas Mekas introduce a screening at Anthology Film Archives
“This film is crrrrackling with poetry!” So the grandfather of NYC’s avant-garde cinema scene once proclaimed at the downtown redoubt of all things independent, experimental and classic. The enthusiasm of the octogenarian, who cofounded Anthology in 1970, will keep you coming back for more celluloid fixes.

Seeing a film from the balcony of the Paris Theatre
The elegant movie palace on West 58th Street turned 60 this year, making it the oldest continually running art-house cinema in the U.S. Sitting in the balcony adds glamour to the filmgoing experience as you glimpse your fellow spectators, bathed in light, several feet below.

Celebrating the agelessness of cinephilia
You can head down to BAM for some young-hottie artist gazing. But MoMA is a magnet for adorable olds. See that couple sitting two rows in front of you? On theirfirst date they watched Gentlemen Prefer Blondes—when it came out in 1953! Aww!

Film Forum
Our idea of heaven: Taking a date there, sharing a chocolate egg cream (yes, they make them, along with other delicious treats). Afterward, arguing about the film on the street as the camera tracks beside you. Is that a Woody Allen movie? So be it.

Sitting near a celebrity at the movies
Walter Reade Theater are good bets.

All New York’s a stage
Stroll by the Dakota apartment complex on West 72nd Street to soak in the Gotham gothic vibe of Rosemary’s Baby, or snuggle with a loved one on the iconic Manhattan bench south of the Queensboro Bridge. (As for re-creating The French Connection’s B-train chase through Brooklyn, we suggest you leave that to the professionals.)

Clearview Ziegfeld
Boasting the largest non-IMAX screen in town, this legendary theater on West 54th Street is a throwback to a bygone age, when you could see the latest releases in an Art Deco cathedral. The movie palace makes even a new blockbuster seem like something magical.

New York Film Festival
Dust off your tuxedo, check out the crème de la crème of Cannes and other international festivals and watch living legends field hilariously inane questions from audience members.

Being assisted by the supremely knowledgeable Charles Silver
Silver, of MoMA’s Film Study Center, has graciously helped us with Alla Nazimova and Warhol research. He’s one of the city’s many unsung movie nerds (others work at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and the Donnell Media Center) devoted to aiding and abetting patrons’ arcane cinema obsessions.

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