Cinema Village

5 stars for the outstanding documentary Finish Line; The Rise and Demise of OTB and kudos for a theater like this that exists that shows such hard-​hitting, cutting edge stuff.
But as a place to comfortably watch a movie, I think not. Seats are OK, nothing special. Screen is small, place was very hot and very stuffy last night. Sound was turned off while the credits were still rolling. Not sure why.
If there was something I wanted to see and it wasn’t playing elsewhere which is very possible, I would come back.

I have so much affection for NYC’s few remaining indie movie houses, so I wish I could report that this was more than a 3-​star destination. Paid them a visit for a Saturday night screening recently, and it was a haphazard experience. We were shuffled inside in a flurry of confusion about where we needed to be. The theaters were clean inside and seats fairly comfy– and it seems like weekend screenings are rather lightly attended here later at night, which is a plus.
Visited the concessions stand and enjoyed the lack of line compared to the hoards you have to face at AMC or Regal just to get your hands on some popcorn. Prices were decent, popcorn wasn’t particularly hot and seemed as if it had been sitting for a while, but tasty enough all the same.
Biggest beef with the theater is the lack of attention to the projection quality itself. After a few mid-​film glitches in our movie, it then cut out altogether with just a few minutes left. The audience stayed seated for a bit, assuming someone would swoop in to address the situation. After five minutes we ventured out to find the lobby deserted. It seemed we audience members had been left to our own devices to finish the screening, and had no choice but to leave without knowing how the kung fu flick we were watching resolved itself. Le sigh.
I’ll probably still be back in hopes that second time’s the charm. I’m a sucker for old school spots with glorious neon marquees like the one Cinema Village has.

I recently viewed Noam Chomsky’s Requiem for An American Dream on it’s final viewing at this location. Considering this was an iconic documentary on one of the most prolific intellectual activists of our time, this theater seemed anti-​climactic. Yet, this stark and rather stoic atmosphere seemed eerily perfect for the content of this film. The director and the documentary delivered on it’s promise of presenting a factual analysis of the economic and political malfeasance that is endemic across the entire spectrum of the US. The 10 principles Chomsky defined appropriately identify these social ailments and how society is manipulated en masse. Purchasing my ticket from the less than enthused, distracted and disillusioned guy in the booth drove home the whole concept of the Lippmann’s bewildered herd. You would think, in NYC, lower east side, the village and Tisch being a mere stones throw away… this theater with it’s peculiar and esoteric film offerings would actually attract someone more appreciative and not one of the precariat. Panem et circenses is alive and well on 12^th street.

Easy commute to 14^th Street. Great, intimate space for smaller, private showings. I saw Sweet Micky for President and thought the size of the screen and theater were perfect. The audio was on point. No complaints. I definitely passed on refreshments, same prices as larger theaters, and the popcorn was not even hot. Only downside was that since the showings were back-​to-​back, there was not enough time for employees to clean up the mess left by previous moviegoers. Clean bathrooms were another plus.

Thank you to the Cinema Village for the many many unforgettable films screened here– refreshingly innovative, sometimes low budget, sometimes international but always entertaining in ways that the big flashy blockbusters are not. You have given me confidence that there are still high quality movies being made by people with a multitude of talents. I travel a long way to enjoy your offerings.

Really small and old. When we came for an evening showing of an independent film, the theater was mostly empty. I’m not really used to small theaters, but I’m sure some people prefer this to the large flashy theaters.

A very fun place to see an independent movie. I came here on a Wednesday afternoon recently to see «Laugh Killer Laugh». The theatre where I saw the film was small and probably had forty or fifty seats. There were only seven people at this particular showing, so it was a very intimate experience. The sound was really good and not too loud like you find in so many modern cinemas. The seats aren’t that comfortable (they don’t recline) and this is my only ‘complaint’ about my entire visit.
The concessions are cheaply priced for a cinema. I had a fountain Pepsi and a small popcorn for five bucks.
The old style vibe of the cinema and the great selection of films will definitely bring me back here in the future.

I had been to this theater while at college at NYU but totally forgot about it until this past weekend when I returned to watch Whiplash! Cinema Village was the only theater in the city still playing it. Yay! Besides that one mainstream film, they also play loves of Indie flicks. Tickets are $ 12. Not many seats inside so get there early.

Nice place. Their main attraction is the unique and interesting selection of independent films. The screens are not giant sized, but still large enough. Chairs are pretty comfortable. A good theater that I have no major complaints about.

Went with my wife and her friend to see Wes Anderson’s «Grand Budapest Hotel», which got a second life after it was nominated for a bunch of Oscars. The theater was tiny — my guess is it seats no more than 30 — but for a late afternoon show on a Saturday it was at most half full. The seats have been raked fairly steeply to prevent obscured views due to heads and big hair from those who sit directly in front of you, which is nice, but what happened when the movie started pretty much destroyed whatever good will we initially had for the theater.
Mysteriously, our version of «Grand Budapest Hotel» had subtitles — in English. The kind of subtitles for the hearing-​impaired you’d see if you were watching a movie on DVD and turned them on from the Special Features menu. I considered leaving my seat to complain about them to management, but somehow I felt this level of cluelessness when showing a movie would be met by more cluelessness and I’d end up returning to my seat more angry than when I’d left it. (This instinct proved correct, as you’ll see shortly.) So I grinned and bore it and after about 20 minutes of teeth-​gnashing distraction managed somehow to train myself to watch the movie *without* reading the subtitles
When the movie was over my wife’s friend decided to complain and was met initially by indifference and, indeed, cluelessness. There appeared to be two persons on duty that evening: one, who mans the concession stand and sweeps up in the theater after each showing, knew nothing about the problem and was at a loss to say anything meaningful about it, while the other, who sells tickets, at first tried to ignore our friend’s complaints and then pretended to «explain» the problem by reading a blurb about the movie from a circular the theater received. I gather the blurb talks about how the movie was shot with three different aspect ratios intended to mimic the aspect ratios in which movies were shot at the time the various historical scenes took place.
Of course, aspect ratios have nothing to do with subtitles.
In the end our friend’s insistent complaints netted her a free pass to see something else at the theater … something of a pyrrhic victory, if you ask me.
But in the aftermath of this bizarre experience I’m left wondering exactly what’s going on with Cinema Village’s print (or maybe I should say file) of «Grand Budapest Hotel». The only comprehensible explanation I can think of it that the print is the same kind of DVD the studios send to Academy members in the run-​up to the Academy Awards, when they’re keen to get members to watch (and vote for) their films in the categories where they’ve received nominations. That would leave the factotum at the theater to accidentally turn on subtitles when he dropped the disc into the video projector.
Bottom line: if you have the misfortune of being shown an English-​language movie with English-​language subtitles, at Cinema Village or anywhere else, speak up immediately. I strongly suspect they could have been turned off if we’d simply decided we weren’t going to tolerate them.

it’s a cool cozy place to catch a quick film but don’t expect the full movie theater experience. employees are nice.

Pretty tucked away, averagely kept theater just off Union Square area in the city. They have a real classic feel with the ticket guy at the glass booth on the sidewalk. All the movies that are currently being played are up on the bright light board in bold black lettering. Really throwback feel. The website is a bit sketchy for my tastes, so if you’re not comfortable, definitely go in person to get your tickets on site.
Once inside, there’s the concession stand immediate to the front and the signs are glaring neon. If you happened to stop by from a nearby bar, you’re in for a real treat. We had dinner plans nearby and I had my usual movie junk food but got sickened and eerily saw a whole case full of Twizzlers and I asked the attendant what was the reason for this and it was specifically for the promotion for the movie, The Interview.
Since there was a very limited release during the Christmas time, they mainly only played it in the indy theaters around the city and/​or it could have been ordered on YouTube for much less for one viewing. But, obviously for the person looking for the movie experience, this was the spot that you’d find yourself.
After you come in, you give the guy standing in front of the popcorn area the tickets and he ripped it in half and then gives you another ticket and you’re rushed up the small set of stairs to the theater entrance and right before you go up there’s a guy you give those tickets you had in your hand to him and then he doesn’t even tell you which entrance to go to. It’s a complete clusterfuck, but if you’re patient you go back and ask him again which theater and hope he still had the same tickets you handed to him before in his hand. Good thing I remembered it was theater one and then he pointed us to the way in. Complete shitshow, but you’re glad once you get inside. The the inside of the theater smelled stinky, either the patrons didn’t shower or someone just came in with then major muchies. You really have no choice and take whatever seats are open for the number of people in your group. We were only two and I quickly saw an area to go, but one of the people in that aisle didn’t bother to get up and he was big and chose to spread open his legs. How attractive that was and I could barely squeeze in because of my incredibly puffy winter down coat. Again, another minor setback but once you’re seated you are golden. Movie starts, basic previews, basic sound and you’ll see a lot of heads in front of you because it is not stadium seating. It had a real ghetto theater feel.
The hidden gem of this theater is the disgusting bathroom. For men’s there are 3 stand up stall and one for the stinker. So I had to go to then only open one, which happened to be the stinker and low and behold there was a fresh pool of piss. Great, I had to go so bad because I was drinking so much water that I just unzipped and let her rip. While peeing, you see that the walls a old small green tiles and it looks like the shittiest bathroom you can imagine, tiles are cracked and falling off every which way. There’s only one area to wash your hands, so you’re better off just leaving without washing, no one would know the wiser especially your date. According to my date, she indicated there was only 2 stalls for women so I could imagine the traffic jam that’s just waiting to happen here.
Overall, the theatre has exactly what it does to get what you need in terms of movie experience. Though, there’s a chaotic process to get your tickets and then get it ripped open and then get them double checked, but once you’re past all that you can move on to good times.

This I a great little place for those academic and independent films you are looking for. I feel like I back in my small western town when I come here. It’s just the nicest. I especially like that it is a hidden gem where I can relax and don’t have to fight through tourists like the big theaters in midtown and time square.
I hope many more people take time to relax at this theater, it’s truly worth the time.

As a place to see a film, it’s not amazing. You won’t get reclining chairs with cup holders and foot rests and a giant screen with surround sound. Actually, maybe they have surround sound, I am not sure. But who cares? It is one of the most reliable theaters for seeing the sorts of movies that you won’t see outside New York City, and that’s why you live here, right?
If you want to see a film about Hungarian competition eaters who live out their auto-​taxidermy fantasies, or Nazi zombies, or a homicidal telepathic tire, look no further. This is your theater. There is usually a line of straight-​looking folk looking to get in to whatever the NYT reviewed well recently, but ignore them and proceed straight to the basement for prime New York style entertainment. Then brag to all your friends back home how you’re living the high life.

Five stars for the prices!
Not the most comfortable and high tech theater but it gets the job done. Frequently movies it screens are very small, often also on VOD but they offer a full range of discounts including $ 8.50 tickets for IFP members and a student discount. The adult ticket price is, I believe, the cheapest evening ticket price in Manhattan.
The theaters are okay but a little awkwardly designed — one larger one (with full digital cinema projection) that’s okay, a tiny one that’s weird but has stadium seating, and a small one in the basement which shows movies mostly off a data projector that looks fine considering the screen is small. The seating isn’t plush but its certainly no worse than the Angelika or Film Forum.
Clean and comfortable but small, if you go early you may find yourself lined up outside. They do show some unique films including some move-​overs from other art houses and multiplexes in the city, so if you missed at Film Forum or IFC, it might pop up here. It’s not the greatest theater in NYC — and they price themselves accordingly.

New year, new elite badge! For my very first 2014 review I’d like to take a look at Cinema Village.
I took/​babysat two teenage girls here to watch Modoka*, an animé that is so WTF that I got absolutely nothing. It was like some animé Inception shit and I can rant about it if Unilocal allows us to review movies.
Tickets are 15. The entire theatre is operated by one man. He printed out our tickets then shimmied his way to the concession to make the popcorns. We were instructed to wait downstairs until the seating time. The downstairs lounge is a dark, rapey dungeon with two benches to sit on and sanitary-​questionable bathrooms. There we met several other otaku comrades who were talking about the latest and greatest nerd things. Thinking that back in my years, animated girls were much hotter than the fetishized animé girls of today, I condescendingly judged quietly.
We were then called by the one-​man-​army when the movie was ready for seating. The seats were uncomfortable. You couldn’t rest your head and the armrest didn’t look like it could support a sickly African child.
My sister and her friend did end up loving the movie so they enjoyed their time here.
Unless the movie is nowhere to be found but here, I’d look for alternative venues to watch the movie.
* So the theatre misspelled «Madoka.» Its an animé that has a huge cult following.

I like this theatre even though it’s really not the greatest theatre nor is it even a good theatre. It’s crazy tiny and things can get pretty cozy inside the screen rooms. But, this place shows those indy movies that no one else will show so this honestly is the choice of choices sometimes. So I really like this dinky theatre even though again, it’s really not the best theatre nor even an average theatre.

Nice little tucked away movie theater– I came in on a whim when I was walking around the area. It’s very small and empty, but the staff were super nice and welcoming. Prices were decent, and I liked the movies that were up there. Don’t get here super early, though, since there’s no place to wait for the movie to start until they let you go downstairs– then there’s a little bench. Whatever, I don’t need frills to sit in a dark theater and see a great film!
I saw Blackfish, by the way. One of those movies where I’m glad it’s so dark so nobody can see me sobbing.

A tiny ghost town of a cinema. You know how when you arrive at a movie theater early, there’s always someplace to loiter around and read a book until it’s time to go into the screening room? Not so here: Cinema Village consists of a ticket window outside, a popcorn booth inside, and a staircase to the auditoriums. So if you get here early, I guess you can walk into the auditorium and attempt to read under the haze of a weird orange-​pink light.
Also, be forewarned: no butter for the popcorn here. On the other hand, it was only $ 3.50. I’m going to have to agree with another review that says «five-​star movies in a two-​star theater.»

I’ve been going here for a number of years and I’ve always loved the selection of films that they offer on their own and also through other film festivals. The theaters are quiet small but the films are great so just get there early and get a good seat.

I can always count on Cinema Village to host the indie flicks we crave. The theater is always clean and the lobby is charming. Old school movie going at it’s best.

I’ll be back for the five-​star moves that Cinema Village features, but this is definitely a two-​star movie theater.
The online ticketing is crude and weird. It looks like something a techie coded in an hour in 2002. You still have to go to the box office, flash your credit credit card, and sign your name to a sheet of paper containing the signatures of others who purchased online. It’s 2013 – time to update the online ticketing!
Like other cramped Manhattan art house theaters, there is little room for waiting for movies. Don’t arrive too early. And expect lots of stairs to get to bathrooms, concessions and movies.
I felt the theater itself was especially cramped, with tight little seats and little leg room. The theater we were in had the screen at the back of a lengthy section with no seats (that I presume was the theater beneath us) and the tiny theater didn’t feel much larger than your average suburban living room. The sound and the picture were good, though.
I wish the quality of Manhattan art house theaters matched the quality of the flicks. This is an uncomfortable little theater, but it shows great movies, so I’ll be back.

It’s got a cinéma vérité vibe.

Small theater yet produce big results.
I came here to see «Warlords» with a good friend/​Asian language enthusiast along with his mother to celebrate her birthday. With only two theater rooms equipped with stadium style seating is quiant without all the hype of a mass multiplex hustle and bustle vibe. For one adult tickets are $ 11.00 as Cinema Village plays low budget films, and foreign films as «Warlords» (fantastic movie with powerful quotes). Jet Li is my man, skilled and trained in Wushu!
I rate Cinema Village four stars, despite of the size, not easily handicap assessible for those who have difficulties walking to climb one flight of stairs as the ramp is for wheelchairs only. Box Office is located outdoors, theater staff is pleasant. Facilities equipment is boisterously loud as we arrived early sitting on the lower level and can hear the mechanics of the facilities equipment in usage.