Comfortable Movie Houses in the Boston Area

To my knowledge, no one has ever reviewed actual movie theatres so this is where I break new ground and perhaps encourage theatre proprietors to make our experiences at least a little more comfortable and user-friendly.

In downtown Boston at the moment, you have precious few options for movies. Two counting the new theatre on Stuart Street, three if you count the Fenway 13. Which brings us to the one stop shopping place, AMC Millenium Theatres. The best theatres are the two on the first floor and number two is better than number one. Number two has the IMAX screen also. The theatres on the upper third floor are adequate. The further you are from the main hallway, the quieter your experience will be. I think it is actually worth the time and trouble to see what theatre your movie is playing in, I tend to like the upper number theatres in the end hallway a little better than the ones in the first hallway, which sometimes don't get cleaned very well.

I haven't been to the new Stuart Street theatre yet, but I was glad to see it return from the days when it was the Cinema 57 in the HoJo Hotel. Back then, it was actually one of the best places to go see a movie, although sometimes a little dangerous. I will need to hear about this from someone else until I can get myself over there.The Fenway 13-this is a real mixed bag. The lower number theatres in the back hallway are sort of trashy. Your experience is much better in the theatres up front The ones that are located in the middle are-again, not so great. I never like to see a movie in one of those. I will take the back hallway theatres over those.

Probably the most comfortable theatre in the near suburbs is the large theatre at Coolidge Corner on the first floor. Coolidge Corner has also done something at once kind of neat and strange, created a small 14-seat theatre with big comfy chairs and a large video screen for movies. If you want to get to know your neighbors, this is the theatre you want. Big drawback-the tops of heads get cut off if the image is too large for the screen. I was there recently for the Joan Rivers movie and the afternoon showings sold out, not terribly hard when you only have 14 seats. Coolidge's main upstairs theatre is famous for hosting all manner of celebrities over the years (John Sayles, David Lynch) but it has never been a comfortable place to watch a movie and God help you if you had to watch from the lower seats near the screen.

The Cleveland Circle Theatre-the best theatres are the ones they added in the back a few years ago. It's like walking through a maze to get there. The theatres up front are gloriously small and trashy.The Chestnut Hall Cinema breaks my heart. It was such a nice place when it was owned by General Cinema but last time I went there, it felt sorely neglected. Then there are the new Lux Theatres in the new Legacy Place complex in Dedham. The new seats are stiff and uncomfortable, the setting feels like a huge cavern and does anyone actually go to the plastic restaurant on the premises. This needs rethinking.

The Somerville Theatre-notoriously small and crowded seats even for the concerts but the sound is great and you gotta love the art deco. Somerville Theatres gets kudos for the best movie snacks, reasonably priced. I really like the Regent in Arlington, small but comfortable theatres.

A word about the Kendall. I'm glad it's there andthat they show the indie and foreign movies they show, even if it is a pain to walk through Kendall Square's 21st Century skyscrapers to get there. But I would beg the management to overhaul the theatres and the bathroom on the second floor with the power hand dryers. No, we don't like them and they should be on the first floor with the theatres. It would be worth the money to improve the theatres and make them user-friendly, The Embassy, Landmark Cinema's other site in Waltham is much better!

Showcase Cinemas in Revere-words sort of fail to adequately describe this suburban classic. When people no longer go out to the movies someday, this should be preserved as a museum. The best thing about this one is that you can find movies here sometimes that you can't find other places. Revere's South Shore soul sister, Showcase Cinema Randolph can be a great place to see a movie but the second floor is all wrong and the luxury seating is a serious ripoff. They do have the most comfy suburban theatre seats I have found. Too bad the parking lot is a nightmare.

AMC Braintree is like going to the movies at Target, functional to the extreme. But they do have pizza!  AMC Braintree has some relatively serious competition from the Patriot Cinemas in this area. South Weymouth's Cameo is a great deal (ok the snacks are a tad expensive) and very current and savvy in its movie selections. Hingham's Loring Hall is unique, sort of like going to the movies in the original Fanueil Hall. Street parking is decent, too. The new theatres at Hingham Shipyard are like a mini-AMC Millenium but no problems with parking, just some problems with finding the theatre building if you are going there for the first time. If you go all the way to Hanover, another very good suburban movie theatre can be found at the Hanover Mall. Lots of kids, but this comes with the territory.

Showcase Cinema Woburn-the less said, the better. It's there, deal with it. The cute little movie theatre in Lexington-not bad if you live in the area. The two complexes in Danvers-I actually prefer the Hollywood Theatres because it is such a pain to get in and out of Liberty Tree Mall. Sometimes the selections are better, too. Liberty Tree Mall is good for something like Avatar or Inception where you are watching and experiencing the movie at the same time. I haven't yet gone to the Foxboro 14 Cinemas. I do hear good things about going there.

I probably forgot something but that is wrap up for now. Please add your thoughts.