What To Do Tonight

I’m not one to go around talking about how much better New York is than Philadelphia, because I don’t believe for a second that it’s true. But one area where New York does kick our brotherly lovin’ butt is in cinema. On any given night in the Big Apple, you can find classic movies, experimental films, and completely obscure pictures that you never even heard of but that some quirky moviegeek has found a 16mm print of and decided to show to you.

In Philly, we have the Ritzes (which basically just show artsy new releases). We used to have the Roxy, but they’re showing Clash of the Titans and that Sandra Bullock movie, so I’m not exactly sure what happened there. And not only does New York beat us in this category, but so do the suburbs. Case in point: the Bryn Mawr Film Institute on Lancaster Avenue. The Institute rocks with their film education series, kids’ Saturday matinees, filmmaking classes, opera-on-film presentations, and classic screenings. Tonight, they are showing a real live 35mm print of Citizen Kane, the Orson Welles classic that many people call the best film ever made. Obviously, those people have never seen Spinal Tap, but it’s still a good movie. Go see Kane. And while you’re at it, see if you can convince the BMFI to open up a branch in Philly.