As a critic (hollywoodandfine.com), I see most movies at screenings in Manhattan. Here are the theaters where I go looking for the smaller ones, and a few of the bigger ones, that got away from me while working (when I’m not showing them at the Emelin Film Club at the Emelin Theatre in Mamaroneck):
1) All Westchester Saw Mill Multiplex Cinemas (151 Saw Mill River Rd, Hawthorne 914-747-2472; showcasecinemas.com) The problem with trying to rate the best theater in Westchester is that most multiplexes offer the same experience. Aside from being the closest to my home in Ossining, this venue always reserves a couple of its screens for smaller, independent titles. One strike against it: no stadium seats.
2) Jacob Burns Film Center (364 Manville Rd, Pleasantville 914-773-7663; burnsfilmcenter.org) The Burns Center is the crown jewel of independent film in Westchester and has been for a dozen years. It’s always au courant with the best in independent, foreign, and documentary films, as well as shows interesting revivals.
3) Clearview Cinema 100 (93 Knollwood Rd, White Plains 914-946-4680; clearviewcinemas.com) You had no problem finding a theater playing Iron Man 3 when it opened—but what about artier fare, like Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s or The Sapphires? When it comes to offering the greatest selection of films, this doughty little multiplex is also a hearty outpost for foreign and independent films.
4) and 5) It’s a tie between Greenburgh Multiplex Cinemas (320 Saw Mill River Rd, Elmsford 800-315-4000; showcasecinemas.com) and UA Cortlandt Stadium 11 (3131 E Main St, Mohegan Lake 914-526-0478; regmovies.com). Comparable experiences in a modern entertainment-factory sort of way; I choose between these two multiplexes depending on which has the most convenient show time.
