Off to the Movies

One of the boasting points about New Paltz is that it has its own movie theater featuring four screens. For a town of our size, a movie theater is a big plus, and it's great to have four movies to choose from (unless Spiderman 3 is showing on two screens at once). There is a theater in nearby Rosendale that seems to specialize in funkier films, but we haven't made it there yet. Rhinebeck's theater (Upstate) specializes in offbeat or indie films as well as foreign pictures. And there's always the South Hills Mall or the Galleria if you need to spend twice as much on a movie.

NEW PALTZ CINEMA
General Info
Ample parking day or night. The 4 screening rooms are medium in size, and there are at least 2 showings of each film per day (usually around 7 and 9 pm, with more showings on the weekend). Buying in bulk enables you to see movies for $4 a person. The downside to this theater is also its upside: Because it's in town, it's easy to get to, but that also means that an overabundance of tweens and teens can easily ruin your experience. This was the case a few months ago when I took the kids to "Happy Feet" and a popcorn fight erupted among rival groups of middle schoolers. It's always nice, on the other hand, to run into friends there. On the whole, I'd rate the audience factor a solid 6 out of 10.

Films
They generally show popular films and seem to make a good attempt to balance the ratings so that there is usually a G or PG film on at least one screen. According to some locals we spoke to, there was a recent brouhaha when the homophobic owners refused to show "Brokeback Mountain." I can't vouch for this, and it seems strange behavior in such a liberal-minded locale, but I heard this from more than one person. I'd rate the films another 6.

Fare
Their food (too strong a word, really) is the usual crap found at mall theaters and other large venues. There is nothing New Paltz about the overpriced grub on hand (Raisinettes, etc), but the good news is that they're a minute's walk from a large health food store. Of course, you're not supposed to bring in outside food, but that doesn't stop those of us who try to avoid high fructose corn syrup. For less than the price of those Jujubees, I can sneak in some chocolate covered ginger pieces. This theater could easily spruce up its image by selling homemade cookies and lemonade. The garbage they sell would earn them a 0 for health, but a 5 for variety; however, I'd factor in a 10 for proximity to decent alternatives (ie, the health food store down the block) for an overall 5.

Final score: 5.67 out of 10


RHINEBECK's UPSTATE FILMS
General Info
For Noopers, the place is a bit of a hike, but it's worth it. It can be hard to find a nearby parking spot in a hurry, and it helps to get to the theater early to avoid missing out on the show you want to see (as happened to us once), but membership ($60 a year) has its privileges, and one of them is reduced-price admission ($4 or $5 per film -- I can't recall). The theater has a lovely old feeling to it, like you're stepping into a library mixed with an off-Broadway play. The screening rooms have ample seats, but because the films are offbeat, each showing tends to be near-capacity if not sold out. The audience is quite refined, largely due to the nature of films shown; how many 12-year-olds want to see a movie about the Dixie Chicks being shunned by country-western fans after making anti-Bush statements a few years ago? The audience factor has to be an 8. I'd have rated it higher, but both times we've gone, there has been some chatty Cathy within earshot, usually just a seat away.

Films
Well, they're not everybody's cuppa, but if you're into the indie scene, they do a great job of staying current. The only complaint is that films don't tend to stay there more than 2 or 3 weeks. On the whole, a 9.

Fare
They sell healthful chocolate bars made by local artisans. They're not even that expensive, and they're not so large that you'll comsume three days' calories in one sitting. The choices aren't numerous, but they're quite tasty. I'd give them another 9.

Final Score: 8.67 out of 10.

SOUTH HILLS MALL / GALLERIA
Essentially cookie-cutter versions of the American megamovie complex, these "movie houses" are overpriced and, for Noopers, pretty far away. The only positive is that, because they show so many movies and because they have more screening times, there is a chance that you'll find something you like at a decent hour. Oh, and if you need to combine your shopping pleasure with a movie and you don't like walking, you can't do better. The audience tends to be a bit rougher than in the smaller, local joints -- sort of like the tween and teen crowd, but older. Over all, I'd rate the audience as a 7; at least they don't throw popcorn.

Films
Pretty much the samo samo, with a wide variety both in terms of options and quality. I guess they'd rate a 5.

Fare
You can always bring your own edibles, but these places are easily the worst because altho they serve the same garbage as the New Paltz Cinema, there is no nearby health food store to help out. I'd give them a 3 on food because I'm in a generous mood.

Final score: 5 out of 10