Mariemont Theatre

While I love the Mariemont Theatre... it's no Esquire (which, somehow, I haven't posted about yet?!).

Mariemont and the Esquire are sister theaters-- one in Mariemont (hm) and the other right down the road from Dan's place in Clifton. I prefer the Esquire for a couple of reasons:

1) I run into way more people my age at the Esquire

2.) I can walk to the Esquire

3.) The layout (particularly the lobby) of the Esquire is much more open and friendly.

That being said, there aren't many differences between the two. They don't run all the same movies, which is how I ended up in Mariemont on Friday night: it was playing the new Coen brothers movie, A Serious Man.

The differences, on the other hand, between an independent theater and your local Showcase Cinemas... are vast. For me, there is no comparison. I love the hometown, down-to-earth, almost vintage feel of these local theaters. The prices are often cheaper, the movies are the kind that rarely make it to the major theaters: documentaries, foreign films, indie dramas. (My kind of movies.) These are the kind of theater that play Rocky Horror Picture Show at midnight, for crying out loud.

If you go straight to your nearby megaplex for movies, just check to see if it's playing at the Esquire or Mariemont first. Just once. If you hate it, maybe I'll give you a refund.

Mariemont Theatre website: http://www.mariemonttheatre.com/home.htm
A Serious Man on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/