Laurelhurst Theater

It’s been to a good run of movies over the last couple of months at the Laurelhurst. I saw Persepolis (twice and both times were crowded), Be Kind Rewind, Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, Iron Man (which was mediocre in my opinion), St Elmo’s Fire, and Streets of Fire. The latter 2 films being great fun in a theaters more crowded than I expected. I would have never thought that Streets of Fire would have such a following in Portland but apparently it does. So on the whole some really good movies, some mediocre movies, and some nostalgic movies makes for a good mix.

As for the Laurelhurst itself I think the pizza has gotten better. I’ve also gotten the chardonnay a couple of times and found it to be a bit sweet for my taste but still enjoyable on summer visits to the movies. Also, it’s been clear that people flock to the Laurelhurst on hot summer days, especially on weekends and for the earliest showings during the week to escape the heat.

The Great Escape is not a movie I was expecting to be substantially better on the big screen but it was. It was nice to see the theater crowded for the movie. I enjoyed a glass of Cabernet which is still the best wine at the Laurelhurst I Think. I was also pleased with the pizza, though it could be just because it had roasted garlic which I love on pizza.

I guess I’ve neglected to write up my last couple of outings. I was quite pleased that Caddyshack finally made it to the Laurelhurst and I was happy to see it on the big screen for the first time. However, though I don’t object to audience participation in general I will say that if someone is going to comment on a movie they should at least be funny. And when drinking, it’s wise to assume you’re not nearly as funny as you or your drunk friends might think you are.

I also saw Lars and the Real Girl, which stayed at the theater for quite a long time. It was better than I expected and while there were some aspects I didn’t like I felt the heart of the movie was in the right place and some scenes were very well done.

The Laurelhurst has had a really solid movie lineup in the past few weeks. Of course, I’ve been most impressed with the older movie selection. I saw “They Live” in a crowed theater on its opening night which was a lot of fun. I saw “Dead Alive” as part of Fright Film Month. And most recently I saw “Bubba Ho-Tep” as part of Viewers Choice Month. Truly some excellent movies. My only regret is missing Brazil on the big screen again. Well, that, and allowing myself to be talked into seeing Transformers (bleah).

The new movie lineup has sounded good as well with “The Simpsons Movie”, “3:10 to Yuma”, and “Lust, Caution” which I know to be good or have heard to be good by people I know. “King of Kong” and the latest Harry Potter movie might be enjoyable as well. So kudos to the Laurelhurst for a solid selection of movies that has brought me out with friends several nights in the past month for movies, pizza, and drinks.

Let’s see, I went to see “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen”, “Casino Royale”, and “Taxi Driver” in the last few weeks. The latter 2 are picks for “Staff Favorites Month” which concludes this week with “They Live” which I plan on seeing at least once.

I tend to forget just how enjoyable “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen” is and went with a several people who had never seen it before, 2 of whom really liked it. The jokes are fast and clever with some insightful and biting social commentary but also really excellent performances.

I didn’t enjoy “Casino Royale” quite as much as I was expecting. It had its moments but some of the jokes just didn’t catch me and a lot of the absurdism would have been better after more drinking.

It was good to see “Taxi Driver” on the big screen; it was the first time I had. I also got to take an out of town guest which was fun. It’s always good to show off Portland independent theaters, especially those which have cheap tickets, food, drinks, and a good movie selection.

This week I look forward to seeing “They Live” and “The Simpsons Movie” at the Laurelhurst. It should be a good week for theater-going.

• tickets are cheap ($3)
• no commercials and 2 previews max
• pizza
• beer and wine (with decent picks of both)

is that the selection of films is generally really good. Some good films I’ve seen:

Donnie Darko (more than once, and my first Laurelhurst experience I believe), Rollerball, Ghostbusters, Dr. Strangelove (more than once), Harold and Maude (more than once), Borat, Serenity, Aliens, The Usual Suspects, The Constant Gardener, The Goonies, LA Confidential, Land of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead (the original), The Host, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Howl’s Moving Castle, District B13, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and probably more that don’t immediately spring to mind as well as several mediocre and outright bad movies that I’d rather not remember. I’ve also missed more than a few movies that I’ve wanted to see and heard were good, most of which I never got around to watching.

I suppose I can say that I’ve also seen more bad movies at the Laurelhurst than any other theater but at least I don’t feel ripped off due to the low ticket price… well maybe once or twice. Alcohol can also sometimes make bad movies bearable and good movies better.

The Laurelhurst Theater is almost certainly my favorite theater in Portland and I’ve seen a lot of great movies there. Knocked Up was not one of them. While it was funny at times I did not enjoy the contrived plot and unbelievable characters. On the upside I enjoyed the Cabernet and pizza. The pizza has been weak since the theater stopped serving Pizzicato. But this time the garlic and tomato was actually pretty good. Hopefully that’s a sign that the pizza will continue to improve. I’m really looking forward to seeing The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which I’ve admittedly seen there before, sometime this week.