After being named the best movie theater in the Twin Cities by City Pages, the Trylon Microcinema has announced its summer program with many films that should be seen on its screen.
I might be biased since this 50-seat theater has been home to our Sound Unseen monthly screenings for over a year and a half, but for others in the Twin Cities who enjoy going to the movies, it has become a second home. The theater is equipped with dual 35mm projectors, has some of the best projection and sound I’ve recently seen and/or heard in the Twin Cities, and has reasonably priced snacks. I’ve overheard customers saying that the prices are the best in town. (The Riverview Theater may have something to say about that, but nonetheless, both theaters have great prices on popcorn, fountain soda, and candy.)
For those of you who haven’t been to this theater, you should make an effort to get to it. It’s a bit tough to find at first, but a good landmark is the fairly new Peace Coffee Shop, which is on the corner of Minnehaha and 32nd Avenue in the Longfellow neighborhood. There is plenty of free street parking and once inside, you’ll find yourself walking down an almost-completed corridor to separate the Trylon from the XYZ Gallery. Once complete, the corridor will feature more framed posters and benches for those waiting to get into the next show.
Once inside the lobby of the Trylon, you’ll notice framed film posters and ads for upcoming films plastered on its narrow walls, with printed calendars for upcoming screenings and t-shirts for sale—but just wait until you actually get into the theater. The Trylon features 50 deluxe rocker seats (ask theater owner, Barry Kryshka, how he got them; it’s a great story); the screen is around 20 feet and it feels like you’ve just walked into your friend’s exclusive bachelor pad. When I first walked in it was divine, and it made me wish I had thought of the idea to build a small theater sooner.
Since opening in July 2009 with Buster Keaton’s silent films The Electric House and Sherlock Jr., the Trylon has expanded its programming to include not only American and foreign classic films, but to include monthly programming such as Trash Film Debauchery showcasing bizarre and unreleased or forgotten b-movies like Cleopatra: Queen of Sex; and the weekly Trylon Premiere Tuesdays, featuring first-run films that would have otherwise gone unseen in the Twin Cities, ranging from R. Alveson’s The Builder to masterful Portuguese director Pedro Costa’s latest (Ne change rien) and an upcoming farce about a killer tire (Rubber).
The Trylon’s bread and butter, though, is still classic films. In its summer schedule there is much to drool over. It should be mentioned that Take-Up Productions, which runs the Trylon, have worked with other theaters in town for different film series (the Riverview Theater and the Heights Theater), and this summer they will be teaming up with the Heights to present series “The Lighter Side of Homicide” and “Nobody’s Perfect: The Films of Billy Wilder.” With the Homicide series, starting in June, they’ll be presenting The Thin Man, Lady on a Train, Murder by Death, and the jewel of the series, Otto Preminger’s 1944 film noir classic Laura.
Other great films series at the Trylon this summer include a Pirate series including Michael Curtiz’s Errol Flynn swashbuckler The Sea Hawk; a series of microseries featuring works by directors Robert Altman, Italian shocker Dario Argento, and documentarian Errol Morris; and a series of silent films. We all love watching movies from the comfort of our home, but after visiting the Trylon, you may develop a new-found love for getting up from the couch and you may end up finding a new second home for your moviegoing experiences.
Photo courtesy Take-Up Productions
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