Alpine Cinema

Reviews 5

KR

Kristen Anderson

Since there are no other theaters nearby, I keep making the mistake of agreeing to go to this one, but make no mistake: if there were another theater in Bay Ridge, Id drop Alpine Cinemas in a heartbeat. If not faster. Allow me to share my impressions of the theater in general, and then just a few of the many bad experiences Ive had here over the years. In all but the newest theater, the seats are tattered, and the floors are perpetually covered in a mysterious sticky substance, probably a combination of candy and gum residue and popcorn grease, mixed with general grime and mold. The sound system in at least one theater emits a loud, hissing feedback all throughout your movie, while the films themselves often seem dimly lit and poorly framed on the screen. However, the one constant, both across all screens and for the last seven years or so, is that for some reason,theyve decided to use pink light bulbs for the main overhead lighting, and they play seductive hip hop slow jams before they start up the advertising pre-roll, no matter how family-friendly the upcoming movie is. It feels vaguely like the theater itself is trying to seduce you. I dont really even expect CLEAN bathrooms at a movie theater, but the locks are put on backwards on the stall doors in the ladies room, so you have to hold the door closed with your foot while you pee, which just feels like adding insult to injury. Also, based on our last visit, matinee pricing apparently stops BEFORE 2:45 pm. Thats gotta be a new record. A couple of times, the showtimes posted on the website have differed from the actual showtimes once we got there, causing us to miss the movie. On another occasion, showtime was delayed by something like 20 minutes and it turned out theyd just "forgot" to start rolling. But probably the worst experience weve ever had at the Alpine was when we went to the midnight showing of the final Harry Potter movie. Halfway through, the movie just stopped and there was no explanation for at least 15 minutes. The semi-coherent explanation we were eventually given was that the reels needed to be spliced together, and it hadnt been done ahead of time. (Why? Good question! How do you promote a midnight showing of a "big" movie and yet not make sure the most basic aspect of it, the MOVIE, is ready to go? Even better question!) They said theyd restart the movie eventually if we wanted, or we could take vouchers for another showing and go home. As it was already pretty late by that point, we had to take the vouchers and go. So much for opening night excitement! In short, I go to this theater only when I dont have much of a choice, and its still too often. If YOU have a choice, DONT EVER GO TO THIS THEATER.

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AN

Angelina N

They *had* a promotion going on that lets you watch movies for $5 even on weekends, and not limited to just the first showing. It was a card that you buy for $30 and comes with 6 movies. Unfortunately, if you didnt stock up on these cards, you can no longer get them. Even if you dont have one of these cards, regular prices are $9 for a regular movie, and $11 for 3D, which beats prices in the city by a long shot. They added a new theater in the back, which has a great screen and seats, but the rest of the theaters in the house have pretty worn out seats, and the environment isnt always clean. Its a small-ish movie theater as a whole, and I guess you get what you paid for. They do have people cleaning out popcorn and cleaning out trash after movies, but the general feel of the theater is that its kind of run down. As for popcorn etc, its better if you go to the small delis and pick out snacks. A lot of them sell theater size candies like nerds, reese pieces etc (the ones that come in big boxes?) for like, $2, and sells for double inside the theater. They dont check bags, and arent strict with things you can bring in. More than several occasions friends and I have brought in bottles of soda that were clearly not from the theater. Matinee shows are $5 or $6.

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JO

Jon R

Alpine Cinema is a must-visit for anyone who wants to answer a call, play on their phone, chat loudly, or bring a crying child. In short, if youd like to come to the movies, but dont actually want to watch the movie, Alpine Cinema is for you. Feel free to be loud, obnoxious, and distracting because the staff wont do anything even when repeatedly asked to help out. I dont ask for much in a theater: just show whats current, have decent equipment, keep the theaters relatively clean, and please help keep distractions to a minimum. Alpine Cinema is perfectly fine with all of those points except for the last one, but they fail so completely there that Ill never come back. I love how close and convenient this theater is, but Im so disappointed. Every single showing Ive been to has had at least a few people who light up the theater with their phones the whole movie or people who constantly talk and even a couple showings where people have felt comfortable enough to answer phone calls! I really wish I could continue supporting my local theater, but at this point its become so unbearable that Ill gladly make a subway trip to literally any other theater in the city.

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LE

Leslie Baker

I almost hate to write a review so good because for me this my little secret spot to catch a movie, but I love it so much I can t help myself. The prices are the best in town, I happen to like the popcorn, and the location is perfect for Bay Ridge and Sunset Park Residents.This is a no thrill theater but if you dont really care then this place is kind of awesome. Yes the bathrooms are dirty and downright disgusting, but for me its all a part of the charm (tip use the handicap bathroom its better). The actual theaters arent that great either, but I usually can get a row to myself, depending on movie and time. I happen to love that especially when I am looking for a bit of escape. I tend to like a day show, and try to avoid the teenage times. It looks like some of kids movies can get busy, so I can only speak of the more adult films. Services is just OK too, its more a teen run establishment, but as other have said its low key. You wont be bothered or have your bags searched. If none of the above really bothers you and you like a non crowded theater to catch a movie at a great price. This is your place!

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BE

Bee Tee

I am so glad that this movie theater is still around and not too far from me. Im grateful for the new owner(s) that bought and kept it as a movie theater for the people, rather than convert it. This has been the "go-to" theater for my family & I for many, many years, and we continue to go there & support it (Im going there again tonight with my tenant). Even though there are a few more theaters left in Brooklyn, some more modern & fancier, the Alpine is a very good value; the bottom line for us is, were there to see a movie, which is the same at any theater....not pay more & deal with bigger crowds for a chair that moves in different directions or sounds popping up all over. I would love to give this cinema a five-star rating, but I have to keep the integrity and stay at four. It needs some work, especially the bathrooms, plus its tough to find parking in that area (much like all of Bay Ridge...lol). I do hope, however, that this movie theater stays around for more decades to come, so that my children & many others that can appreciate it for what it is can continue to do so!!!!

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