Penn Movie Theatre in Plymouth

It first opened in 1941, making the Penn Theatre in Plymouth 72 years old. recent extensive renovations have brought back its grandeur and the volunteer friends of the Penn have donated thousands of hours of work to keep this historical building from extinction. This weekend, they are showing The Great Gatsby for $3.00 a seat.

Birmingham Palladium 12 Movie and Dinner

We recently went out to the Birmingham Palladium 12 for their movie and dinner night and were very very impressed with the quality and presentation of the food. From a wide assortment, we chose pasta picante, yummy okra bites, caesar salad and there was a huge fresh cut up fruit bowl, great desserts and of course unlimited popcorn and soda pop. We had to take the elevator up to the third floor for the premier theatre and our reserved seats. It was truly enjoyable! It stands on the corner of Hamilton and Old Woodward, the same place the old theatre from 1913 stood. Occasionally they do breakfast and a movie on the weekends and lunch and a movie during the week.  Go for it!

Cass City Cinema in Detroit

The former Burton International School on Cass Avenue was purchased and transformed into the Cass City Cinema by one energetic Joel Landy in 2009. Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey is showing tonight at 7 and 9pm as well as Emperor at 6:45 and Burn, which was filmed in Detroit, at 9:15. Searching for Sugarman will be projected tomorrow night. $5 tickets are available at the door. They offer popcorn with free refills and made in Detroit Faygo soda. An Earth Day Benefit is being held on April 22 --on Earth Day, of course!

Trillium NCG Cinema and Imax in Grand Blanc

Movie lovers enjoy Grand Blanc's NCG Trillium Cinema complex. The Imax Theatre only costs $12.  There are free refills on pop and popcorn. Matinée showings before 6pm are just five dollars. Their comfy seats have some sort of memory foam that you just meld into. They also have a free movie card.  When you buy ten movies the next one is free. Open about six years now, we think the exterior has a cool art deco Hollywoodesque look.

Detroit Film Theatre

The gorgeously restored Detroit Film Theatre is attached to and part of the Detroit Institute of Arts on Woodward. The 1200 seat venue was built in 1927, designed by Paul Philippe Cret with C Howard Crane.  The result is total elegance. This weekend we were able to see The Mill and the Cross which is quite a fascinating movie within a painting by Pieter Bruegel.  One of the DIA's most magnificent works is the Wedding Dance by this Dutch artist. The painting of the movie is Bruegel's The Way to Calvary and blends the crucifixion of Christ with the Spanish inquisition and life in the 16th century. The DFT offers an awesome line-up of foreign and unusual little seen movies. Seriously....we've been coming here forever!

Birmingham Movie Theatre

Bravo preservationists for restoring the beautiful Birmingham Theatre that has been there since 1926. The photo on the right is posted on its wall.  Aren't those ancient cars a riot? This is where we went last night to see the incredible documentary Caves of Forgotten Dreams. This venue shows different and interesting films. We give it two thumbs up.

John K. King Used and Rare Books

We love exploring the four cavernous floors of John K King Used and Rare Books in Detroit. Established in 1965, John has over 1,000,000 books in stock. No tour of our city is complete without a stop here. The historical building which houses his collection used to be the Advanced Glove Factory. Behind it stand the former Otis Elevator building which also was taken over by the bookstore and houses his offices and the rare book room in which Richard Gere was filmed for the movie The Double coming out later this year.

AntiFreeze Blues at the Magic Bag

The Magic Bag concert hall/nightclub is known for its Brew & View nights and its live performances. This weekend features their 16th annual antifreeze blues festival. Located in Ferndale since 1921 north of Nine Mile along that famous Woodward strip, you can't miss it. Detroit's own Thornetta Davis appears tonight. Check them out here. The movie nights are $2. January 21st is Where the Wild Things Are and Jan 27 is Men Who Stare at Goats, both 2009 flicks will be up for Oscars.

Show time!

With 30 screens including an Imax, the AMC 30 movie theater in Sterling Heights has been a perennial favorite since it opened 10 years ago. With the Oscars coming up March 7, these next two cold winter months make movie-going a favorite activity of Michiganders. If you go to the show before noon, tickets are only $5 with free refills on popcorn, too! The AMC Forum 30 also features some classical live METropolitan opera. Tomorrow there's a showing of Bizet's Carmen in high definition and January 27th is Strauss' Der Rosenkavier.