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| - Went here for the first time last night and maybe our great experience had something to do with the fact that the place was nearly empty, but we LOVED this theater. It's a little weird that an art house is in kind of a mid-level mall, but you know what? It's convenient and has very easy parking. I know everyone loves the idea of reserved seating but I don't think it's so great in practice. That said, we were the first ones there and there were maybe 10 people total in the theater by the time the movie was underway, so we didn't have to sit in our assigned seats. I can see where it would go bad on a crowded night. Plus, it's kind of hard to visualize the theater layout before you've been in it. OK, onto the drinks/concessions: Looked like a full bar with a good beer selection but the wines were pretty lowbrow for the most part. They did have Prairie Fume, which is good and local. The others, though, were Woodbridge, in little plastic bottles. Yes, plastic. Ugh. On the plus side, they'll give you a glass made of real glass. The popcorn is WAY overpriced. $6 for a small popcorn? That's ridiculous. But the menu has things like pizza and quesadillas, too. I can recommend the pretzel bites, which, although not cheap, were at least unusual. The real selling points of this theater, though, is the decor and the comfort level. It's just a beautiful space and the theater itself is very plush and clean and comfortable. The staff is pretty young and a little spacey, but very courteous. I don't understand how Madison got so lucky to have a theater like this, that is not only well appointed, but shows eclectic, off-the-beaten-path and foreign films. We have nothing like this in Chicago, which is too bad, because I'd definitely be a regular.
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