Where Movie Lovers Go to Get Their Kicks

Call them cineastes, enthusiasts or movie buffs, but Los Angeles has enough of them that several businesses and institutions cater to their hobby. Here are a few where you’ll be discussing the intersection of Jean-Luc Godard and Hal Needham in the films of Johnnie To in no time.

Cinefile

11280 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A., (310) 312-8836.

The newest addition to the elite ranks of hangouts for the movie-obsessed, this video store next door to the Nuart was started by a group of employees defecting from the West L.A. video shop Vidiots. In a relatively short time, they’ve assembled a great collection, including lots of stuff that’s out of print or was never released in the U.S. They even have a deejay on Friday nights.

Egyptian Theatre at the American Cinematheque

6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 466-3456.

Its summertime program of swinging ‘60s films is a must-see, as are its salutes to Technicolor and 70-millimeter films. The programs are the ultimate fix for the movie devotee, in that they often celebrate the qualities of the film as an object (format, printing process, etc.) as much as the narrative or style. The theater also shows foreign films and has the occasional sneak screening of hipper Hollywood fare.

Larry Edmunds Cinema and Theater Bookshop

6644 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 463-3273.

Can’t find that early Martin and Lewis book, the screenplay to “Coming Apart” or the faux memoirs of Chuck Barris? Look no further than Larry Edmunds, one of the country’s premier spots for books on film and the performing arts. Book City across the street was recently forced out by Hollywood & Highland-inspired rent increases, but for now this landmark seems secure.

Laser Blazer

10587 W. Pico Blvd., West L.A., (310) 475-4788.

Probably the city’s best selection of DVDs for sale or rent. From highfalutin Criterion editions to dubious Asian erotica, it seems to have it all. It also still has a large selection of rental laserdiscs, and, as any true media junkie knows, many of the commentaries and special features on earlier laserdisc editions are not in newer DVD releases.

Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Center for Motion Picture Study

333 S. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 247-3020.

The name may be a mouthful, but this is a terrific resource. Housed in a beautiful building that was once a water treatment plant, the academy’s noncirculating library features an outstanding collection of books, photographs, clippings, posters and all sorts of interesting whatnot.

Mark Olsen