Cinemas paradiso

We are so spoiled. In Los Angeles County alone, we have 143 movie theaters with 1,075 screens at our disposal. And in those numbers lie art houses, multiplexes, historic monuments and temples of modern convenience. We can enjoy the latest in digital sound and picture from leather perches or visit gilded theaters as old as the movie business.

Will all those choices, there is, inevitably, something for everyone to complain about -- lousy parking or lumpy seats, sullen staff, stale popcorn, the same three or four studio movies at every theater.

But this is not one of those times. On Thanksgiving Day it seems appropriate to recognize our good fortune. (There are, after all, children in some parts of this country who have to go to theaters without stadium seating.) What follows is a highly subjective guide to some of the best moviegoing experiences in Southern California.

Best place to make a bad movie better: The ArcLight Cinemas on Sunset Boulevard is a master of theater innovation. No, not because of the pristine screens and the fabulous sound system, the assigned seating and absence of commercials, but because every now and then you get to have a drink with your movie. That’s right, not before the show, but during. On weekend nights, the theater features a special “21+” show of a particular movie, so you can buy drinks at the bar and bring them with you into the auditorium.

* ArcLight Cinemas, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 464-1478.

Best place to get a lot for a little: Remember when a small soda was actually small, and the price was commensurate? Bless the New Beverly, a revival house in the Fairfax district. A small drink is $1.50, a small popcorn $2. A Hebrew National hot dog can be had for $2.50; candy runs from $1 to $2. A great cup of coffee is $1.25. As for the tickets, adults pay $6; seniors and children, $3. For a double feature. Programs change three times a week. The New Beverly also wins best full-time revival house in Los Angeles. (It’s also the only full-time revival house in L.A. that isn’t a nonprofit.) Yes, it’s homely, but where else can you see “Jules et Jim” one day and “Sid & Nancy” the next?

* New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 938-4038.

Best parking: Head to Marina del Rey. Both the Loews Marina Marketplace and the Regal UA Cinema 6, across the street, offer free parking. No validation required.

* Loews Cineplex Marina Marketplace, 13455 Maxella Ave., Marina del Rey, (310) 827-9588. And Regal UA Cinema 6, 4335 Glencoe Ave., Marina del Rey, (800) FANDANG.

Best wow factor: Walking into the Westwood Crest Theatre auditorium for the first time is a wondrous experience. A hand-painted mural of Los Angeles landmarks adorns the walls, with a trompe l’oeil style that will fool you repeatedly. Art Deco fixtures light your way down the aisles, and a deco curtain shimmers in front of the screen. The seats are made of a foam material that conforms to your body. Look up and see the twinkling lights of a celestially correct night sky. As the show starts, the lively “That’s Entertainment” is played over the sound system. (All this, plus an owner who stages prize drawings on weekends, and a staff that will refill your meter if you leave a quarter at the box office.) This is what moviegoing is all about: magic.

* Westwood Crest Theatre, 1262 Westwood Blvd., Westwood, (310) 474-7866.

Most guaranteed star sightings: The American Cinematheque is like a year-round film festival. The nonprofit cultural organization, housed at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, screens classics and camp wonders for equally grateful audiences.

Whenever possible, the programmers arrange for the movie’s stars and directors to appear at screenings. Nicole Kidman, Diane Lane, Christopher Walken, Carol Channing, Neil Jordan (“The Crying Game”) and Ken Russell (“Altered States”) are a few of the stars and directors who have stopped by to introduce or discuss their films.

* American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 466-3456.

Best example of classism in action: At Disney’s El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, there’s a floor show, but the excitement starts way before the first character waves. Get to the box office and choose between $15 seats on the sides of the theater, or VIP tickets that include center seats, a bucket of popcorn and a drink for $24. Then proceed inside -- if you’re a VIP. Hoi polloi, please line up in the alley around the corner. Once inside the beautifully refurbished theater, steerage ticket-holders proceed to seats that are an aisle away from the center section. If the center is empty, you can’t move over. If the sides are sold out, you can’t spill over, according to the ushers. One half-expects a guard dog -- Goofy, perhaps? -- to patrol the aisles.

* El Capitan Theatre, 6838 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (800) DISNEY6.

Nicest seats: Lots of theaters now have stadium seating, the retractable cup holder, the higher seatback. But Pacific Theatres at the Grove in the Fairfax district wins because when the armrest is raised, there is no space between the seats. This is ideal for napping if a movie is very bad, or for macking if a date is very good. But the Grove can be topped in one respect ...

* Pacific Theatres at the Grove, 189 the Grove Drive, Los Angeles, (323) 692-0829.

Most legroom this side of first class: At the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz every other row of seats has been removed, and the remaining space is glorious -- and odd. It makes you want to stand up (before the movie starts, of course) and stride the length of the aisle without coming within a foot of anyone’s feet. You could do a kickline of your own.

* Vista Theatre, 4473 Sunset Blvd., Los Feliz, (323) 660-6639.

Coolest screen: Admit it, size does matter. The Cinerama Dome at the ArcLight, with its curved 32-by-86-foot screen, turns even the cheesiest blockbuster into a cinematic event.

* Cinerama Dome at ArcLight, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 464-1478.

Best place to leave no child behind: The Loews Broadway Cinema 4 on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade and the Loews Universal City 18 host a “Reel Moms” show at 11 a.m. Wednesdays. Moms and dads can bring their babies for free and watch a new release -- not a kiddie film -- without paying a sitter. If the little angels start mewling, puking or otherwise carrying on, no one in the theater will give them grief. Other theaters have joined the jamboree. Even the Los Feliz 3, which otherwise doesn’t allow children younger than 4 into the theater, has gotten into the act with Wednesday-morning matinees for parents and babies.

* Universal City 18, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, (818) 508-0711. And Broadway Cinemas 4, 1441 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, (310) 458-6232. Los Feliz 3, 1822 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz, (323) 664-2169.

Best shopping adjacency: There are plenty of mall theaters to choose from in the L.A. area. But if we’re talking about shopping as an aerobic activity, it’s all about the O.C. The Edwards Big Newport 6 in Newport Beach doesn’t just offer one of the biggest screens on the West Coast (in Theater 1) and free, no-validation-needed parking, it is situated across the street from the 200 stores of Fashion Island.

* Edwards Big Newport 6, 300 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, (949) 640-4600.

Best food: Sure we could assess individual offerings -- popcorn, candy, drinks -- but Laemmle’s Sunset 5 in West Hollywood sweeps the field. The counter offers not one but three gourmet chocolate bars: Lindt, Ghirardelli and Toblerone. Other tastes are also well represented, from Jordan Almonds to Whoppers. Haagen-Dazs bars fill the freezer, juice choices outnumber sodas, half a dozen teas sit by packets of hot chocolate and the popcorn is fresh. And the crowning glory, the bagel dog, awaits the intrepid moviegoers who know a good microwaved delicacy when they taste it.

* Laemmle’s Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 848-3500. Other Laemmle theaters can be found at www.laemmle.com.

Fanciest facilities: At the Bridge: Cinema de Lux even the restrooms are posh, with potted bamboo plants, fresh flowers, classical music, delicate light fixtures and a plethora of stalls. (A secondhand report confirmed the men’s room to be equally pleasant, though lacking in bamboo.)

* Bridge: Cinema de Lux, 6081 Center Drive, the Promenade at Howard Hughes Center, Westchester, (310) 568-3375.

Most adventurous programming: It’s a tie between the Laemmle and the Landmark chains. Between those two groups, there are theaters from Laguna Beach to South Pasadena screening cutting-edge independent American and foreign films.

* Laemmle theaters can be found at www.laemmle.com. Landmark’s Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles, (310) 281-8223. Landmark’s Rialto Theatre, 1023 Fair Oaks Ave., South Pasadena, (626) 388-2122. Other Landmark theaters can be found at www.landmarktheatres.com.

Best seaside screen: The Avalon Theatre Catalina Casino on Santa Catalina Island is a living landmark -- a perfectly preserved piece of 1929 and a still wonderful first-run movie palace. Built by William Wrigley Jr., the 1,200-seat theater was the first in the world designed for the brand-new technology of the day: talking pictures. Today they use modern projectors and speakers, but the domed, silver-leaf roof still provides great acoustics. Art Deco-influenced murals decorate the entrance and interior. Show up 30 minutes early for the 7 p.m. show on Friday or Saturday and you’ll get a free concert on the original Page pipe organ. Of course, it’s 26 miles from the mainland, so if you’re there for the show, you’re there for the night.

* Avalon Theatre, Catalina Casino, 1 Casino Way, Avalon, (310) 510-0179.