Kew Gardens Cinemas
This cozy art house, the sister theater to Brooklyn's Cobble Hill Cinemas, has all the latest indie hits, and fresh-baked cookies. The Art Deco theater has been around since the 1930s -- it even had a XXX incarnation back in the day. Give yourself plenty of time to park, because Lefferts is a hectic street. (Your best bet is street parking in the area near the train station.) Take note: Some of the screens are tiny.
Curtain-raiser: Austin's Steak and Ale House, right across the street, offers good burgers, a nice selection of beers, and alfresco dining (but a dreary OTB room off the bar area).
Kew Gardens Cinemas, 81-05 Lefferts Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY 11415, 718-441-9835
Cinemart Cinemas & Theater Cafe, Forest Hills
This neighborhood favorite, owned by the same company that runs Greenwich Village's Cinema Village, is the oldest independent theater in Queens. The theater, built in 1925, tends to show a mix of blockbusters and lesser-knowns. It's usually not too crowded, and parking is easy to find on this stretch of Metropolitan.
Curtain-raiser: Theater Cafe, right next door: Stop in for the full bar, pizzas, or coffee. With its sidewalk cafe and indoor fireplace, it has all the seasons covered. For dessert, stroll down the block and into the 1950s at Eddie's Sweet Shop (105-29 Metropolitan Ave).
Cinemart Cinemas & Theater Cafe, 106-03 Metropolitan Ave, Forest Hills, NY 11375, 718-261-2043
Jamaica National Amusements Multiplex
Photo (c) John Roleke
Megaloplex alert! This lively, modern movie juggernaut has 15 screens, arcade games, big, comfy chairs, and big sound. You have to park in a nearby parking garage. The same chain has 12 screens and better, free parking in College Point (28 Ulmer St, Whitestone, 718-886-4900).
Jamaica National Amusements Multiplex, 159-02 Jamaica Ave, Jamaica, NY 11432, 718-291-9400
Curtain-raiser: Try Rinc&oaute;n for a Salvadoran meal or the food court at nearby Jamaica Market. Restaurants in Jamaica, Queens.
AMC Loews Freash Meadows
This low-key, medium-sized theater is rarely sold out, and the parking is easy (there's a small mall behind it with lots of spots).
Curtain-raiser: Acquista Trattoria is a lovely place to start your dinner-and-a-movie. (Note: Though it is in Fresh Meadows, it is not walking distance to the theater.)
AMC Loews Freash Meadows, 190-02 Horace Harding Blvd, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365, 718-454-6767
Regal Atlas Park Stadium 8, Glendale
This is one of the newest theaters in Queens. It gets crowded, so buy tickets in advance if you can. You need to pay for parking, in the mall's parking garage ($2 for 3 hours). Atlas Park, an outdoor mall, is a nice place to walk around and kill time.
Curtain-raiser: Manor Oktoberfest, an escalator ride away, has German fare and beers in a cozy setting with a welcoming staff. There are also outside picnic tables that overlook the mall's courtyard. Prosit!
Regal Atlas Park Stadium 8, Atlas Park Shops, 80-28 Cooper Ave, Glendale, NY 11385, 718-416-1060
Museum of the Moving Image
Photo (c) John Roleke
The MMI is the place for events. Big-name directors show up for previews of their movies, and kids and adults flock there for the film festivals. Screenings are temporarily off-site (mainly in Manhattan) until the museum is done with the big renovation, but this is still a Queens institution! If you must stay in Astoria, there's the Kaufman Astoria Stadium 14 just three blocks away (35-30 38th St, 718-786-1722).
Curtain-raiser: When the theater's ready, Cup Diner & Bar is right across the street, with its 1950s decor and big big menu.
Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave, Astoria, NY, 718-784-0077
