Philadelphia Film Society Center

H Ein 4 months ago

We had a good time at their Valentine's triple feature. The film curation and pacing of the selections was fantastic. Walking up to the lighted marquee was fun. I didn't enjoy the sound of aluminum cans being opened throughout the films, so the fact that they do not have options for fountain drinks is not ideal. Unfortunately, the seating is not very comfortable or accessible. The films may be worth the back pain from tight, non-reclining seats, but I had also had an allergic itchy rash that appeared on my ankles and fingers during the showing. Upon reading other reviews, I suspect that this is due to mice or other pests being present in the theatre. Some of the snack selections seemed intriguing like hot chocolate, but not enough for me to pay the premiums. I did not measure the air quality of this venue but considering the amount of coughing during the long showing and the previous bad reviews around pandemic practices, offering free masks in the lobby would be a great idea. The film society should consider reaching out to PhillyBreathes or South Eastern PA Airborne Safety Bloc to get free masks. I wore a mask through the screenings so that may explain why the mouse dander only affected my skin and didn't cause respiratory issues for me. Thanks for a great Valentine's day!

roamic 2 months ago

I got 2 tickets for Lorne on Saturday. We were at the Jewish Museum and we walked to a Starbucks a few block away at the address given by a google search. It seemed to be locked. a man saw us and came to the door. He told us the film was at 2nd and Walnut, 13 blocks away. We walked in a light rain. We found it but saw a sign and we walked up a ramp at a garage. and then down some stairs to the theater. I ordered popcorn and a soda and then was told we were again at the wrong theater, it was around 2 blocks away. We missed 20 minutes of the film. From the Jewish Museum we were a 3 minute walk.

Josie Testino a month ago

🎥 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 .. I live in South Philadelphia my entire life.. wasn’t sure ❤️‍🩹5/29/ What I felt like doing this evening… I asked Google ai 🤖 IF There was a safe movie theater nearby that wasn’t full of cops, fights, or drama.. Honestly, that’s what I wrote🎭.. This theater popped up and then I asked about what movies were playing.. this “ SURPRISE 35 MM !” VERY cool 😎 & interesting.. I DIDNT have To choose a movie and decide if I felt like going.. I walked there from the apartment building. I live in, which is a nice distance. I got there about 630 doors open shortly after that… Because I’m a first time.. Anybody there was very helpful.. I literally told myself it’s probably gonna be an empty theater filled with people my age, late 50s and older… and I wasn’t expecting much.. The employee staff members.. Are all walking around smiling .. The atmosphere was crazy great!! In the world that’s full of chaos and angry people these days.. I was surprised that the ages was from 20s possibly 80s jj idk But the age range was very large anyways I get to the room where the “surprise “ it’s going to be shown.. Every five minutes, a dozen people walked in by the time this movie started the theater was packed!! I was gazing around the room being like I never expected this.. And then a gentleman came on the stage and.. Everybody uploaded, including myself . , He asked who were newcomers. I raise my hand along with a good 30-40 more people He thanked us for coming he thanked people with memberships. He explained a lot of history about the theater and how it came about and why they do it at which coming up it was really unpredictable. I never seen something like this… Let me add before he got on the stage. The entire room was kind of loud everybody talking more than any seat I ever heard like everybody was having conversations with each other. I was sitting there solo, just taking it all in… Once the gentleman got off the stage, and when I tell you throughout the entire movie, you could hear a pin drop .. There was a couple of clauses etc But once the movie was starting Moving forward the movie was starting. It had a couple previews and then the room went pitch black.. Which was really cool. It was so dark and the room was so silent. Everybody was like on the edge of our seat seats like what’s going to play? “ DRIVE “ I was very familiar with the actors. I’ve never seen this movie. I know I seen a previews before, but it was way cooler watching this with the sound in the theater is fantastically amazing. I jumped a couple times… In a fun way.. :) To sum this all up.. I felt like I was in the 80s.. But in some kind of a time warp, where all the people who had enough of the chaos met up in this movie theater and just sat back, relax and enjoyed a movie and good Peaceful safe Company… Once the movie was over, I left but scattered about the entire theater. There was all these people having very nice conversations. I really enjoyed myself :) I’m definitely going back. He said there should be two surprise movies coming up… I’ll be there !! / js Normally- I go with my adult kids and their kids and family members and of course everybody goes to Cherry Hill or to Northeast with these fancy Electric seats and everybody knows how the movies are nowadays- Nothing exciting very predictable- I’ll definitely take this old school movie theater and old-school seats any day over Going to a brand new movie theater -With a bunch of hostile people - It’s true) We ALL go out to have a good time ! It’s about time is happening ♥️ 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼 It’s epic. He came up with this idea.!!!! “ SURPRISE 35”

Barb Hauck-Mah (barbhmphilly) 4 years ago

Biggest indoor movie screen in Philly! As Philly Film Society members, we've enjoyed watching classic and new release films in this comfy, renovated theater. Movie prices are reasonable and the staff/PFS volunteers who support the events are friendly and helpful. The theater is close to the Broad Street line and City Hall. The Center also hosts film festivals to support independent filmmakers, plus the Environmental Film Festival.

Ian Yue 2 years ago

There are so many things to love about this theater. It's one of those old school "event cinema" venues, ideal for film festivals (like the Philadelphia Film Festival held here). The theater is also home to the Philadelphia Film Society, run by people who love and appreciate all aspects of a good cinema experience. As such, the Film Center has incredible sound design, top-tier projection, and a taught, clean screen. The staff here is also super friendly and solution's-oriented. There were a few instances in which I faced ticket purchasing issues, and the staff always went above and beyond to address them. Some downsides: They sometimes don't answer the phone or respond to emails (especially around festival times), the theater doesn't have precise blackout panels to match a film's aspect ratio (so films aren't always masked properly with the manual side curtains), and you won't find comfortable recliners here. But these cons are slight in comparison to the experience you get (right in Center City, to boot). I wish I lived closer to Philly so I could take fuller advantage of the Film Center's offerings. Regardless, as long as this theater keeps showing film classics on film and digital 4k, I'll remain a loyal patron!